What Is a Backdoor Roth IRA? Should You Use One?

There might come a time in your life—after a promotion or big pay raise—when you find yourself in a pickle: you earn too much money.

Yep, the IRS is that helpful—they actually set income limits for contributions to Roth IRAs.

But a big paycheck is a great problem to have. And besides, there’s a solution! It’s called a backdoor Roth IRA.

What Is a Backdoor Roth IRA?

A backdoor Roth IRA is a tax strategy that allows high-income earners to move their retirement savings from a tax-deferred, traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Technically, it’s a loophole, but don’t worry—it’s perfectly legal. (No need to worry about the IRS coming after you.)

We love this strategy for high-income earners because it helps them get around those pesky income limits so they can take advantage of the tax benefits of the Roth IRA.

But why do people want their money in a Roth IRA? Get a load of this: As long as you’re willing to pay the tax bill to convert the funds, your retirement savings can then grow tax-free in a Roth IRA. So when it’s time to make withdrawals in retirement, you won’t have to pay another dime in taxes (or bother with RMDs).

How Does a Backdoor Roth IRA Work?

We’ll admit, a backdoor Roth IRA sounds like something only investment pros understand—but the truth is, it’s pretty simple. You can convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in just three steps:

1. Contribute to a traditional IRA.

Okay, this one’s obvious, but you’ve got to have money in a traditional IRA to begin with. If you don’t have one yet, you can connect with an investment professional who can help you set up a traditional IRA and make your first contribution.

2. Convert that money to a Roth IRA.

Once you have money in your traditional IRA, the next step is to convert those funds into a Roth IRA. There are three ways you can choose to do that:

• Same-trustee transfer: Are your IRAs with the same financial institution? Sweet! All you have to do is tell your financial institution to transfer the money from your traditional IRA into the Roth account. 
• Trustee-to-trustee transfer: If you have your traditional and Roth IRAs at different financial institutions (or want to open a new Roth account at a different institution), you can have the trustee that holds your traditional IRA transfer the money to the one who manages the Roth. 
• Indirect rollover: Y’all—doing a backdoor Roth this way is risky. First, you’ll get a check from your IRA provider. Then you’ll have to deposit that money into a Roth account within 60 days or pay a withdrawal penalty (on top of the taxes already triggered by the conversion).

If you have a bunch of money already inside a traditional IRA and want to convert all of it to a Roth, you can. Talk to your investing pro (and your tax pro too) about what that’s going to do to your tax situation this year.

While there are annual IRA contribution limits, there are no restrictions on how much you can convert from an existing investment account to a Roth IRA. But as we mentioned before, you’ll pay taxes on any money you convert into your Roth account. 

3. Pay taxes on the money you transferred (with cash!).

Some people think a backdoor Roth IRA is some kind of tax dodge. But that’s not the case at all—you’re just choosing to pay taxes on your retirement savings now instead of later.

For example, if you’ve got $5,000 in a traditional IRA and convert it to a Roth IRA, that money will be added to your taxable income (you’ll pay taxes on Tax Day). Depending on how much you earn and how much money you’re converting, that added income might bump you into a higher tax bracket.

Talk with an investing or tax professional who can give you an idea how much you’ll owe when you do the conversion. That way, you won’t have a panic attack when you get your tax bill next April. 

When Does a Backdoor Roth IRA Make Sense?

One reason we love the backdoor Roth IRA is because retirement is a lot more fun if you don’t have to worry about paying taxes on withdrawals from your traditional IRA. However, the backdoor Roth IRA isn’t for everyone.

There are rules for a Roth plan. If you don’t follow them, you could get hit with fees and extra taxes, and (say it with us) nobody wants that. Talk this option through with your financial advisor before you take the leap.

In the interest of keeping things simple, here are four ways you can tell if a backdoor Roth IRA might be doable for you:

You earn too much to contribute to a Roth IRA.

A big salary can actually disqualify you from contributing directly to a Roth IRA. For 2026, direct Roth IRA contributions begin phasing out at $153,000 for single filers and $242,000 for married couples filing jointly.¹

Roth IRA Income Limits

If you find yourself in the reduced contribution range (or not eligible to contribute at all), it might make sense to contribute at least some money into a traditional IRA and then do backdoor Roth IRA later.

You don’t plan to retire for at least another five years.

Thanks to IRS withdrawal rules, once you convert money from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, you need to wait at least five years before you take money out of it. Take it out sooner, and you could owe more taxes plus a hefty penalty.³

If you need to withdraw the money in your IRA soon, the backdoor Roth IRA probably isn’t for you.

You have the cash on hand to pay the tax bill.

You should only do a backdoor Roth IRA if you have the cash on hand to pay the taxes you owe. Do not—we repeat, do not—use the money in the traditional IRA itself to pay your taxes. That would defeat the whole purpose of the conversion.

This is where a lot of people get tripped up. They get so excited about the tax benefits of a Roth IRA that they forget about the hefty tax bill that comes with the conversion.

Let’s say you’re in the 24% tax bracket and contribute a total of $7,000 to your traditional IRA. If you decide to convert it all with a backdoor Roth IRA, you’ll owe an additional $1,680 in taxes when you file taxes in the spring. If the conversion pushes you into a higher tax bracket, that number will be higher.⁴

You have no debt at all (including your mortgage).

Yep, you read that right: no debt (not even a mortgage). That means you’re on Baby Step 7, so you have margin in your budget to make serious headway on your retirement goals. If that’s you, you can use a backdoor Roth IRA without it getting in the way of your other important financial goals.   

Listen. When you don’t have any debt payments, it’s a whole lot easier to pile up the cash you need to cover the taxes on that backdoor Roth IRA conversion.

Since a backdoor Roth IRA could have a huge impact on your financial situation and investing strategy, it’s worth talking to a financial advisor before you make your final decision.

When a Backdoor Roth IRA Doesn’t Make Sense

If you earn too much to contribute to a Roth IRA, a backdoor Roth IRA can be a great work-around.

However, this isn’t the right move if:

• You still have debt
• You don’t have margin in your budget for a hefty tax bill
• You don’t have a fully funded emergency fund (3–6 months of expenses)
• You aren’t able to save 15% of your income for retirement yet

We won’t dance around the truth: If you’re still working your way through the Baby Steps, paying off debt, or trying to stick to a budget, why overcomplicate your life—especially when it comes to your money? Knock out the basics first!

Remember that the tax bill created by your backdoor Roth IRA conversion might be more than you’re comfortable paying right now: When you do a conversion, the IRS adds any untaxed amounts to your taxable income for the year. And if your IRA includes a mix of pretax and after-tax money, things can get complicated fast.

The Tax Catch You Need to Understand

If you made an after-tax contribution to a traditional IRA and converted it before it had much time to grow, the tax hit may be small.

But if you already have pretax money in traditional IRAs, SEP-IRAs or SIMPLE IRAs, the pro rata rule can make more of the conversion taxable than you expected (see the pro rata FAQ at the end of this article). That’s why this strategy is simple for some people and annoying for others. Same rulebook…very different outcome.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

You don’t need a backdoor Roth when you can just make regular Roth IRA contributions. If you’re within the income limits for a Roth, skip the extra paperwork and use the front door.

Also, don’t wait too long between the traditional contribution and the conversion. The longer the money sits in a traditional IRA, the more it’ll grow—and that growth is taxable at conversion.

And don’t forget: This is an advanced move. Not dangerous, not shady—just not necessary for most people.

Most importantly, don’t pay the tax bill with your retirement money! That makes a backdoor Roth conversion pointless. Keep your retirement money invested. Pay your taxes with cash.

A Quick Recap

A backdoor Roth IRA can be a smart move for high-income earners who want the tax advantages of a Roth IRA and are prepared to handle the taxes (and the paperwork).

But your early wins with money matter more:

• Build an EveryDollar budget.
• Get out of debt the Ramsey way.
• Get that emergency fund fully funded (3–6 months of expenses).
• Invest 15% of your income consistently.

If the front door to a Roth IRA ever closes because your income is too high, the backdoor Roth may be worth considering at that point.

Hey—if we’ve shown you anything here, it’s that investing can be freakin’ complicated. Give yourself some financial peace and talk to a pro. A SmartVestor Pro can help you make a plan that gets you where you want to go. And they’ll do it the Ramsey way.

This article provides general guidelines about investing topics. Your situation may be unique. To discuss a plan for your situation, connect with a SmartVestor Pro. Ramsey Solutions is a paid, non-client promoter of participating Pros.