Form 8606 not filled correctly Did a back door roth conversion. Lines 1-5 and 13-15 are correct. Lines 6 -12 and 16 -18 are blank. Want to know how to fix this.?

[Publius-of-Maryland]

My lines 16-18 in form 8606 were also blank for 2020. Here is how I fixed it when comparing things to my 2019 forms, where everything worked fine:

    - Go to View>Forms

    - Go to  your form or forms (if the spouse has one too) 1099-R, page 2.

    - Mine had box B1 checked. Uncheck box B1. TurboTax allows you to do that.

        - Unchecking B1 should automatically populate your box B4.

    - Click also box B5.

    - Now go to form or forms 8606. Lines 16-18 should be populated.

[macuser_22]

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@Publius-of-Maryland wrote:

My lines 16-18 in form 8606 were also blank for 2020. Here is how I fixed it when comparing things to my 2019 forms, where everything worked fine:

    - Go to View>Forms

    - Go to  your form or forms (if the spouse has one too) 1099-R, page 2.

    - Mine had box B1 checked. Uncheck box B1. TurboTax allows you to do that.

        - Unchecking B1 should automatically populate your box B4.

    - Click also box B5.

    - Now go to form or forms 8606. Lines 16-18 should be populated.

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If all the IRA was converted and the year end value is zero then box b1 must be checked.  Box b4 is only for a partial rollover.

If line 15 has a * next to it then the calculations are on the "Taxable IRA Distribution Worksheet" as described in  IRS Pub 590-B worksheet 1-1.

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p590b

[Publius-of-Maryland]

On top of boxes B1-B3 it says:

"Rollover: Enter traditional IRA or pension distribution that was rolled over to a pension or **traditional IRA**. **Enter Roth IRA rollover or conversion on lines B5 or B6 below**" (my emphasis)

Moreover, after box B3 it says:

"Roth IRA Rollover or Roth IRA Conversion: Enter distribution, other than from a designated Roth, that was rolled or converted into a Roth IRA"

Box B4: "Amount of this distribution that may be rolled or converted to a Roth IRA". I did a very vanilla back door roth conversion (nothing in the traditional to start, $6k to the traditional, next day rolled it over to the roth, thus the 1099-R form), so in my case in this box I put the total that came out of the traditional IRA, $6k.

Box B5: "Check this box if the entire amount on line B4 above was converted to a Roth IRA". Yes in my case (and for many in this thread), so I checked that box.

Box B6: I left blank because I rolled the entire amount in B4.

The bottom line, again, is that 1) unchecking B1, 2) declaring $6k in B4 and 3) checking B5, in my case populated correctly lines 16-18 of form 8606. I had to fix this via forms this year because, in the Step-by-Step section, for some reason, I did not get detailed questions about whether this distribution from the traditional IRA was rolled over into a roth. And then, not surprisingly, form 8606 was missing data.

[macuser_22]

TurboTax does not support the forms mode for data entry and doing so voids the accuracy guarantee.     Some of the text in the forms mode has error in it and might not properly link the forms.

This should work fine in the interview.

Backdoor Roth problems are often caused by a failure to first enter any 2020 non-deducible contributions in the IRA contribution interview so they go on the 8606 form line 1.    Another common error is not entering the year end value that makes the calculations incorrect.

The 1099-R interview if the IRA/SEP/SIMPLE box is check will ask what yiu did with the money - say that it was "moved" and then that you did a combine of things and enter the amount converted in the lower box.     After the 1099-R summary page keep going and it will ask if you tracked non-deductible contributions - say yes and it will ask for prior years basis and then year end value.

[RobinThompson]

This is helpful but jeez it would be nice if TT just filled in the 8606 form correctly so we could see what's going on.