Charles Schwab

Schwab's public form pages return an authorization error to non-browser fetches as of 2026-05-04. The form covers BOTH recharacterizations and excess removals on the same paper. Auto-calculation behavior could not be verified from the public source.

Known quirks

1. 1Schwab's public form pages return auth-error to direct fetches even though indexed publicly — to audit the form fields requires an authenticated session or a phone call to 800-433-9196.
2. 2The form covers BOTH recharacterizations and excess removals; do not conflate the two procedures.
3. 3Auto-calculation status not confirmed from Schwab's official source — third-party Bogleheads-forum citations indicate the form has a checkbox electing Schwab to compute the gain/loss, but this is hearsay until the PDF is audited.

Submission method

Paper form (mail/fax) per Schwab's general practice; phone (800-435-4000) for assistance. Submission method not verified from the form itself.

Process at Charles Schwab

1. Confirm the contribution is in fact excess (limit lookup, MAGI check).
2. Compute NIA — verify with custodian whether they will compute.
3. Submit the Request a Recharacterization or Remove an Excess IRA Contribution.
4. Allow processing time per the custodian's stated SLA (typically 3–10 business days).
5. Receive Form 1099-R (IRA) or 1099-SA (HSA) the following January with the applicable distribution code (8 / P for IRA current vs prior-year correction).
6. Report the earnings (NIA) as taxable income — in the year of the original contribution per IRC §408(d)(4).

Also relevant

• All custodian guides — index of every custodian we've verified.
• Run the NIA calculator — produce the earnings figure to bring to Charles Schwab's form.
• Removal decision tree — confirm the corrective path before initiating.
• When to file — Apr 15 / Oct 15 windows that gate timely removal vs. the §4973 6% excise.
• What counts as excess — IRA cap, Roth MAGI phase-out, and combined-cap aggregation.