Contribution limits are written into the tax code and adjusted by the IRS each year for inflation. The 2026 figures here come from IRS Notice 2025-67, published with news release IR-2025-111 on November 13, 2025, and the HSA figures from the IRS revenue procedures for 2025 to 2027. This page puts every number in one table, then explains catch-ups, income phase-outs with worked examples, combined limits for people with more than one plan, small-business plans, deadlines and what to do after contributing too much. How the accounts themselves work is on the stocks hub.
What are the 2026 contribution limits for IRAs and workplace plans?
For 2026 the IRA limit is $7,500, plus a $1,100 catch-up at age 50 or older. The 401(k) limit is $24,500, plus an $8,000 catch-up at 50 or older ($11,250 at ages 60 to 63), and the same figures apply to 403(b) plans, governmental 457(b) plans and the federal Thrift Savings Plan. Everything else, including 2025 for comparison and what is known about 2027, is below.
| Limit | 2026 | 2025 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRA contributions, traditional and Roth combined | $7,500, plus a $1,100 catch-up at age 50 or older | $7,000, plus $1,000 at 50 or older | Not yet announced |
| 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b) and Thrift Savings Plan deferrals | $24,500, plus an $8,000 catch-up at 50 or older ($11,250 at ages 60 to 63) | $23,500, plus $7,500 at 50 or older ($11,250 at 60 to 63) | Not yet announced |
| Non-governmental 457(b) deferrals | $24,500, with no age-50 catch-up | $23,500 | Not yet announced |
| SIMPLE IRA and SIMPLE 401(k) deferrals | $17,000, plus $4,000 at 50 or older ($5,250 at 60 to 63) | $16,500, plus $3,500 at 50 or older ($5,250 at 60 to 63) | Not yet announced |
| SIMPLE plans using the higher small-employer limit | $18,100, plus $3,850 at 50 or older | $17,600, plus $3,850 at 50 or older | Not yet announced |
| SEP IRA contributions, made by the employer only | 25% of compensation, up to $72,000 | 25% of compensation, up to $70,000 | Not yet announced |
| Total additions to one employer's defined contribution plans | $72,000, with catch-ups on top | $70,000 | Not yet announced |
| Pay a plan can count | $360,000 | $350,000 | Not yet announced |
| Roth IRA phase-out | $153,000 to $168,000 of modified AGI for single and head-of-household filers, and $242,000 to $252,000 for married couples filing jointly; $0 to $10,000 if married filing separately | $150,000 to $165,000 single; $236,000 to $246,000 joint | Not yet announced |
| Traditional IRA deduction phase-out, you are covered by a workplace plan | $81,000 to $91,000 of modified AGI for single filers and heads of household, and $129,000 to $149,000 for married couples filing jointly | $79,000 to $89,000 single; $126,000 to $146,000 joint | Not yet announced |
| Traditional IRA deduction phase-out, only your spouse is covered | $242,000 to $252,000 of modified AGI on a joint return | $236,000 to $246,000 | Not yet announced |
| Wage test for Roth-only catch-ups | more than $150,000 in prior-year wages from the employer sponsoring the plan | $145,000 of 2024 wages, not enforced during the transition period | Not yet announced |
| HSA contributions | $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage, plus $1,000 at 55 or older | $4,300 self-only and $8,550 family, plus $1,000 at 55 or older | $4,500 for self-only coverage and $9,000 for family coverage, plus $1,000 at 55 or older |
Sources: IRS Notice 2025-67 for the retirement plan and IRA figures for 2025 and 2026; IRS Rev. Procs. 2024-25, 2025-19 and 2026-24 for the HSA limits. Married people filing separately who are covered by a plan, or whose spouse is, phase out of the traditional deduction between $0 and $10,000.
How do catch-up contributions work, including ages 60 to 63?
Savers who turn 50 by December 31 can add a catch-up, and workplace plans allow a bigger one in the years you turn 60 to 63. Age is measured at the end of the year, so someone born on December 31, 1976 qualifies for all of 2026. The super catch-up applies only in the calendar years you reach 60, 61, 62 or 63; in the year you turn 64 it drops back to the regular amount. Plans choose whether to offer either catch-up, you don't need to be behind on savings to use one, and IRAs have no age-60 version.
| Born in | Age reached in 2026 | 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b) | SIMPLE plans | IRA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 or later | 49 or younger | No catch-up | No catch-up | No catch-up |
| 1967 to 1976 | 50 to 59 | $8,000 | $4,000 | $1,100 |
| 1963 to 1966 | 60 to 63 | $11,250 | $5,250 | $1,100 |
| 1962 or earlier | 64 or older | $8,000 | $4,000 | $1,100 |
Worked example: The most a 62-year-old can put away in 2026
Ruth was born in 1964 and turns 62 in 2026. Her employer's 401(k) offers the super catch-up.
- 401(k): $24,500 + $11,250 = $35,750.
- IRA: $7,500 + $1,100 = $8,600.
- Total from her own pay: $44,350, before any employer match.
In 2028, the year she turns 64, her plan catch-up falls back to that year's regular amount. If her 2025 wages from the employer topped $150,000, the $11,250 must go in as Roth, a rule explained in 401(k) basics.
How do income phase-outs reduce what you can contribute or deduct?
Inside each income range the allowance shrinks in a straight line, and the IRS rounds the result up to the next $10, with a $200 minimum. Modified AGI starts from adjusted gross income and adds back a few items, including any traditional IRA deduction; Publication 590-A has the worksheets. Two separate tests apply:
- Roth IRA contributions shrink across the range for your filing status, and none are allowed above it.
- The traditional IRA deduction shrinks only if you or your spouse is covered by a workplace plan. Above the range you can still contribute, but without a deduction.
Worked example: A single filer at $160,000 and the Roth limit
Alex, 35, files single with modified AGI of $160,000 in 2026.
- Distance into the $153,000 to $168,000 range: $7,000 of $15,000, or 0.467.
- Reduction: 0.467 × $7,500 = $3,502.50.
- Allowed Roth contribution: $7,500 − $3,502.50 = $3,997.50, rounded up to $4,000.
The other $3,500 can go into a traditional IRA, deductible or not depending on whether Alex has a workplace plan.
Worked example: A covered spouse at $140,000 and the traditional deduction
Jordan is covered by a 401(k), and the couple files jointly with modified AGI of $140,000.
- Room left below the $149,000 top of the range: $9,000.
- Deductible amount: $9,000 × ($7,500 ÷ $20,000 range) = $3,375, rounded up to $3,380.
- If Jordan contributes the full $7,500, the other $4,120 is nondeductible and is reported on Form 8606 as basis.
Jordan's spouse, if not covered by a plan, is tested against the $242,000 to $252,000 range instead and can deduct in full.
The Roth and traditional choice itself, including when a nondeductible contribution is worth making, is covered in Roth vs traditional IRA.
Can you contribute to more than one plan or account?
Yes: IRA limits and workplace plan limits are separate, and 457(b) plans have their own limit on top of a 401(k) or 403(b). The $24,500 deferral limit is shared across every 401(k), 403(b), SIMPLE and SARSEP plan you join in a year, even at unrelated employers. Governmental and tax-exempt 457(b) plans are counted separately, which is why public employees offered both a 403(b) and a 457(b) can save far more. Employer money is capped per employer, so a side business with its own solo 401(k) gets a fresh $72,000 total-additions limit, though your deferrals across both still share one $24,500.
Worked example: A teacher with a 403(b), a 457(b) and an IRA
Maya, 41, works for a school district that offers both a 403(b) and a governmental 457(b).
- 403(b) deferrals: up to $24,500.
- 457(b) deferrals: another $24,500, because the 457(b) limit is separate.
- IRA: $7,500.
- Total she can contribute from her own pay in 2026: $56,500.
Two special catch-ups can raise those numbers further. A 403(b) at a school, hospital, church or similar organization may let employees with 15 years of service add up to $3,000 a year, with a $15,000 lifetime cap, applied before the age-50 catch-up. A 457(b) may allow up to twice the regular limit, $49,000 in 2026, in the three years before the plan's normal retirement age to make up for unused past years, though not in the same year as the age-50 catch-up.
How do SEP and SIMPLE IRA limits work?
A SEP IRA takes only employer money, up to 25% of pay or $72,000, while a SIMPLE IRA pairs deferrals of up to $17,000 with a required employer contribution. SEP contributions must be the same percentage of pay for every eligible employee, counting no more than $360,000 of anyone's pay, and employees aged 21 or older who worked for the business in three of the last five years and earned at least $800 must be included. SEPs allow no catch-ups.
SIMPLE employers must either match deferrals dollar for dollar up to 3% of pay or contribute 2% of pay for every eligible employee, and may add extra nonelective contributions of up to 10% of pay, capped at $5,300 per employee in 2026. Withdrawals from a SIMPLE IRA within the first two years of joining can owe a 25% additional tax instead of 10%.
Worked example: SEP contribution for a self-employed consultant
Chris is self-employed with $100,000 of net profit in 2026 and no employees.
- Self-employment tax: $100,000 × 92.35% × 15.3% = $14,129.55, half of which, $7,064.78, is deductible.
- Net earnings for the SEP: $100,000 − $7,064.78 = $92,935.22.
- Maximum SEP contribution at the self-employed rate of 20%: $18,587.04.
The 20% is the 25% plan rate adjusted because the contribution is deducted from the same earnings; Publication 560 has the rate table and worksheet.
When will the 2027 limits be announced?
The IRS usually publishes next year's retirement plan and IRA limits in the autumn; as of November 2, 2026, the 2027 notice had not been released. The 2026 figures came on November 13, 2025, so payroll elections for January are often set only weeks after the numbers appear. Forecasts can miss, because the amounts follow inflation and are rounded down to set steps, such as $500 for the 401(k) deferral limit.
Some 2027 figures are already fixed:
- HSA limits: $4,500 for self-only coverage and $9,000 for family coverage, plus $1,000 at 55 or older, published in May with new high-deductible plan thresholds, covered in HSA investing.
- The Saver's Match: from 2027, a federal deposit of 50% of up to $2,000 of contributions, so at most $1,000 per person a year for eligible low- and moderate-income savers, replacing the Saver's Credit for retirement contributions. For 2026 the credit still applies at AGI up to $80,500 on a joint return, $60,375 for heads of household and $40,250 for other filers, on up to $2,000 of contributions each.
- Roth catch-ups: final regulations on the Roth-only rule for higher earners apply from 2027, after a 2026 good-faith year.
What are the deadlines for each year's contributions?
Workplace deferrals must come out of pay by December 31, while IRA and HSA deposits for 2026 are accepted until April 15, 2027.
| Account | Last day for 2026 contributions |
|---|---|
| 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) and SIMPLE deferrals | Paychecks dated by December 31, 2026 |
| Traditional or Roth IRA | April 15, 2027; a filing extension does not extend it |
| HSA | April 15, 2027; a filing extension does not extend it |
| SEP IRA, and employer SIMPLE contributions | The business's 2026 tax-filing deadline, including extensions |
Employer matches and profit-sharing can generally also be deposited up to the employer's filing deadline, including extensions, and still count for 2026.
What happens if you contribute more than the limit?
An excess must be removed; left in, it means double tax in a 401(k) and a 6% charge every year in an IRA. For workplace plans, the excess and its earnings must be paid back by April 15 of the following year, and many plans set an earlier date for requests. The excess is taxed for the year deferred and the earnings for the year paid out, with no 10% additional tax. Miss the date and the excess is taxed again when it is eventually withdrawn. Excess deferrals are most common after a job change, because neither employer sees the whole year.
For IRAs, withdraw the excess and its earnings by the filing deadline, including extensions, or recharacterize the contribution as the other IRA type by the same date. Otherwise the 6% excise tax applies for every year-end the excess stays in the account.
Worked example: A Roth contribution that turned out too large
Sasha contributed $7,500 to a Roth IRA in January 2026, then got a raise and finished the year with modified AGI of $172,000, above the $168,000 top of the single range.
- Allowed Roth contribution: $0, so all $7,500 is excess.
- Fix by the filing deadline, which is October 15, 2027, with an extension: recharacterize the $7,500 and its earnings as a traditional IRA contribution, or withdraw them, with the earnings taxable.
- Cost of doing nothing: 6% of $7,500, or $450, for 2026 and again for each later year the excess remains.
A recharacterized, nondeductible contribution can later be converted, the backdoor route described in Roth vs traditional IRA.
What are the risks of planning around contribution limits?
The main risks are using the wrong year's numbers and misjudging income, since phase-outs depend on modified AGI you only know after December 31.
- Stale figures. Limits change most years, so check the IRS notice before setting January payroll elections.
- Income surprises. A bonus or capital gains can push modified AGI into or past a phase-out range after you have contributed.
- Several plans in one year. Deferral limits follow you, not the employer.
- Age miscounts. The super catch-up ends in the year you turn 64, and payroll systems may not adjust on their own.
- Plan rules. A plan can cap deferrals below the IRS limit or offer no catch-ups, and higher earners in a plan without a Roth option lose catch-ups entirely.
- Unfunded 457(b) plans. A tax-exempt employer's 457(b) stays the employer's property until paid out, so those deferrals are exposed to its creditors.
- Investment risk. A full contribution is only as good as what it holds; types of investment risk covers what can go wrong once the money is invested.
To see what a maximum contribution could grow to over time, use the compound interest calculator, and how compound interest works explains the math. Holding Treasury bills inside an IRA is covered in T-bills in an IRA, and a simple all-in-one fund choice in target-date funds. Tax rules and limits change every year, so confirm the current figures on irs.gov and consider a tax professional for phase-out, multiple-plan or self-employed calculations.