I made a contribution to my 2018 IRA in 2019 (before Apr 15) and then converted it to a ROTH IRA. Do I need to get a 1099-R for 2018?

[mfolsen737]

To get the advantages of a ROTH IRA I need to do a "backdoor" conversion. I wanted to catch up on this method so I made a contribution to my IRA in 2019 but wanted it to be counted for 2018. My brokerage says that since the transaction was in 2019 I won't get a 1099-R for 2018. Is this correct ?

[dmertz · Accepted solution]

Correct, you will not get a Form 1099-R for 2018, nor do you need one for your 2018 tax return.  You'll receive a 2019 Form 1099-R early next year that you'll use to report the Roth conversion on your 2019 tax return, the year in which you performed the conversion.  Only the traditional IRA contribution for 2018 gets reported on your 2018 tax return.