When moving your retirement money, go direct!

April, 16 2015 by Frank Thomas

You have your traditional IRA account invested at your bank but you are not happy with the rate of return. You’ve heard that it’s possible to move your traditional IRA to another financial institution and not have to pay any taxes. But is it true? The answer is yes, as long as you follow specific procedures when you do. Here’s what you need to know:

There are two ways to roll over a retirement account. One is referred to as a direct rollover and the other is an indirect rollover.

The best way to do an IRA rollover is by a direct rollover, also known as a direct transfer or a trustee-to-trustee transfer. A direct rollover is when you make an arrangement in advance between both financial institutions to transfer the funds between accounts without you taking possession of the money. Most direct rollovers are usually nontaxable, such as a regular 401(k) deposited (rolled over) to a traditional IRA. However, certain rollovers may be taxable depending on the type of retirement accounts involved. For example, a regular 401(k) rolled over (converted) to a Roth IRA is usually taxable. There is no limit to the number of direct rollovers you are allowed to make, and no special rules or deadlines you need to remember.

Now let’s talk about the indirect rollover. An indirect rollover is when you take possession of the funds before you re-deposit them. There are two key rules you need to know to avoid problems, and perhaps taxes. With an indirect rollover, you are allowed 60 days from the date of withdrawal (distribution) to deposit the money into another qualified retirement account. If you miss the deadline, by even one day, it will generally not qualify as a nontaxable rollover. This is known as the 60-day rule.

In addition to the 60-day rule, there is also a one-year rule. The rule is that you can only do one indirect rollover in a one-year period. The one-year period is not based on a calendar year, but begins on the date of the withdrawal (distribution). The one-year rule only applies to IRA-to-IRA indirect rollovers, as there is generally no limit to the number of indirect rollovers if the retirement funds are deposited to or withdrawn from an employer retirement account, such as a 401(k).

For example, let’s say you take a withdrawal (distribution) from your traditional IRA account on January 3, 2015, and then deposit the money into another traditional IRA account on February 10, 2015. This is considered a nontaxable indirect rollover as long as you have not done another IRA-to-IRA indirect rollover in the previous year. Due to the one-year rule, the soonest you could do another IRA-to-IRA indirect rollover would be January 4, 2016.

Another thing to keep in mind in regards to indirect rollovers is that an inherited retirement account (unless inherited from a surviving spouse) is not eligible for an indirect rollover, as it requires special handling.

Before you consider doing an IRA-to-IRA indirect rollover, you need to make sure you have not done another IRA-to-IRA indirect rollover during the previous year, and then remember to complete the indirect rollover within 60 days. Or better yet, whenever possible, do a direct rollover on any IRA-to-IRA rollovers!