Article originally published by Forbes.com.

Written by Jamie Hopkins

“With talks of major long-term changes to retirement planning as part of the potential tax reform legislation, it’s a great time to start thinking about Roth IRA conversions.

As 2021 comes to a close, you might be considering Roth conversions as part of your end-of-year planning, especially in light of the historic low tax rates and looming tax rate hikes.

If you’re considering Roth conversions, keep in mind that you need to avoid common Roth conversion traps, including being unaware of aggregation rules, the five-year rules and converting yourself into higher tax rates.

To cover some basics, while working, you can contribute to Roth IRAs with after-tax dollars and get tax-free withdrawals if you meet certain conditions. You can also get money into a Roth IRA via a conversion.

A Roth conversion would take money you have in a traditional IRA or retirement account – like a 401(k) – and convert it to a Roth IRA. When you convert tax-deferred money from the traditional IRA to the Roth IRA, you’d pay taxes on the amount converted as if it were taxable ordinary income. The taxable portion converted would be considered income for the tax year in which the conversion occurred.

When considering a Roth conversion for 2021, also keep in mind how a proposed tax bill unveiled by the House Ways and Means Committee in mid-September might impact your plans. For example, the bill proposes that Roth conversions would not be allowed for single filers who make $400,000 or more, and those married filing jointly who make $450,000 or more, beginning on Dec. 31, 2031. While that’s a decade away, this type of income-based limitation on Roth conversions could come back into fold at some point.”

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