If you have both a IRA and a Roth IRA can you use the back door Roth while not working?
I am 60, trying keep my income low etc.
If I am taking the standard deduction. I am wondering if I can maximize this by moving a little using the back door method?
That’s not what really what backdoor Roth means, but yes, you can convert traditional to Roth while you aren’t working. It adds the amount converted to your taxable income.
@ratbert2k is right in that what you are describing is not a back-door Roth. You are simply converting from pre-tax Traditional to post-tax Roth IRA. However, you are smart to want to do this when your income is low to minimize taxes. Keep in mind that there is a 5-year rule for withdrawing from the Roth after conversion.