TurboTax not asking about my 2022 Backdoor Roth IRA conversion - how to report 1099-R?

I'm getting so frustrated with TurboTax this year! I did my first ever backdoor Roth IRA conversion in 2022 (never did one before that). All my traditional IRA contributions are non-deductible because I have an employer pension plan. I received two 1099-R forms for my backdoor Roth conversion from 2022, but TurboTax isn't asking me about them anywhere! I've gone through all the questions, and it only asks about Roth conversions from BEFORE 2022, which doesn't apply to me since this was my first time. I've basically finished the entire return but still can't find where to input the 1099-R information for my 2022 conversion. Am I missing something obvious here? After reading some advice, I tried using the search box and typed "1099-R" which finally let me import the forms. But now it's asking weird follow-up questions like "What did you do with the money from TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc?" I converted the entire balance to a Roth IRA, and my traditional IRA account is still open but with a $0 balance. How should I answer this question correctly? Also, I'm wondering how you're supposed to answer if you only convert part of a traditional IRA? Or what if there's a tiny bit of interest that posts right as you're doing the conversion? Like if I contribute $2700, but by conversion time it's $2700.10, and I convert all of it, but then another $0.03 somehow posts after the conversion request? How do you handle that in TurboTax? Really appreciate any help!

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18 comments

Amina Toure

•8M

TurboTax can definitely be frustrating with backdoor Roth conversions! You're on the right track by searching for "1099-R" to manually enter those forms. For the question "What did you do with the money from TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc?" you should select the option that says you rolled it over or converted it to another retirement plan. Then it should give you options to specify it was converted to a Roth IRA. Make sure you indicate this was a conversion, not just a rollover to another traditional IRA. For your situation with a $0 balance after conversion, you'll want to indicate you converted the ENTIRE amount to a Roth IRA. This is important because it affects how the taxable portion is calculated. Regarding partial conversions or those tiny interest amounts: if you only convert part of your traditional IRA, you'd select the option that you converted some but not all of the money. For those small interest amounts that post after conversion ($0.02 or $0.03), they're so minimal that they won't significantly impact your taxes. You'd just report that you converted almost all of it, but technically not 100%.

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Amina Toure

•8M

Rolled over in this context just means you moved the money from one retirement account to another. You're right that Roth conversions are generally taxable events, but your situation is special because you made non-deductible contributions to your traditional IRA. Since you already paid tax on the contributions (they were non-deductible), you'll only owe taxes on any earnings that accumulated in the traditional IRA before conversion. If you converted almost immediately after contributing, there may be very little or no tax due. Make sure you've been filing Form 8606 in previous years to track your non-deductible contributions, as this establishes your basis in the IRA.

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CosmicCommander

•8M

I went through this exact headache with TurboTax last month! After hours of frustration, I discovered https://taxr.ai which saved me so much time. It actually analyzes your tax documents (including those 1099-Rs) and translates them into plain English explanations of what to do in TurboTax. For backdoor Roth conversions, it flagged exactly where in TurboTax I needed to go and what specific options to select. The key for me was that after importing the 1099-R, you need to select "I converted this to a Roth IRA" (not just rollover), and then it should ask if this was a full or partial conversion. Since you converted everything and have $0 in your traditional IRA, select "full conversion.

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CosmicCommander

•8M

Yes, it absolutely works even if you've already started your return! You just upload your documents and it gives you guidance on what to fix or modify in your existing return. It's particularly helpful with Form 8606 basis calculations, which is exactly what tripped me up with backdoor Roth conversions. It works with both desktop and online versions of TurboTax, and regarding security, they use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis. I was hesitant at first too, but it was either that or pay an accountant $350+ to figure out my backdoor Roth mess.

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Natasha Volkova

•8M

Just wanted to update everyone - I decided to try taxr.ai after struggling with this exact issue. It was honestly a game-changer for my backdoor Roth reporting. It identified that I needed to manually enter my Form 8606 information and showed me exactly where TurboTax hides this option (under "jump to forms" which I never would have found). The tool explained that since my contributions were non-deductible, I needed to make sure TurboTax knew my basis in the traditional IRA (basically the amount I'd already paid tax on). After following the guidance, TurboTax correctly calculated that I only owed tax on the $12 of interest my money earned before conversion, not on the entire $6000 contribution. Seriously saved me from potentially paying thousands in unnecessary taxes. Never dealing with backdoor Roth conversions without assistance again!

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Emma Davis

•8M

Listen, if you're still struggling getting through to actual TurboTax support about this (their chat is useless for complicated issues like backdoor Roths), I'd recommend trying https://claimyr.com - I used their service when I had a similar complicated tax issue that I couldn't resolve through TurboTax's regular support. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent who walked me through exactly how to report my conversions. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent explained that Form 8606 is where all the magic happens for backdoor Roth conversions, and TurboTax sometimes doesn't navigate you there automatically. The agent walked me through the exact screens and what to select to make sure my non-deductible contributions were properly tracked.

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Emma Davis

•8M

They got me through to a real person at the IRS in about 45 minutes, compared to the 3+ hours I spent trying on my own (and never getting through). They basically wait on hold for you and call you once they have an agent on the line. The IRS agent didn't help with TurboTax directly, but they explained exactly how backdoor Roth conversions should be reported on tax forms, which made it clear what I needed to do in the software. They clarified that Form 8606 needs to show both the non-deductible contribution AND the conversion in the same tax year, which helped me figure out what I was missing in TurboTax.

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Isabella Ferreira

•8M

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After continuing to struggle with my backdoor Roth reporting and spending another 2 hours on hold with the IRS, I gave in and tried the service. Got connected to an IRS representative in about 30 minutes who was incredibly helpful. The agent explained that TurboTax often misses backdoor Roth conversions because you need to manually navigate to Form 8606. She walked me through exactly how to report my non-deductible contributions and conversion, and confirmed that I was only taxed on the earnings (about $9 in my case), not the contribution amount since that was already post-tax money. For anyone dealing with this issue: you need both the 1099-R AND Form 8606 completed correctly. The service saved me hours of frustration and potentially a costly tax mistake.

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Ravi Sharma

•8M

OP, make sure you've been filing Form 8606 for ALL years you made non-deductible traditional IRA contributions, not just for the conversion year! If you haven't been tracking your basis with Form 8606 each year, you might end up paying tax twice on your contributions. The most important thing with backdoor Roth is establishing that your traditional IRA contributions were non-deductible. Without Form 8606 history, the IRS has no way of knowing you already paid tax on that money.

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Ravi Sharma

•8M

Yes, you can and absolutely should file Form 8606 for previous years if you missed them. You'll need to submit them separately as standalone forms - you don't need to amend your entire return. There's no penalty for filing Form 8606 late if you're only establishing basis (though there would be if you were reporting distributions). File a separate Form 8606 for each tax year, make sure to use the form version for that specific tax year, and write "Filed Pursuant to Section 301.9100-2" at the top to indicate you're filing it late under the automatic extension provisions.

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