Got a 1099-R from Fidelity for my Roth IRA withdrawal but taxable income box is blank - do I owe taxes?

The blank Box 2a on your 1099-R is actually consistent with a non-taxable distribution from a Roth IRA. When you withdraw only contributions (not earnings) from a Roth IRA, those distributions are indeed tax-free and penalty-free because you already paid taxes on that money before contributing it. Fidelity left Box 2a blank rather than putting a zero because that's their way of indicating they don't know the taxable portion - they're essentially saying "we don't know your complete contribution history." It's your responsibility to track your contributions and determine the taxable amount, if any. You'll still need to report this distribution on your tax return, but you won't owe taxes on it if they were truly just contributions. Look at Box 7 of your 1099-R for a distribution code - it should be code "Q" for qualified distribution or code "J" if you're under 59½ taking out contributions.

After getting confused with a similar situation last year, I found an awesome tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me figure out exactly how to handle my Roth IRA distribution. The site lets you upload your 1099-R and other tax documents, and it analyzes them to tell you whether your distribution is taxable and why. It explained that the blank Box 2a is actually normal for Roth distributions and walked me through exactly how to report it correctly. Their explanation about the ordering rules for Roth withdrawals (contributions come out first, then conversions, then earnings) was super clear and helpful.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after posting my skeptical comment. I uploaded my 1099-R from my Roth IRA withdrawal and it immediately identified that my distribution was non-taxable since I was only withdrawing contributions. The explanation was actually clearer than what my CPA told me! It showed me exactly which boxes on the tax forms matter and even explained how the 5-year rules work for Roth distributions (which doesn't affect contribution withdrawals but good to know for future reference). Saved me from unnecessarily reporting taxable income. Definitely recommend checking it out if you're confused about retirement distributions.

If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS to confirm how to handle this (which I did last year with a similar issue), use https://claimyr.com instead of waiting on hold for hours. I wasted an entire day trying to get through to the IRS about my Roth distribution question before finding this service. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c but basically they wait on hold with the IRS for you and call you when an agent picks up. I was super frustrated trying to get clarity on my 1099-R situation, and using Claimyr I got through to a real IRS person in about 2 hours without having to stay on the phone myself.

OK I need to apologize for being so skeptical earlier. After trying Claimyr out of desperation (was getting nowhere with my Roth IRA distribution questions), I'm seriously impressed. I entered my info around 9am, went to work meetings, and got a call back around 11:30am connecting me directly to an IRS agent. The agent confirmed exactly what others here said - my Roth contribution withdrawals aren't taxable, but I still need to report the distribution on my return. The blank Box 2a is normal, and I should fill out Form 8606 Part III. Having an official answer directly from the IRS gave me total peace of mind, and I didn't have to spend hours on hold!

Dealt with this exact issue last year. Make sure you check if the distribution code in Box 7 is either "J" or "T" - both indicate early distribution but with different implications. For Roth IRA contribution withdrawals, you typically want to see code "J" which means early distribution, exception applies. If you see code "T" instead, that could indicate an early distribution where no known exception applies, which would be incorrect for contribution withdrawals and might cause issues. If the code is wrong, contact Fidelity to get a corrected 1099-R.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - check if Box 2b "Taxable amount not determined" is checked. If it is, that explains why Box 2a is blank. This is common with Roth distributions because the financial institution doesn't know your basis and contribution history. If you made the withdrawal in 2024, remember you can still make 2024 Roth IRA contributions until April 15, 2025, which could offset what you withdrew if you want to "replace" that money in your retirement savings.

I went through this same situation with Fidelity last year! The blank Box 2a is completely normal for Roth IRA contribution withdrawals. Since you only took out your original contributions (not earnings), you shouldn't owe any taxes or penalties on this distribution. However, you do still need to report it on your tax return even though it's not taxable. When you file, you'll need to complete Form 8606 Part III to document that this was a non-taxable distribution of contributions. Keep good records of your total Roth IRA contributions over the years - this becomes important for tracking your basis. The key thing to remember is that with Roth IRAs, your contributions always come out first (before any earnings), and since you already paid taxes on that money before contributing it, there's no additional tax when you withdraw it. You're in the clear!