Can I make Post Tax Traditional IRA contributions, get them Tax Deductible, then do Backdoor Roth IRA?

The order definitely matters here, and there's some confusion in your terminology that I should clear up. When you contribute to a Traditional IRA, you're making a "pre-tax" contribution if you deduct it on your taxes, or a "post-tax" contribution if you don't deduct it. At your income level ($147k), you're likely above the deduction limit if you have a retirement plan at work, meaning your Traditional IRA contributions wouldn't be deductible anyway. For the Backdoor Roth strategy to work cleanly, you generally want to make non-deductible (post-tax) contributions to a Traditional IRA and then convert those funds to a Roth IRA. If you were to somehow deduct your contributions and then convert them, you'd have to pay income tax on the conversion amount since you'd be converting pre-tax dollars to post-tax (Roth) dollars. The ideal backdoor Roth process is: make non-deductible contribution to Traditional IRA, file Form 8606 to report the non-deductible contribution, then convert to Roth fairly quickly before significant earnings accrue.

After spending weeks trying to figure out this exact situation, I found this amazing tool at https://taxr.ai that saved me so much headache with my backdoor Roth conversion. I was also confused about post-tax vs pre-tax contributions and the deductibility rules. What I loved about taxr.ai was that it analyzed my specific situation and gave me personalized guidance on how to properly document my non-deductible Traditional IRA contributions and subsequent Roth conversion. It caught a mistake I was about to make with my Form 8606 that would have triggered unnecessary taxes! The tool basically confirmed what I should've known - that if you're over the income limits, your Traditional IRA contributions are automatically non-deductible (post-tax), which makes them perfect for the backdoor Roth strategy.

Just wanted to update everyone - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it was actually really helpful for my backdoor Roth situation. I was making the exact mistake the original poster was considering - I didn't realize that at my income level ($155k), I couldn't deduct Traditional IRA contributions anyway, so I was overthinking the process. The tool helped me understand the exact sequence: make non-deductible contribution to Traditional IRA, document it properly on Form 8606, then convert to Roth. It also explained the timing considerations (doing the conversion quickly to minimize earnings that would be taxable). What really helped me was the explanation of how the Form 8606 tracking works across multiple tax years. I've been doing backdoor Roth conversions for a couple years but was never quite sure if I was tracking my basis correctly. Now I feel much more confident about my approach.

If you're struggling to get IRS clarification on backdoor Roth rules (which I definitely was), I highly recommend using https://claimyr.com to actually get through to an IRS agent. I spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS to confirm my understanding of the backdoor Roth process, especially around the timing of conversions after contributions. Claimyr basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to answer. I was skeptical, but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c When I finally spoke with the IRS agent, they confirmed that I could make non-deductible Traditional IRA contributions and convert them to Roth regardless of income level, and gave me specific guidance on Form 8606 reporting requirements. Getting that official confirmation gave me peace of mind to proceed with my backdoor Roth strategy.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway since I've been trying to reach the IRS about a similar backdoor Roth issue for weeks. The service did exactly what it claimed - took my number, called me back when an agent was available (about 2.5 hours later), and connected me seamlessly. I was able to get clear guidance on my specific backdoor Roth situation, particularly around how to handle Form 8606 reporting for multiple years of non-deductible contributions that I hadn't properly tracked before. The IRS agent confirmed that I could still document my previous non-deductible contributions and get my basis calculation corrected, which was a huge relief. This saved me from potentially paying taxes twice on the same money when I do my backdoor Roth conversion next month.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet is that you need to be careful about the step transaction doctrine with backdoor Roth conversions. If you make a non-deductible Traditional IRA contribution and convert it to a Roth IRA too quickly, there's a theoretical risk the IRS could collapse these steps and treat it as a direct Roth contribution (which would be disallowed if you're above income limits). Most tax pros recommend waiting at least a statement cycle between contribution and conversion. Also, it's safer if you've done conversions in multiple years rather than just once, as it establishes a pattern.

Does anyone know if there's a specific income threshold for Traditional IRA deductibility in 2025? I make around $120k and I'm still confused whether I can deduct my contributions or if I should just go straight to backdoor Roth.