Taxes on Dividends in a Roth IRA
Do I have to pay taxes on dividends that I receive from stocks in my Roth IRA? I'm aware that I won't pay taxes on my money if I take it out after age 59.5 or if I take out less than or equal to the principle amount. Does this mean I can cash dividend checks and use this cash to make purchases from my Roth IRA without any taxes? Thanks in advance.
united-states taxes roth-ira dividends
edited 1 hour ago
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Do I have to pay taxes on dividends that I receive from stocks in my Roth IRA? I'm aware that I won't pay taxes on my money if I take it out after age 59.5 or if I take out less than or equal to the principle amount. Does this mean I can cash dividend checks and use this cash to make purchases from my Roth IRA without any taxes? Thanks in advance.
united-states taxes roth-ira dividends
edited 1 hour ago
Chris W. Rea
26.6k1587174
asked 6 hours ago
user780483user780483
1161
New contributor
user780483 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
Do I have to pay taxes on dividends that I receive from stocks in my Roth IRA? I'm aware that I won't pay taxes on my money if I take it out after age 59.5 or if I take out less than or equal to the principle amount. Does this mean I can cash dividend checks and use this cash to make purchases from my Roth IRA without any taxes? Thanks in advance.
united-states taxes roth-ira dividends
edited 1 hour ago
Chris W. Rea
26.6k1587174
asked 6 hours ago
user780483user780483
1161
New contributor
user780483 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Do I have to pay taxes on dividends that I receive from stocks in my Roth IRA? I'm aware that I won't pay taxes on my money if I take it out after age 59.5 or if I take out less than or equal to the principle amount. Does this mean I can cash dividend checks and use this cash to make purchases from my Roth IRA without any taxes? Thanks in advance.
united-states taxes roth-ira dividends
united-states taxes roth-ira dividends
edited 1 hour ago
Chris W. Rea
26.6k1587174
asked 6 hours ago
user780483user780483
1161
New contributor
user780483 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
Chris W. Rea
26.6k1587174
asked 6 hours ago
user780483user780483
1161
New contributor
user780483 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
Chris W. Rea
26.6k1587174
edited 1 hour ago
Chris W. Rea
26.6k1587174
edited 1 hour ago
Chris W. Rea
26.6k1587174
26.6k1587174
asked 6 hours ago
user780483user780483
1161
New contributor
user780483 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 6 hours ago
user780483user780483
1161
asked 6 hours ago
user780483user780483
1161
1161
New contributor
user780483 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
user780483 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
user780483 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
The dividends from assets within an IRA are still owned by the IRA. A dividend "check", if sent to you, is considered a distribution of funds. More important, it simply shouldn't happen. The dividend stays in the IRA, and if not automatically reinvested in additions shares, is available as funds to invest in another stock or other investment within the IRA.
answered 6 hours ago
JoeTaxpayer♦JoeTaxpayer
146k23236469
Thanks. So if I set up my Roth IRA so that the dividends are held in the IRA, can I then withdraw them tax free up to the amount of the principle?
– user780483
6 hours ago
The accumulated dividends are part of the account. You can always withdraw up to your original deposit. Dividends are not a 'deposit'. I hope that's clear.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
6 hours ago
So If I've put in $10k in my Roth IRA, I can withdraw $10k worth of dividends sitting in the account without taxes?
– user780483
5 hours ago
3
You deposited $10K. Some time later, it's worth $20K. You can withdraw $10K any time. The withdrawn $10K can be from sales proceeds, dividends, or interest over the years. You don't need to identify specific dollars, only be ware of the limit.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@user780483, you also seem to be misunderstanding the entire point of a Roth IRA, which is that you pay taxes on the money before you make your initial contributions, and then you don't pay taxes on distributions after 59.5. You can take out the amount you contributed at any time, even before the retirement minimum, but you are limited in your contributions.
– chrylis
3 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
By law, any distributions that you take from a Roth IRA are deemed have first come from your contributions and then from your accumulated earnings on those contributions. "But, but," you splutter, "I specifically instructed the IRA custodian to sell only those shares from my mutual fund that were purchased with dividends and to send me the cash from those. So I did withdraw the dividends and leave the contributions still in the Roth IRA! So there!" Bzzzt! Thanks for playing. What you told the IRA custodian to do is irrelevant because you can only deposit cash into an IRA and get back only cash from it, and the cash that you got out is deemed to be a withdrawal of contributions first (in the order that they went in), and only if the withdrawal exceeds the total contributions that you made are you deemed to have withdrawn some of the dividends. The latter part can incur a penalty for early withdrawal. Withdrawal of contributions is tax-free and penalty-free.
answered 5 hours ago
Dilip SarwateDilip Sarwate
24.6k33596
"get back only cash from it" - Wait, what? I had an inherited IRA, in which I bought Apple at $5 quite a few splits ago. I took the distribution "in-kind" and paid tax on the withdrawal, but no need to sell or repurchase the shares. Deposits? Cash only. Distributions, in-kind is ok.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@JoeTaxpayer For simplicity, I did not drag in the in-kind distribution into my answer but for the record, you must have paid taxes based on the closing price of the shares on the day that they were distributed to you. It is as though the custodian sold the shares at the closing price and gave you the cash, and you promptly re-bought the same shares at the closing price, all without anyone having to pay brokerage fees for the implicit selling and buying. So yeah, add in the complication if you wish.
– Dilip Sarwate
4 hours ago
For purposes of this question, understood. I was reflecting back to other questions that talked about RMDs as messing up one's allocation, and required far more thought than is really needed. But, yes (and +1) for the answer.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
4 hours ago
add a comment |
protected by JoeTaxpayer♦ 1 hour ago
Thank you for your interest in this question.
Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
The dividends from assets within an IRA are still owned by the IRA. A dividend "check", if sent to you, is considered a distribution of funds. More important, it simply shouldn't happen. The dividend stays in the IRA, and if not automatically reinvested in additions shares, is available as funds to invest in another stock or other investment within the IRA.
answered 6 hours ago
JoeTaxpayer♦JoeTaxpayer
146k23236469
Thanks. So if I set up my Roth IRA so that the dividends are held in the IRA, can I then withdraw them tax free up to the amount of the principle?
– user780483
6 hours ago
The accumulated dividends are part of the account. You can always withdraw up to your original deposit. Dividends are not a 'deposit'. I hope that's clear.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
6 hours ago
So If I've put in $10k in my Roth IRA, I can withdraw $10k worth of dividends sitting in the account without taxes?
– user780483
5 hours ago
3
You deposited $10K. Some time later, it's worth $20K. You can withdraw $10K any time. The withdrawn $10K can be from sales proceeds, dividends, or interest over the years. You don't need to identify specific dollars, only be ware of the limit.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@user780483, you also seem to be misunderstanding the entire point of a Roth IRA, which is that you pay taxes on the money before you make your initial contributions, and then you don't pay taxes on distributions after 59.5. You can take out the amount you contributed at any time, even before the retirement minimum, but you are limited in your contributions.
– chrylis
3 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
The dividends from assets within an IRA are still owned by the IRA. A dividend "check", if sent to you, is considered a distribution of funds. More important, it simply shouldn't happen. The dividend stays in the IRA, and if not automatically reinvested in additions shares, is available as funds to invest in another stock or other investment within the IRA.
answered 6 hours ago
JoeTaxpayer♦JoeTaxpayer
146k23236469
Thanks. So if I set up my Roth IRA so that the dividends are held in the IRA, can I then withdraw them tax free up to the amount of the principle?
– user780483
6 hours ago
The accumulated dividends are part of the account. You can always withdraw up to your original deposit. Dividends are not a 'deposit'. I hope that's clear.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
6 hours ago
So If I've put in $10k in my Roth IRA, I can withdraw $10k worth of dividends sitting in the account without taxes?
– user780483
5 hours ago
3
You deposited $10K. Some time later, it's worth $20K. You can withdraw $10K any time. The withdrawn $10K can be from sales proceeds, dividends, or interest over the years. You don't need to identify specific dollars, only be ware of the limit.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@user780483, you also seem to be misunderstanding the entire point of a Roth IRA, which is that you pay taxes on the money before you make your initial contributions, and then you don't pay taxes on distributions after 59.5. You can take out the amount you contributed at any time, even before the retirement minimum, but you are limited in your contributions.
– chrylis
3 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
The dividends from assets within an IRA are still owned by the IRA. A dividend "check", if sent to you, is considered a distribution of funds. More important, it simply shouldn't happen. The dividend stays in the IRA, and if not automatically reinvested in additions shares, is available as funds to invest in another stock or other investment within the IRA.
answered 6 hours ago
JoeTaxpayer♦JoeTaxpayer
146k23236469
The dividends from assets within an IRA are still owned by the IRA. A dividend "check", if sent to you, is considered a distribution of funds. More important, it simply shouldn't happen. The dividend stays in the IRA, and if not automatically reinvested in additions shares, is available as funds to invest in another stock or other investment within the IRA.
answered 6 hours ago
JoeTaxpayer♦JoeTaxpayer
146k23236469
answered 6 hours ago
JoeTaxpayer♦JoeTaxpayer
146k23236469
answered 6 hours ago
JoeTaxpayer♦JoeTaxpayer
146k23236469
answered 6 hours ago
JoeTaxpayer♦JoeTaxpayer
146k23236469
146k23236469
Thanks. So if I set up my Roth IRA so that the dividends are held in the IRA, can I then withdraw them tax free up to the amount of the principle?
– user780483
6 hours ago
The accumulated dividends are part of the account. You can always withdraw up to your original deposit. Dividends are not a 'deposit'. I hope that's clear.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
6 hours ago
So If I've put in $10k in my Roth IRA, I can withdraw $10k worth of dividends sitting in the account without taxes?
– user780483
5 hours ago
3
You deposited $10K. Some time later, it's worth $20K. You can withdraw $10K any time. The withdrawn $10K can be from sales proceeds, dividends, or interest over the years. You don't need to identify specific dollars, only be ware of the limit.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@user780483, you also seem to be misunderstanding the entire point of a Roth IRA, which is that you pay taxes on the money before you make your initial contributions, and then you don't pay taxes on distributions after 59.5. You can take out the amount you contributed at any time, even before the retirement minimum, but you are limited in your contributions.
– chrylis
3 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Thanks. So if I set up my Roth IRA so that the dividends are held in the IRA, can I then withdraw them tax free up to the amount of the principle?
– user780483
6 hours ago
The accumulated dividends are part of the account. You can always withdraw up to your original deposit. Dividends are not a 'deposit'. I hope that's clear.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
6 hours ago
So If I've put in $10k in my Roth IRA, I can withdraw $10k worth of dividends sitting in the account without taxes?
– user780483
5 hours ago
3
You deposited $10K. Some time later, it's worth $20K. You can withdraw $10K any time. The withdrawn $10K can be from sales proceeds, dividends, or interest over the years. You don't need to identify specific dollars, only be ware of the limit.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@user780483, you also seem to be misunderstanding the entire point of a Roth IRA, which is that you pay taxes on the money before you make your initial contributions, and then you don't pay taxes on distributions after 59.5. You can take out the amount you contributed at any time, even before the retirement minimum, but you are limited in your contributions.
– chrylis
3 hours ago
Thanks. So if I set up my Roth IRA so that the dividends are held in the IRA, can I then withdraw them tax free up to the amount of the principle?
– user780483
6 hours ago
Thanks. So if I set up my Roth IRA so that the dividends are held in the IRA, can I then withdraw them tax free up to the amount of the principle?
– user780483
6 hours ago
The accumulated dividends are part of the account. You can always withdraw up to your original deposit. Dividends are not a 'deposit'. I hope that's clear.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
6 hours ago
The accumulated dividends are part of the account. You can always withdraw up to your original deposit. Dividends are not a 'deposit'. I hope that's clear.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
6 hours ago
So If I've put in $10k in my Roth IRA, I can withdraw $10k worth of dividends sitting in the account without taxes?
– user780483
5 hours ago
So If I've put in $10k in my Roth IRA, I can withdraw $10k worth of dividends sitting in the account without taxes?
– user780483
5 hours ago
3
3
You deposited $10K. Some time later, it's worth $20K. You can withdraw $10K any time. The withdrawn $10K can be from sales proceeds, dividends, or interest over the years. You don't need to identify specific dollars, only be ware of the limit.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
You deposited $10K. Some time later, it's worth $20K. You can withdraw $10K any time. The withdrawn $10K can be from sales proceeds, dividends, or interest over the years. You don't need to identify specific dollars, only be ware of the limit.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@user780483, you also seem to be misunderstanding the entire point of a Roth IRA, which is that you pay taxes on the money before you make your initial contributions, and then you don't pay taxes on distributions after 59.5. You can take out the amount you contributed at any time, even before the retirement minimum, but you are limited in your contributions.
– chrylis
3 hours ago
@user780483, you also seem to be misunderstanding the entire point of a Roth IRA, which is that you pay taxes on the money before you make your initial contributions, and then you don't pay taxes on distributions after 59.5. You can take out the amount you contributed at any time, even before the retirement minimum, but you are limited in your contributions.
– chrylis
3 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
By law, any distributions that you take from a Roth IRA are deemed have first come from your contributions and then from your accumulated earnings on those contributions. "But, but," you splutter, "I specifically instructed the IRA custodian to sell only those shares from my mutual fund that were purchased with dividends and to send me the cash from those. So I did withdraw the dividends and leave the contributions still in the Roth IRA! So there!" Bzzzt! Thanks for playing. What you told the IRA custodian to do is irrelevant because you can only deposit cash into an IRA and get back only cash from it, and the cash that you got out is deemed to be a withdrawal of contributions first (in the order that they went in), and only if the withdrawal exceeds the total contributions that you made are you deemed to have withdrawn some of the dividends. The latter part can incur a penalty for early withdrawal. Withdrawal of contributions is tax-free and penalty-free.
answered 5 hours ago
Dilip SarwateDilip Sarwate
24.6k33596
"get back only cash from it" - Wait, what? I had an inherited IRA, in which I bought Apple at $5 quite a few splits ago. I took the distribution "in-kind" and paid tax on the withdrawal, but no need to sell or repurchase the shares. Deposits? Cash only. Distributions, in-kind is ok.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@JoeTaxpayer For simplicity, I did not drag in the in-kind distribution into my answer but for the record, you must have paid taxes based on the closing price of the shares on the day that they were distributed to you. It is as though the custodian sold the shares at the closing price and gave you the cash, and you promptly re-bought the same shares at the closing price, all without anyone having to pay brokerage fees for the implicit selling and buying. So yeah, add in the complication if you wish.
– Dilip Sarwate
4 hours ago
For purposes of this question, understood. I was reflecting back to other questions that talked about RMDs as messing up one's allocation, and required far more thought than is really needed. But, yes (and +1) for the answer.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
4 hours ago
add a comment |
By law, any distributions that you take from a Roth IRA are deemed have first come from your contributions and then from your accumulated earnings on those contributions. "But, but," you splutter, "I specifically instructed the IRA custodian to sell only those shares from my mutual fund that were purchased with dividends and to send me the cash from those. So I did withdraw the dividends and leave the contributions still in the Roth IRA! So there!" Bzzzt! Thanks for playing. What you told the IRA custodian to do is irrelevant because you can only deposit cash into an IRA and get back only cash from it, and the cash that you got out is deemed to be a withdrawal of contributions first (in the order that they went in), and only if the withdrawal exceeds the total contributions that you made are you deemed to have withdrawn some of the dividends. The latter part can incur a penalty for early withdrawal. Withdrawal of contributions is tax-free and penalty-free.
answered 5 hours ago
Dilip SarwateDilip Sarwate
24.6k33596
"get back only cash from it" - Wait, what? I had an inherited IRA, in which I bought Apple at $5 quite a few splits ago. I took the distribution "in-kind" and paid tax on the withdrawal, but no need to sell or repurchase the shares. Deposits? Cash only. Distributions, in-kind is ok.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@JoeTaxpayer For simplicity, I did not drag in the in-kind distribution into my answer but for the record, you must have paid taxes based on the closing price of the shares on the day that they were distributed to you. It is as though the custodian sold the shares at the closing price and gave you the cash, and you promptly re-bought the same shares at the closing price, all without anyone having to pay brokerage fees for the implicit selling and buying. So yeah, add in the complication if you wish.
– Dilip Sarwate
4 hours ago
For purposes of this question, understood. I was reflecting back to other questions that talked about RMDs as messing up one's allocation, and required far more thought than is really needed. But, yes (and +1) for the answer.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
4 hours ago
add a comment |
By law, any distributions that you take from a Roth IRA are deemed have first come from your contributions and then from your accumulated earnings on those contributions. "But, but," you splutter, "I specifically instructed the IRA custodian to sell only those shares from my mutual fund that were purchased with dividends and to send me the cash from those. So I did withdraw the dividends and leave the contributions still in the Roth IRA! So there!" Bzzzt! Thanks for playing. What you told the IRA custodian to do is irrelevant because you can only deposit cash into an IRA and get back only cash from it, and the cash that you got out is deemed to be a withdrawal of contributions first (in the order that they went in), and only if the withdrawal exceeds the total contributions that you made are you deemed to have withdrawn some of the dividends. The latter part can incur a penalty for early withdrawal. Withdrawal of contributions is tax-free and penalty-free.
answered 5 hours ago
Dilip SarwateDilip Sarwate
24.6k33596
By law, any distributions that you take from a Roth IRA are deemed have first come from your contributions and then from your accumulated earnings on those contributions. "But, but," you splutter, "I specifically instructed the IRA custodian to sell only those shares from my mutual fund that were purchased with dividends and to send me the cash from those. So I did withdraw the dividends and leave the contributions still in the Roth IRA! So there!" Bzzzt! Thanks for playing. What you told the IRA custodian to do is irrelevant because you can only deposit cash into an IRA and get back only cash from it, and the cash that you got out is deemed to be a withdrawal of contributions first (in the order that they went in), and only if the withdrawal exceeds the total contributions that you made are you deemed to have withdrawn some of the dividends. The latter part can incur a penalty for early withdrawal. Withdrawal of contributions is tax-free and penalty-free.
answered 5 hours ago
Dilip SarwateDilip Sarwate
24.6k33596
edited 5 hours ago
answered 5 hours ago
Dilip SarwateDilip Sarwate
24.6k33596
answered 5 hours ago
Dilip SarwateDilip Sarwate
24.6k33596
answered 5 hours ago
Dilip SarwateDilip Sarwate
24.6k33596
24.6k33596
"get back only cash from it" - Wait, what? I had an inherited IRA, in which I bought Apple at $5 quite a few splits ago. I took the distribution "in-kind" and paid tax on the withdrawal, but no need to sell or repurchase the shares. Deposits? Cash only. Distributions, in-kind is ok.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@JoeTaxpayer For simplicity, I did not drag in the in-kind distribution into my answer but for the record, you must have paid taxes based on the closing price of the shares on the day that they were distributed to you. It is as though the custodian sold the shares at the closing price and gave you the cash, and you promptly re-bought the same shares at the closing price, all without anyone having to pay brokerage fees for the implicit selling and buying. So yeah, add in the complication if you wish.
– Dilip Sarwate
4 hours ago
For purposes of this question, understood. I was reflecting back to other questions that talked about RMDs as messing up one's allocation, and required far more thought than is really needed. But, yes (and +1) for the answer.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
4 hours ago
add a comment |
"get back only cash from it" - Wait, what? I had an inherited IRA, in which I bought Apple at $5 quite a few splits ago. I took the distribution "in-kind" and paid tax on the withdrawal, but no need to sell or repurchase the shares. Deposits? Cash only. Distributions, in-kind is ok.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@JoeTaxpayer For simplicity, I did not drag in the in-kind distribution into my answer but for the record, you must have paid taxes based on the closing price of the shares on the day that they were distributed to you. It is as though the custodian sold the shares at the closing price and gave you the cash, and you promptly re-bought the same shares at the closing price, all without anyone having to pay brokerage fees for the implicit selling and buying. So yeah, add in the complication if you wish.
– Dilip Sarwate
4 hours ago
For purposes of this question, understood. I was reflecting back to other questions that talked about RMDs as messing up one's allocation, and required far more thought than is really needed. But, yes (and +1) for the answer.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
4 hours ago
"get back only cash from it" - Wait, what? I had an inherited IRA, in which I bought Apple at $5 quite a few splits ago. I took the distribution "in-kind" and paid tax on the withdrawal, but no need to sell or repurchase the shares. Deposits? Cash only. Distributions, in-kind is ok.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
"get back only cash from it" - Wait, what? I had an inherited IRA, in which I bought Apple at $5 quite a few splits ago. I took the distribution "in-kind" and paid tax on the withdrawal, but no need to sell or repurchase the shares. Deposits? Cash only. Distributions, in-kind is ok.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
5 hours ago
@JoeTaxpayer For simplicity, I did not drag in the in-kind distribution into my answer but for the record, you must have paid taxes based on the closing price of the shares on the day that they were distributed to you. It is as though the custodian sold the shares at the closing price and gave you the cash, and you promptly re-bought the same shares at the closing price, all without anyone having to pay brokerage fees for the implicit selling and buying. So yeah, add in the complication if you wish.
– Dilip Sarwate
4 hours ago
@JoeTaxpayer For simplicity, I did not drag in the in-kind distribution into my answer but for the record, you must have paid taxes based on the closing price of the shares on the day that they were distributed to you. It is as though the custodian sold the shares at the closing price and gave you the cash, and you promptly re-bought the same shares at the closing price, all without anyone having to pay brokerage fees for the implicit selling and buying. So yeah, add in the complication if you wish.
– Dilip Sarwate
4 hours ago
For purposes of this question, understood. I was reflecting back to other questions that talked about RMDs as messing up one's allocation, and required far more thought than is really needed. But, yes (and +1) for the answer.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
4 hours ago
For purposes of this question, understood. I was reflecting back to other questions that talked about RMDs as messing up one's allocation, and required far more thought than is really needed. But, yes (and +1) for the answer.
– JoeTaxpayer♦
4 hours ago
add a comment |
protected by JoeTaxpayer♦ 1 hour ago
Thank you for your interest in this question.
Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?
