Well I have a good problem. My base pay rate is right around 70k. Turns out though we get forced overtime due to not enough staff. From what I have been told I will likely clear 90-100k by year end (if not more.) this brings up the question of Roth vs traditional. I think it would be unwise to assume I will make 70k and can max my 457 to allow me to do a traditional. So I guess that leaves me with a backdoor Roth? Can this be done at the beginning of the year?
If you have a 457, do you also have a 403b...so you can contribute $36K pre-tax?
If you gross $100K, that would still put you at $64K, in the phaseout ($61K to $71K) region for tIRAs. You could contribute ~(64 - 61) / (71 - 61) * 5500 = $1,650 to a tIRA. The rest (5500 - 1650 = 3850) can go straight into a Roth - no need to go via the backdoor.