Traditional IRA to Roth IRA

Me and wife file married jointly. Wife contributed to deductible IRA in 2016-2018 ($5500 each for 3 years). For 2019 we crossed the MAGI threshold, so thinking of opening a non deductible IRA and then convert to Roth IRA. I read some sites and got confused on how to handle the tax implications  and form 8606 of the previous 3 years deductible IRA.
Is it better to go through a local CPA to do it first time? If yes any recommendations appreciated.

quizzer said:

Me and wife file married jointly. Wife contributed to deductible IRA in 2016-2018 ($5500 each for 3 years). For 2019 we crossed the MAGI threshold, so thinking of opening a non deductible IRA and then convert to Roth IRA. I read some sites and got confused on how to handle the tax implications  and form 8606 of the previous 3 years deductible IRA.
Is it better to go through a local CPA to do it first time? If yes any recommendations appreciated.

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It's confusing because you can't just convert the non-deductible contribution.  If you were to convert only the contribution amount for 2019 it would force you to pay taxes on 3/4 of the conversion because the deductible amounts for 2016-2018 are intermingled with the non-deductible contribution for 2019 in the IRS' eyes, even if they are in separate accounts.  (The max for 2019 is actually $6,000 so it's not quite 3/4, but I just said that for simplicity.)

Then going forward, in future years you have to keep track of the deductible "basis" that you have left in your traditional IRA and it starts to get super confusing.  My solution was to convert 100% of my traditional IRA to a Roth, but that means a high tax bill in the year that you do it.

I did what liar loan did.
all at once.
Paid for it in higher taxes that year.