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Presilium Private Wealth
Tax Planning

Tips & Tricks for Today & Tomorrow 8 – Roth Contributions for High Earners

High earners are often phased out of contributing directly to a Roth IRA. This Presilium video explains workarounds, including the backdoor Roth IRA and mega backdoor Roth through a 401(k), that let high-income savers still build tax-free retirement assets, along with the tax rules to watch when using them.

Jerry Davidse

High earners are often phased out of contributing directly to a Roth IRA. This Presilium video explains workarounds, including the backdoor Roth IRA and mega backdoor Roth through a 401(k), that let high-income savers still build tax-free retirement assets, along with the tax rules to watch when using them.

Key takeaways

  • Income limits can block high earners from contributing directly to a Roth IRA.
  • A backdoor Roth converts after-tax traditional IRA contributions into a Roth IRA to bypass income limits.
  • A mega backdoor Roth uses after-tax 401(k) contributions to add far more to Roth accounts when the plan allows it.
  • The pro-rata rule and plan specifics make professional tax guidance important before executing these strategies.

Written by

Jerry Davidse

Chief Executive Officer · CFP®

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