E*TRADE Rollover IRA

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• To apply online, must be a US citizen or resident
• Generally, an investor cannot roll over assets from an employer's plan into an IRA unless they have changed jobs, retired, or are over age 59½
• An investor may also roll over into a Roth IRA if they have made after-tax contributions to a Roth 401(k) or Roth 403(b), or want to convert a pre-tax 401(k) to a Roth IRA

Whether you changed jobs or retired, you have options about what to do with your old 401(k), 403(b), or other former employer plan.

• You can leave assets in a former employer's plan.
• You can consolidate former plan assets to a current employer's retirement plan.
• You can consolidate former plan assets into an IRA.
• You can cash out.

Learn more about your rollover options.

A rollover generally takes 4–6 weeks to complete. However, this timeframe depends on how long the former employer or plan administrator takes to process the transaction.

A Traditional, Rollover, or Roth IRA account must first be opened with E*TRADE, unless account assets will be rolled over into an existing IRA.

Contact the benefits administrator of the former employer and complete all distribution forms required to initiate the direct rollover.

For rollovers via check:

Instruct the plan administrator to issue a distribution check made payable to: 

Morgan Stanley, FBO

If rolling over to a Rollover IRA:

Make sure the Rollover IRA account number is included on the check.

If rolling over to a Roth IRA:

Make sure the Roth IRA account number is included on the check.

If rolling over to a Rollover and Roth IRA, separate checks must be issued for each.

Instruct the plan administrator to mail the check to:

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

PO Box 484

Jersey City, NJ 07303-0484

If the plan administrator sends you the check, simply forward it along with an IRA Deposit Slip to E*TRADE at the address above.

For securities rollovers:

Instruct the plan administrator to forward securities to DTC Clearing 0015, Code 40.

Or, if the plan administrator wants to mail certificates, make sure the certificates clearly indicate the E*TRADE Rollover or Roth IRA account number and are registered to the following:

Morgan Stanley, FBO

Instruct the plan administrator to mail the certificates to:

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

PO Box 484

Jersey City, NJ 07303-0484

Learn more about direct rollovers.

Yes. Any amounts rolled over directly from a pre-tax employer plan into a Traditional or Rollover IRA are reportable, but not taxable. The former employer will send IRS Form 1099-R, which reports the plan distribution. E*TRADE will then send IRS Form 5498 by May 31 of the following year, reporting the incoming rollover to offset the distribution. However, if a pre-tax qualified plan is rolled over into a Roth IRA, this transaction is taxable and must be included in taxable income. Consult with a tax advisor for more information.

Generally, assets from an employer’s plan cannot be rolled over unless the participant has changed jobs, retired, or is over age 59½. Check with the employer's plan administrator to confirm whether assets may be transferred while still employed.

Rollovers and transfers are two different ways of moving funds:

• A direct rollover is the movement of assets from an employer's qualified retirement plan, such as a 401(k) to an IRA. Assets are sent directly from the plan administrator to the IRA custodian. A direct rollover is reportable on tax returns, but not taxable.
• A transfer is the movement of IRA assets held by one trustee or custodian to an identically registered IRA held by another trustee or custodian, without taking physical receipt of the funds. Account transfers are not reportable on tax returns and can be completed an unlimited number of times per year.