In certain cases, an individual may be eligible to make a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA contribution. At a high level, this involves that person making a non-Roth, after-tax contribution to their 401(k), rolling it out of their 401(k) plan and into a Roth IRA. Under the right circumstances, this can allow the individual to contribute tens of thousands of dollars into a Roth IRA. The issue is that the rules are very restrictive and prohibitive for most people.
This flowchart addresses some of the most common issues that arise for an individual trying to make a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA contribution such as:
The maximum amount that can be contributed
The step-by-step process to complete this kind of contribution
Impact of ACP test
Impact of the plan allowing in-service distributions
Impact of the plan having “separate accounts”
Tax impact upon the rollover
Updated for 2019