3 Mistakes You Might Make in the Course of a Roth Conversion

A Roth conversion can be a powerful way to reduce your future tax burden and create tax-free income for yourself in retirement. By moving money out of a traditional IRA or 401(k) and into a Roth, you can set your nest egg up to grow tax-free and avoid those dreaded required minimum distributions (RMDs).

But if you're going to do a Roth conversion, it's important to do so carefully. That means avoiding these big mistakes.

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1. Converting too much at once

When you convert money from a traditional retirement account to a Roth, the amount you move over counts as taxable income that year. This means a large Roth conversion could push you into a higher tax bracket than expected, resulting in a bigger IRS bill.

If you have a large IRA or 401(k) you're hoping to convert, aim to do so over several years. A good window for a conversion could be early on in retirement, before RMDs come into play.

Let's say you retire at age 65 and don't have to take RMDs until you turn 75. That gives you 10 years to convert your savings to a Roth.

With a $600,000 balance, you can move $60,000 a year, which may add to your tax bill. However, depending on your other income, it may not push you into a higher tax bracket than you expected to be in.

2. Forgetting about Medicare surcharges

If you're doing Roth conversions while enrolled in Medicare, or when you're about to enroll in Medicare, you'll need to be extra careful. Roth conversions count toward your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) for the year. And a higher MAGI could push you into IRMAA territory.

IRMAAs are income-related monthly adjustment amounts. And they're basically surcharges on your Medicare premiums, applying to both Part B and Part D.

If you do a large Roth conversion at 63 and then enroll in Medicare two years later at 65, that conversion could spell the difference between having to pay more for Medicare or not, since IRMAAs are based on income from two years prior. This is another reason why timing your conversions carefully is key.

3. Converting all of your savings

You may be eager to get all of your savings out of a traditional retirement account and into a Roth. But that's not necessarily your best move.

First, you never know what tax breaks might come down the pike that are contingent on having taxable income. If you don't have taxable income because your entire nest egg is in a Roth account, you could lose out.

Also, if you're hoping to donate to charity, you should know that qualified charitable distributions can satisfy RMDs without adding to your tax bill. So if you're planning to donate, say, $5,000 a year to a charitable organization, it could pay to have that money in a traditional IRA, not a Roth.

If you convert that money to a Roth, you'll pay taxes on your conversion. If you leave it in a traditional IRA, you can donate it tax-free.

Roth conversions require lots of planning. Avoiding these mistakes could help ensure that you're able to reap the maximum benefits of a Roth conversion without unwanted consequences.

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