401k to Roth IRA conversion 1099-R form showing $0 in taxable amount box 2a - is this correct?

You're right to question this! When you convert from a traditional 401k to a Roth IRA, it should generally be a taxable event because you're moving from pre-tax to post-tax money. The distribution code G indicates a direct rollover from a qualified plan to a Roth IRA, which confirms the type of transaction you did. However, the $0 in box 2a is suspicious. The plan administrator should have included the taxable amount there, which is typically the full amount of the conversion (unless you had non-deductible contributions in your 401k). While you could manually override this in your tax software, I'd recommend contacting the plan administrator first to request a corrected 1099-R. This creates a paper trail showing you tried to get the correct documentation. If they refuse or delay, then yes, you can report the full amount as taxable on your return with an explanation. What you definitely don't want to do is file with the incorrect information, as the IRS will likely catch this discrepancy eventually.

I went through something similar last year with a 401k to Roth conversion. After spending HOURS trying to figure this out on my own, I finally tried https://taxr.ai to analyze my 1099-R and other documents. The tool actually caught that my provider had issued an incorrect form with the wrong box checked. They have this feature that analyzes your tax documents for errors or inconsistencies - it flagged my 1099-R issue immediately. I uploaded all my retirement account statements and the 1099-R, and it gave me a detailed explanation of what was wrong and how to fix it. In your case, it sounds like the plan administrator made a mistake, and their AI would probably catch that right away. Might save you some headaches before you file.

I wanted to follow up and say I tried taxr.ai after posting here and it was super helpful with my retirement account mess! I uploaded my 1099-R and some account statements and got immediate clarity. In my case, it identified that my form had a similar issue with box 2a showing $0 for a conversion. The analysis explained exactly why this was wrong and gave me step-by-step instructions for how to report it properly. It even generated a letter template I could send to my plan administrator requesting a correction. I was skeptical at first (I've tried other tax tools that were useless), but this actually saved me from making a potentially expensive mistake. Just wanted to share since others might be facing similar conversion reporting issues.

For anyone dealing with this 1099-R situation, if your plan administrator is giving you the runaround, I highly recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at the IRS. I spent WEEKS trying to get clarity on how to handle an incorrect 1099-R after my plan administrator refused to issue a corrected form. I was on hold with the IRS for literally hours before giving up. Then I found Claimyr - they have this system that basically waits on hold with the IRS for you, then calls you when an agent picks up. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed that I should report the full amount as taxable despite what the form showed, and explained exactly how to document it properly to avoid issues later. Saved me from endless worry about getting audited!

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it because my accountant and plan administrator were giving me completely opposite advice about my 401k to Roth conversion. The service actually did exactly what it promised. They called the IRS, waited on hold (for 1 hour 37 minutes according to their tracker!), and then connected me directly to an agent when one was available. I didn't have to sit there listening to that awful hold music or worry about getting disconnected. The IRS agent confirmed that despite my 1099-R showing $0 taxable amount for my Roth conversion, I needed to report the full amount as income. They explained that the form was clearly incorrect and gave me specific instructions on how to document everything to avoid problems. Worth every penny for the peace of mind alone.

An important point nobody's mentioned yet - double-check if you made any non-deductible contributions to your traditional 401k. If you did, part of your conversion might actually be non-taxable. You would need to file Form 8606 to calculate the taxable portion. The pro-rata rule applies here, which means you have to consider all your IRA balances when determining how much of the conversion is taxable.

Omg I'm going through literally the exact same thing! My 1099-R from Fidelity has a 0 in box 2a for my Roth conversion. Called them and they insist the form is correct and said "the receiving institution needs to determine the taxable amount." Has anyone successfully gotten their form corrected? I'm losing my mind over this!

Remember that the IRS gets a copy of your 1099-R, so even if you correctly report the taxable amount on your return, their automated matching system might flag the discrepancy. I'd definitely include an explanation statement with your return if the form isn't corrected. Something like: "The amount reported as taxable on line X reflects the correct taxable portion of my Traditional 401k to Roth IRA conversion, despite the distributing institution incorrectly reporting $0 in box 2a of Form 1099-R. Multiple attempts to obtain a corrected form were unsuccessful.