What exactly is an IRA distribution? Confused about TIRA to Roth conversion reporting

Yes, a backdoor Roth conversion is considered an IRA distribution for tax purposes. When you move money from a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, that's reported on Form 1040 lines 4a and 4b. Line 4a will show the full amount distributed from your Traditional IRA. If you didn't take any money for yourself and converted the entire amount to a Roth, then line 4b (the taxable portion) will also equal the amount on 4a, assuming you had no non-deductible contributions. An IRA distribution is basically any money that leaves an IRA account. This includes withdrawals you take for personal use, rollovers to other retirement accounts, and conversions like you're doing. The tax treatment differs depending on the type of distribution, but they're all technically distributions.

I went through this exact same confusion last year! After trying to figure this out for hours I finally found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which totally saved me. I uploaded my 1099-R and W-2 and it explained exactly how to handle my backdoor Roth conversion on my tax forms - specifically with the 4a and 4b reporting. It basically analyzed all the documents and walked me through what goes where. The best part was it explained everything in plain english instead of tax jargon which made a huge difference for me because I was so lost trying to figure out what counted as a "distribution" vs a "conversion".

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai for my backdoor Roth conversion questions and it was seriously helpful! I uploaded my 1099-R that showed my Traditional IRA distribution and it immediately identified that it was for a Roth conversion. The explanation of how to handle lines 4a and 4b on the 1040 was super clear, and it even walked me through Form 8606 for tracking my non-deductible contributions. Honestly wish I'd found this sooner because I've been doing conversions for 3 years and was always confused about whether I was reporting them correctly.

If you're having trouble reaching the IRS to ask about IRA distributions and reporting, I'd recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent days trying to get through to ask about a similar backdoor Roth situation with some complicated basis calculations from previous years. I was skeptical but checked out their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and decided to try it. Got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had previously been disconnected after hours of waiting. The agent walked me through exactly how to report my conversion on both Form 1040 and Form 8606.

I have to eat my words. After my skeptical comment, I tried Claimyr out of desperation because I needed clarification on reporting my backdoor Roth conversion from last year, and I was shocked when I actually got through to an IRS rep. The agent confirmed that yes, a backdoor Roth conversion IS considered an IRA distribution for tax purposes and must be reported on lines 4a/4b of Form 1040. They also helped me understand how to properly complete Form 8606 to track my non-deductible contributions. This saved me from potentially misreporting my conversion which could have triggered issues later.

I think there's still some confusion here. Let me try to clarify: 1. When you move money from Traditional IRA to Roth IRA = distribution + conversion 2. Line 4a reports the TOTAL amount distributed 3. Line 4b reports the TAXABLE portion 4. Form 8606 is required to calculate the taxable portion If your TIRA had only deductible contributions, the entire distribution is taxable. If you had non-deductible (after-tax) contributions, only part is taxable. The key is tracking your "basis" (non-deductible contributions) on Form 8606 each year!

I had this exact same question last year! An IRA distribution is literally ANY money coming out of an IRA account - doesn't matter where it goes after. So yes, when u move $ from TIRA to Roth, that's a distribution. The trick is the tax treatment: - Regular withdrawal to your bank account = distribution (taxable + maybe penalties) - TIRA to Roth = distribution + conversion (taxable but no penalties) - IRA to IRA rollover = distribution but not taxable if done properly Report the whole amount on line 4a, and the taxable part on 4b. For backdoor Roth, those are usually the same number unless u had non-deductible contributions.