To know if you have a Roth IRA, start with the account label on your latest statement: a Roth account will say “Roth IRA” in the header or account summary. If the statement is unclear, IRS Form 5498 and Form 1099-R will settle it, because your custodian is required to report the exact account type to the federal government each year. A quick call to the institution holding the account can confirm the classification in minutes.
Check the Account Label on Your Statement
Pull up your most recent monthly or quarterly statement. The account name usually sits near the top of the page or inside the account summary block. You’re looking for the word “Roth” next to “IRA” or “Individual Retirement Account.” If the statement says only “IRA” with no “Roth” in front of it, you likely have a traditional IRA, which is taxed differently.
Online, log in to your brokerage or bank portal and open a tab called something like Account Details, Account Profile, or Account Settings. The legal designation of the account is almost always printed there. That label is what separates a Roth IRA from a traditional IRA, SEP IRA, or SIMPLE IRA. Confirm the type before you contribute, withdraw, or transfer anything.
Confirm With IRS Forms
If the label is missing, ambiguous, or you no longer have access to statements, the tax forms your custodian files are the reliable fallback. Custodians must classify the account precisely on these forms, so the information is not vague the way an informal label can be.
Form 5498
Form 5498, “IRA Contribution Information,” is filed by your custodian every year to report contributions, rollovers, and the account’s fair market value. Box 7 contains a set of checkboxes for the account type, and the custodian checks “Roth IRA” if that’s what the account is.1Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498 (2025) The other options in Box 7 are “IRA” (traditional), “SEP,” and “SIMPLE.” If the Roth IRA box is checked, you have your answer.
Custodians file Form 5498 with the IRS by June 1 of the following year, so your copy tends to arrive later than other tax documents.2Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498 Most brokerages also post it in their online document center, and you can request a copy directly from the custodian if you never received one.
Form 1099-R
If you took a distribution during the year, you’ll receive Form 1099-R. The distribution code in Box 7 identifies both the account type and the nature of the withdrawal. The Roth codes are:
- Code J: early distribution from a Roth IRA (before age 59½ or before meeting the five-year rule), with no known exception.
- Code Q: qualified distribution from a Roth IRA, meaning the five-year holding period is met and you’re at least 59½, disabled, or the distribution follows death.
- Code T: distribution from a Roth IRA that doesn’t fit Code J or Code Q.
Any of these confirms the account is a Roth.2Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498 If you rolled money in from a former employer’s plan, Code H (direct rollover from a designated Roth account to a Roth IRA) is a clear giveaway that the receiving account is a Roth.
Form 8606
Form 8606 tracks the tax basis of your IRA contributions. Part III of the form is dedicated specifically to Roth IRA distributions.3Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 8606 (2025) If you or your preparer completed Part III in a prior year, the account involved was a Roth. Checking old returns for this form is especially helpful when you’re tracing an account you didn’t open yourself.
Look at How the Account Was Funded
The way money entered the account is another strong signal. Roth IRA contributions are made with after-tax dollars, so the money is taxed before it lands in the account.4Internal Revenue Service. Roth Comparison Chart Traditional IRA contributions are often deductible, lowering your taxable income in the year of the contribution.
Pull your past tax returns and look at Schedule 1 of Form 1040, Line 20 (IRA deduction). If you never claimed a deduction for contributions to this account, that’s consistent with a Roth.5Internal Revenue Service. IRA Deduction Limits Roth contributions are never deductible. You can also look at bank transfer records; Roth contributions typically come from a personal checking account rather than a payroll deduction.
One wrinkle: if you rolled money from a traditional 401(k) into this account and paid tax on the conversion, it could be a Roth funded by a rollover rather than by direct contributions. Form 1099-R from the conversion year should show Code G or Code H in Box 7, and you would have reported the taxable amount on that year’s return.1Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498 (2025) If you remember paying a tax bill when you moved money in, a Roth conversion is the likely explanation.
Watch for the Behavioral Tells
Certain features of how the account behaves also give it away. The biggest one: Roth IRAs have no required minimum distributions during the original owner’s lifetime.6Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Plan and IRA Required Minimum Distributions FAQs If you’re past age 73 and the custodian hasn’t contacted you about mandatory withdrawals, the account is almost certainly a Roth. Traditional IRA holders must start distributions by April 1 of the year after they turn 73, and custodians actively remind them.
Qualified Roth distributions are also completely tax-free.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 408A – Roth IRAs If you’ve taken withdrawals in past years and none of the money showed up as taxable income on your return, that’s strong evidence of a Roth.
Ask the Custodian
When forms are missing and statements aren’t clear, call the financial institution holding the account. Use the number on your statement or the secure message feature in your online account. You’ll need to verify your identity, usually with your Social Security number and security questions.
Once you’re verified, the representative can confirm the classification on the spot. Ask for written confirmation through a letter or a secure email so you have documentation. If the account was inherited or moved during a corporate merger, the custodian can usually tell you when it was originally opened and when the first contribution went in. That opening date matters for the five-year rule that governs tax-free withdrawals.
Why the Answer Matters
Getting the account type wrong can create real tax problems. People often assume an account works one way, take a distribution based on that assumption, and then discover the tax bill doesn’t match what they expected.
Roth earnings are tax-free only if the distribution is “qualified,” which requires two things: you must be at least 59½ (or meet another qualifying event such as disability or death), and the account must have been open for at least five tax years.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 408A – Roth IRAs The five-year clock starts on January 1 of the tax year you made your first Roth contribution. Open the account in March 2023 and the clock started January 1, 2023, ending January 1, 2028.
Withdraw earnings before both conditions are met and you’ll owe income tax on those earnings plus a 10% early distribution penalty, reported on Form 5329 and Schedule 2 of Form 1040.8Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 557, Additional Tax on Early Distributions From Traditional and Roth IRAs The reverse mistake is just as costly. If you believe you have a Roth and take a withdrawal expecting it to be tax-free, but the account turns out to be a traditional IRA, you could owe income tax on the full distribution rather than just the earnings.
Inherited accounts add another layer. If you inherited a Roth, the five-year clock runs from the year the original owner first contributed, not from the year you inherited.9Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Plans FAQs on Designated Roth Accounts Confirming the account type and the original contribution date with the custodian before you take a distribution is the safest path.