If I'm moving funds from a 403(b) retirement account into a traditional Roth IRA before April 2017, is that considered a traditional IRA contribution?

[PaulaM · Accepted solution]

No such thing as a traditional Roth IRA. You either have a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. In order for your 403(b) retirement funds to be not taxable, you need to roll them into a Traditional IRA. 

A rollover is not a contribution. You would need to roll over the funds to a traditional IRA, then make a contribution after the rollover, to count as an IRA contribution.

See chart below.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/rollover_chart.pdf 

[j_vsmith]

OK, it's a traditional IRA. What I'm trying to determine is for tax purposes, when funds from a 403b are withdrawn and deposited into a traditional IRA, if that is considered a CONTRIBUTION. If not, what is it called / what do I indicate?

[PaulaM]

If you take a distribution and later open an IRA, then yes that would be a contribution to an IRA.

[PaulaM]

But a trustee-to-trustee rollover of funds would not be a contribution.