The shifting of funds from one IRA trustee/custodian directly to another trustee/custodian is called a transfer. It is not considered a rollover because nothing was paid over to you. You can have as many transfers as you like each year; transfers are tax-free, and there are no waiting periods between transfers. They don't have to be reported on your tax return.

A rollover, in contrast, is a tax-free distribution to you of assets from one IRA or retirement plan that you then contribute to a different IRA or retirement plan. Under certain circumstances, you may either roll over assets withdrawn from one IRA into another, or roll over a distribution from a qualified retirement plan into an IRA. Beginning in 2002, rollovers are also generally permitted from IRAs to a qualified retirement plan. If the distribution from a qualified plan is made directly to you, the payer must withhold 20 percent of it for taxes. You can avoid the withholding by having the payer transfer the funds directly to the trustee/custodian of your IRA.

To avoid tax, a rollover must be made within 60 days of receipt of the distribution. You cannot deduct the rollover contribution, but you must report it on your tax return, as follows: Enter the total amount of the distribution on Line 15a of Form 1040 or Line 11a of Form 1040A; then enter the taxable amount, if any (i.e., any amount that was not rolled over) on Line 15b or Line 11b. If you are rolling over a distribution from an employer's plan to an IRA, the distribution and the taxable portion (if any) are reported on Lines 16a and 16b of Form 1040, or Line 12a and 12b of Form 1040A.

Warning Rollovers not completed within 60 days can have horrible tax consequences. First of all, they are treated as taxable distributions. On top of the regular income tax on the entire amount, you may also have to pay a 10 percent excise tax penalty if the distribution was considered premature. If you place the amount into another IRA account, you must treat it as a brand-new IRA contribution for the tax year in which it is made, and another 15 percent excise tax penalty will apply to any portion of the amount that exceeds $4,000 ($5,000 for those age 50 and above in 2006 and 2007). These defective rollovers must be reported on Form 5329, Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans (Including IRAs) and Other Tax-Favored Accounts.

An exception to the 60 day rollover rule applies to victims of Hurricane Katrina who take a distribution from an IRA (or other eligible retirement plan) on or after August 25, 2005, and before January 1, 2007. In such case, the distribution is treated as a tax-free rollover if it is repaid within three years. Distributions are limited to $100,000 per taxpayer. The three-year period begins on the day after the date on which the distribution is received. Taxpayers who cannot avoid income tax on their penalty-free withdrawals are allowed to spread that income evenly over three years (unless they elect out of this special treatment). The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 extends the provisions of this exception to victims of Hurricanes Rita and Wilma.

A rollover from one IRA to another enables you to change your investment strategy and enhance your rate of return. It can also be used to obtain a short "bridge loan" from yourself, since you'll have the use of the funds for any purpose you want, for up to 60 days. This type of rollover may be made only once a year, but the once-a-year rule applies separately to each IRA you own. If property other than cash is received, that same property must be rolled over. Except for an IRA received by a surviving spouse, an inherited IRA cannot be rolled over into, or receive a rollover from, another IRA.

Beginning in 2007, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows distributions from an eligible retirement plan of a deceased participant/owner to be rolled over by a nonspouse beneficiary. If a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer is made to an IRA that has been established to receive the distribution on behalf of a beneficiary who is not the participant/owner's surviving spouse, the following treatment applies:

• The transfer is treated as an eligible rollover distribution;
• The transferee IRA is treated as an inherited account; and
• The required minimum distribution rules applicable where the participant/owner dies before the entire interest is distributed apply to the transferee IRA; the special rules for surviving spouse beneficiaries do not apply.