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Roth IRA is a great finance account to optimize tax benefits and save money for retirement. Learn about Roth IRA rules, and why you should have a Roth IRA.

Roth IRA Rules in 2020

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A Roth IRA is a great retirement savings vehicle in the United States. There are many benefits to having a Roth IRA including no minimum distribution and no taxes on any gains. However, there are income requirements which limit who can contribute to a Roth IRA and how much they can contribute. By understanding these Roth IRA rules, you will know if you are eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA in 2019.

What Is A Roth IRA

A Roth IRA is a retirement account that offers you a tax benefit when you retire. Unlike traditional IRAs and 401(k) plans Roth IRA contributions are not tax deductible but you also do not pay taxes when you withdraw money at age 59 ½ +.

Roth IRA Contribution Limits 2020

In 2020, you can contribute up to $6,000 a year to a Roth IRA or a Traditional IRA. If you’re 50 or older you can contribute up to $7,000 a year. These contribution limits remain the same as in 2019. So, if you haven’t contributed to your Roth IRA in 2019 yet, you can still contribute up to $6,000 or $7,000 if you’re 50 or older before April 15th. The amount you contribute also cannot exceed what the IRA defines as “earned income” or taxable compensation. This includes wages, salaries, tips, commissions, professional fees and self-employment income. Charles Schwab shares more details here on what’s considered earned income for a Roth IRA.

The amount you contribute to a 401(k) plan does not impact the amount you can contribute to a Roth IRA but the amount you contribute to a Traditional IRA will affect the amount you can contribute to a Roth IRA. If you contribute to both a IRA and Roth IRA in the same year, the total contributions to both of these accounts cannot exceed $6,000 if you’re under 50, or $7,000 if you’re 50 or older.

Setting Up A Roth IRA For A Child

You can also set up a custodial Roth IRA for your child, subject to the same contribution limits outlined above. This means that contributions for your child’s Roth IRA you control cannot exceed what your child earned in 2019.

Roth IRA Income Limits 2020

There are income limits on Roth IRA eligibility which is why it’s important to start your contributions to a Roth IRA the first year you get a W-2. If you are single, and your modified AGI is $124,000 the amount you can contribute to a Roth IRA begins to phase out. If you are married filing jointly and your AGI is $199,000 or above the amount you’re eligible to contribute begins phasing out. These thresholds did change from 2019. In 2019 the amounts you could contribute started phasing out at $122,000 for single filers and $193,000 for married filing jointly filers.

If you are married filing jointly you cannot contribute to a Roth IRA if you make more than $206,000 in 2020. You cannot contribute to a Roth IRA in 2020 as a single filer if you make more than $139,000. Once you exceed this income you will need to explore options to setup a backdoor Roth IRA if you’re interested in having a Roth IRA. To take full advantage of a Roth IRA, set up a Roth IRA when you first start collecting a paycheck. You never know when you may get to the point where your income makes you ineligible to contribute to a Roth IRA.

Here are the contribution limits by income and filing status for a Roth IRA in 2020:

Roth IRA Contribution Limits 2020 table for married filing status, and single filing status
Source: IRS

When Can You Contribute to a Roth IRA

Contributions to a Roth IRA can occur at anytime during the year. You may contribute the full amount all at once or contribute multiple times during the year up to the maximum. Once a new calendar year starts, you can still make contributions for the previous calendar year up until April 15th (when taxes are due). For example, you can make a contribution for 2019 to your Roth IRA until April 15, 2020.

Roth IRA Withdrawals

Since you’ve already paid taxes on your contributions, you can withdraw your contributions at any time with no restrictions. If you withdraw earnings on those contributions though, you may be taxed or penalized on withdrawing this money.

Roth IRA rules dictate that once you’re age 59 ½, as long as you’ve held the account for at least five years, you can take distributions on all money within the account and do not have to pay taxes on that money.

Roth IRA Minimum Required Distribution

With a Roth IRA there is no required minimum distribution. This means that you don’t ever have to withdraw from this account if you don’t need to, and can pass this money onto your heirs.

Benefits of a Roth IRA

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There are several retirement account options available in the United States including Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs and 401(k) plans. Even if you already contribute to a 401(k) plan at work, there are many benefits unique to a Roth IRA. You should contribute to a Roth IRA as part of your retirement savings strategy.

What Is A Roth IRA

A Roth IRA is a retirement account that offers you a tax benefit when you retire. Unlike traditional IRAs and 401(k) plans Roth IRA contributions are not tax deductible but you also do not pay taxes when you withdraw money at age 59 ½ +. There are certain Roth IRA rules such as income requirements and contribution limits you need to follow.

Broad Variety of Roth IRA Investment Options

In a Roth IRA account you can select what you want to invest in such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds. You can invest in nearly any financial asset but you cannot invest in other assets like artwork for example. Any financial asset offered by the financial institution you have your Roth IRA with can be invested in through your Roth IRA. This is a benefit offered by a Roth IRA that you don’t have in your 401(k) plan. A 401(k) plan offered by your employer typically only has a few options of what you can invest in.

Roth IRA Tax Benefits

Roth IRAs are funded with post tax contributions. This means you pay taxes on your Roth IRA contributions before you put it in the account. This is different from a 401(k) plan where you contribute money that hasn’t been taxed yet. Once the money is in your Roth IRA account the earnings grow tax free.

Borrowing Money from Roth IRA Earnings

It’s not recommended that you borrow money from a Roth IRA. However, if you get in a bind, there are a few benefits to taking out a loan / distribution from a Roth IRA. With a Roth IRA, you may have to pay a 10% penalty for an early withdrawal but there are a few exceptions. You can withdraw all or part of your money penalty free for 60 days as part of a Roth IRA rollover but you must pay back the full amount in that time frame.

You can also request a qualified distribution that you don’t have to pay back for a few reasons including buying or building your first home (up to $10,000 cap), certain education expenses or if you become disabled. Investopedia shares more details here about withdrawing from a Roth IRA. If this is something you are considering, it is best to contact your financial institution first. However, when you withdraw money from your Roth IRA you lose the tax benefits of those contributions earning capital gains and dividends tax free.

With a 401(k) loan, you can only take a loan out for a current 401(k) plan. You also may have to pay taxes on your loan and interest which is typically an interest point or two above the prime rate. Your loan is also limited to $50,000 or 50% of your balance, whichever is lower.

Roth IRA Contribution Withdrawals At Any Time

With a Roth IRA you are always able to withdraw your contributions penalty free (note: contributions, not earnings). You’ve already paid taxes on your Roth IRA contributions. Therefore, you can withdraw your contributions at any time with no restrictions. If you withdraw earnings on those contributions though, you may be taxed or penalized on withdrawing this money.

Once you hit 59 ½, as long as you’ve held the account for at least five years, you can take distributions on all money within the account and do not have to pay taxes on that money. Both 401(k) plans and Traditional IRA plans require you to pay taxes when you withdraw the money.

No Minimum Required Distribution for Roth IRAs

There are no required minimum distributions for Roth IRA accounts. Both 401(k) plans and Traditional IRA plans have required minimum distributions beginning at age 70 ½. If these plans are your only retirement saving strategy this could mean you’re in a high tax bracket depending what your required minimum distribution is. You don’t have the option to withdraw less to end up in a lower tax bracket. Since there is no required minimum distribution beginning at 70 ½ with a Roth IRA you don’t ever have to withdraw from this account. You can opt to pass this money onto your heirs.

Roth IRA Benefits Summary

It is a good retirement strategy to have a Roth IRA along with a 401(k) or traditional IRA to reduce the amount of taxes you’ll have to pay once retired and also to take advantage of the tax benefits offered by a 401(k) plan while you’re working. Having a mix of both will help reduce your taxes both now and in retirement. You’ll also have more flexibility with investment options and flexibility to borrow money from the account if you’re ever in a desperate situation.