Hi all, thanks for your replies. A few clarificatoons: I am not trying to remove excess contributions, but just the basis itself. Also, I shouldn't have posted the instructions for 2019, since I will be reporting this for my 2020 return. I made a mistake above; I actually made contributions in 2019 and 2020 (not 2018).
Whatis the difference between a return of contributions and a regular distribution in the first place? It seems that in both cases, the basis amount is not penalized and the additional earnings are penalized (if it is an early withdrawal). I am worried that the IRS will complain that my distribution of contributions should have been reported as a return of contributions instead, since they were made in the same year 2020. Would it be better for me to just wait until 2021, when there would be no chance that it can be interpreted as a return of contributions?
