topic Accidentally contributed to Trad IRA instead of Roth in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Accidentally contributed to Trad IRA instead of Roth

meic01 — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:50:15 GMT

I accidentally transferred money into Trad IRA instead of Roth. Called, but institution couldn't stop/cancel the transfer. Money has not been allocated. Checked with the institution, it is NOT even IN the IRA account yet.

How do I go about moving this back to where it should be: in the Roth?

Recharacterization? Do I need (if any) paperwork? Difficult to do? It's a very small amount. Less than $100.

thank you

Re: Accidentally contributed to Trad IRA instead of Roth

CesarJ — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:22:14 GMT

You can fix this by asking the financial institution to recharacterize the contribution from the traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. A recharacterization moves the contribution (plus or minus earnings) as if it were originally made to the Roth, so it's not treated as a withdrawal or rollover.

Here's what to do:

Contact the IRA custodian and request a recharectarization of the contribution.
This must be completed by the tax filing deadline (including extensions) for the year of the contribution.

Since the money hasn't been invested yet and is under $100, the process should be simple.

Re: Accidentally contributed to Trad IRA instead of Roth

meic01 — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 22:44:38 GMT

Thank you so very much!