Check Both Boxes for Tax-Free Roth IRA Earnings

Roth IRAs follow strict distribution ordering rules. Contributions come out first, then converted dollars, and then earnings. It does not matter how many Roth IRAs a person has, or if the accounts are held at multiple custodians. The IRS doesn’t care. All the IRS sees is one big Roth IRA bucket, and within that consolidated Roth IRA bucket, there are only three types of dollars: contributions, conversion, and earnings. Any distribution from any Roth IRA follows the ordering rules – contributions first, converted dollars second, earnings last.