Calculating contributions on transfered Roth.

[Guest jsucic]

I have had a Roth since 1998 and have transfered it to three different fund companies over the years. What is the best way to calculate my contributions just in case I may need to dip into them some day and how long do the previous fund companies maintain the account information? I don't plan on taking any of the money out, but I want to get my records in order in case I have to take out some of my contributions some day (I never plan to touch any gains). What records are needed for the IRS to prove that only contributios were taken out. Thanks.

[John G]

Hopefully you have kept the data as a time series including the prior custodians. Almost all custodians list contributions by designated year on the monthly statements. If you don't have these, then look for your stored checks which should have a designation on anything that was sent to an IRA showing amount and year. Start a file with the key documents... you are not likely to remember the details a decade from now.

Some accountants will include IRA data with your tax file. My accountant thinks it is important to lay the foundation each year so that down the road he will have the information available.

I am curious why you did so many transfers. Can you provide some background?

[jevd]

If you made contributions to your ROTH IRA, you should have received a 5498 indicating the contribution amount. This would also include any Rollover trannsactions. You may be able to contact your custodians and request a copy of those forms if you failed to retain them. You may also wish to contact your tax preparer as JohnG suggested to see if he/she retained them.