Retirement contribution limits 2025-2026 — every account

Every US tax-advantaged retirement and savings account has an annual contribution limit set by the Internal Revenue Service, adjusted most years for inflation under cost-of-living provisions in the Internal Revenue Code. The limits determine how much a household can shelter from current-year taxation across the full stack of available accounts: employer-sponsored plans like 401(k)s and 403(b)s, individual retirement accounts, health savings accounts, and self-employment vehicles like SEP-IRAs and solo 401(k)s. Understanding the limits — and how they interact when a household has access to multiple account types — is the foundation of tax-efficient retirement planning.

This guide consolidates every major contribution limit for tax years 2025 and 2026, organized by account type. The 2025 figures are final (IRS Revenue Procedure 2024-40 and Notice 2024-80), and the 2026 figures are now final too — published in IRS Notice 2025-67 (plan and IRA limits) and IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-19 (HSA limits). The IRS 2027 contribution limits anticipation guide covers the announcement timeline and planning decisions that depend on the new figures.

401(k), 403(b), and governmental 457(b) plans

These employer-sponsored defined-contribution plans share the same elective deferral limit, set under IRC §402(g):

Limit	2024	2025	2026
Elective deferral (under 50)	$23,000	$23,500	$24,500
Catch-up (age 50+)	$7,500	$7,500	$8,000
SECURE 2.0 catch-up (ages 60-63)	—	$11,250	$11,250
Total additions (§415(c))	$69,000	$70,000	$72,000
Compensation limit (§401(a)(17))	$345,000	$350,000	$360,000

The elective deferral limit is the amount the employee can contribute from their own paycheck (pre-tax traditional or designated Roth). The total additions limit includes employee deferrals plus employer match plus employer profit-sharing plus any after-tax (non-Roth, non-deductible) contributions. The gap between the elective deferral limit ($24,500 in 2026) and the total additions limit ($72,000) is the space that enables the mega backdoor Roth strategy for plans that allow after-tax contributions with in-plan Roth conversions.

The catch-up contribution for employees age 50 and older has been $7,500 since 2023 and is subject to inflation adjustment in $500 increments. SECURE 2.0 introduced an enhanced catch-up for employees ages 60 through 63 starting in 2025: $11,250 instead of the standard $7,500, for a combined employee deferral of $34,750. This enhanced catch-up window is narrow — it applies only during the four calendar years in which the employee turns 60, 61, 62, or 63. At age 64, the catch-up reverts to the standard $7,500.

A critical SECURE 2.0 change starting in 2026: employees with compensation above $145,000 (indexed for inflation) must make their catch-up contributions on a Roth (after-tax) basis only. Pre-tax catch-up contributions will no longer be permitted for high earners. This provision was initially scheduled for 2024, delayed by IRS administrative guidance to 2026. Employers must update their plan documents to accommodate the Roth-only catch-up requirement.

Traditional and Roth IRAs

IRA contribution limits are set under IRC §219 (traditional) and §408A (Roth):

Limit	2024	2025	2026
Contribution (under 50)	$7,000	$7,000	$7,500
Catch-up (age 50+)	$1,000	$1,000	$1,100
Total (age 50+)	$8,000	$8,000	$8,600

The IRA contribution limit applies across all traditional and Roth IRAs owned by the same individual — the limit is per person, not per account. A person who contributes $4,000 to a traditional IRA can contribute at most $3,000 to a Roth IRA in the same year (assuming they are under 50). The IRA catch-up was a flat $1,000 for years, but under SECURE 2.0 it is now indexed for inflation; it rises to $1,100 for 2026, the first adjustment since the provision took effect.

Traditional IRA deductibility phase-outs: If the taxpayer (or their spouse) is covered by an employer retirement plan, the traditional IRA deduction phases out based on MAGI:

Filing status	2025 phase-out range	2026 phase-out range
Single/HoH, covered by employer plan	$79,000 – $89,000	$81,000 – $91,000
MFJ, contributor covered by employer plan	$126,000 – $146,000	$129,000 – $149,000
MFJ, contributor NOT covered but spouse IS	$236,000 – $246,000	$242,000 – $252,000
MFS, covered by employer plan	$0 – $10,000	$0 – $10,000

Above the upper threshold, traditional IRA contributions are non-deductible (but still permitted — the nondeductible contribution is the first step of the backdoor Roth IRA strategy).

Roth IRA contribution phase-outs:

Filing status	2025 phase-out range	2026 phase-out range
Single/HoH	$150,000 – $165,000	$153,000 – $168,000
MFJ	$236,000 – $246,000	$242,000 – $252,000
MFS	$0 – $10,000	$0 – $10,000

Above the upper threshold, direct Roth contributions are prohibited. The backdoor Roth IRA strategy — contribute to a nondeductible traditional IRA, then convert — has no income limit on either the contribution or the conversion step.

Spousal IRA: A working spouse can fund an IRA for a non-working spouse as long as the couple files jointly and the working spouse’s earned income is at least equal to the combined IRA contributions for both spouses. The non-working spouse’s IRA has the same $7,000/$8,000 limit and the same deductibility/Roth phase-out thresholds. This is one of the most underutilized tax-advantaged vehicles for single-income households.

Health savings accounts (HSA)

HSA contribution limits are set under IRC §223:

Limit	2024	2025	2026
Self-only HDHP	$4,150	$4,300	$4,400
Family HDHP	$8,300	$8,550	$8,750
Catch-up (age 55+)	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000

The HSA catch-up is $1,000 for individuals age 55 and older (not 50, unlike retirement accounts). It is a statutory amount that does not adjust for inflation. HSA eligibility requires enrollment in a qualifying high-deductible health plan — the HDHP minimum deductible for 2025 is $1,650 (self-only) / $3,300 (family), and the maximum out-of-pocket is $8,300 / $16,600.

The HSA is the only account with the triple tax advantage: contributions are deductible (or pre-tax via payroll), growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free at any age. After age 65, withdrawals for non-medical purposes are taxed as ordinary income with no penalty, making the HSA functionally equivalent to a traditional IRA for non-medical spending. The HSA as retirement account guide covers the investment and receipts strategies.

SEP-IRA and solo 401(k) — self-employed limits

Self-employed individuals and small business owners have access to retirement accounts with substantially higher contribution limits than traditional IRAs:

SEP-IRA: The employer (which is the self-employed individual) can contribute up to 25% of net self-employment income, with a maximum of $70,000 in 2025 (matching the 401(k) total additions limit). No catch-up contributions are available. The SEP-IRA is the simplest self-employed retirement account — no plan document required beyond IRS Form 5305-SEP, no annual filings, and contributions can be made up to the tax-filing deadline (including extensions).

Solo 401(k): Also called an individual 401(k), available to self-employed individuals with no employees (other than a spouse). The solo 401(k) allows both an employee elective deferral ($23,500 in 2025, plus catch-up if applicable) and an employer profit-sharing contribution (up to 25% of net self-employment income), with the combined total capped at $70,000 (plus catch-up). The advantage over a SEP-IRA is the employee deferral component: a sole proprietor with $50,000 of net self-employment income can defer $23,500 as an employee contribution plus approximately $9,300 as an employer contribution (20% of net SE income after the SE tax deduction), for a total of $32,800 — versus $9,300 maximum with a SEP-IRA at the same income level.

SIMPLE IRA and SIMPLE 401(k): Available to businesses with 100 or fewer employees. The 2025 employee deferral limit is $16,500, rising to $17,000 for 2026, with a $3,500 catch-up for age 50+ ($4,000 for 2026; SECURE 2.0 sets an enhanced $5,250 for ages 60-63). The employer must either match employee contributions dollar-for-dollar up to 3% of compensation, or make a 2% non-elective contribution for all eligible employees. SIMPLE plans have lower limits than 401(k)s but are cheaper and simpler to administer.

529 education savings plans — not retirement, but often coordinated

While 529 plans are education savings accounts rather than retirement accounts, they are frequently coordinated with retirement contributions in household planning. The annual gift tax exclusion is $19,000 per donor per beneficiary in both 2025 and 2026 (unchanged year over year), which serves as the practical annual 529 contribution limit for most families (contributions above this amount may trigger gift tax reporting, though a special provision allows “superfunding” — contributing up to five years of the gift tax exclusion, or $95,000, in a single year without gift tax consequences, as long as no additional gifts are made to the same beneficiary during the five-year period).

Starting in 2024, SECURE 2.0 introduced the ability to roll over unused 529 funds to a Roth IRA for the beneficiary, subject to several conditions: the 529 account must have been open for at least 15 years, the rolled-over amount cannot include contributions made within the prior five years or earnings on those contributions, the annual rollover is limited to the Roth IRA contribution limit ($7,000 in 2025), and the lifetime rollover cap is $35,000 per beneficiary. This provision creates a new coordination point between 529 and Roth IRA planning — families that overfund a 529 (or whose beneficiary receives a scholarship) now have a tax-free pathway to redirect the excess into retirement savings.

The Saver’s Credit — a bonus for low-to-moderate income contributors

The Retirement Savings Contributions Credit (the Saver’s Credit) provides a direct tax credit of 10%, 20%, or 50% of the first $2,000 of retirement contributions ($4,000 for married filing jointly), depending on adjusted gross income. For 2025, the AGI thresholds are: 50% credit for AGI up to $23,750 (single) / $47,500 (MFJ); 20% credit for AGI $23,751-$25,750 (single) / $47,501-$51,500 (MFJ); 10% credit for AGI $25,751-$39,500 (single) / $51,501-$79,000 (MFJ). Above these thresholds, no credit is available.

The Saver’s Credit is non-refundable — it can reduce tax liability to zero but does not generate a refund. For households in the 50% tier, the credit is worth up to $1,000 per person ($2,000 per couple), which effectively doubles the value of their retirement contributions. The credit applies to contributions to 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and SIMPLE IRA accounts. The credit does not stack with the tax deduction for pre-tax contributions — both benefits can be claimed on the same contribution, making low-income retirement saving uniquely powerful from a marginal incentive perspective.

Cross-account coordination — the planning framework

The contribution limits above apply independently by account type, which means a household with access to multiple accounts can shelter substantially more than any single limit suggests. A worked example for a married couple, both age 52, both employed with 401(k)s and HDHP family coverage (2026 limits):

Account	Contribution	Tax treatment
Spouse A: 401(k) elective	$24,500 + $8,000 catch-up = $32,500	Pre-tax or Roth
Spouse B: 401(k) elective	$24,500 + $8,000 catch-up = $32,500	Pre-tax or Roth
Spouse A: Roth IRA (backdoor)	$7,500 + $1,100 catch-up = $8,600	Roth
Spouse B: Roth IRA (backdoor)	$7,500 + $1,100 catch-up = $8,600	Roth
Family HSA	$8,750 + $1,000 catch-up (A) = $9,750	Triple-tax-free
Total household	$91,950

If both employers allow after-tax contributions with in-plan Roth conversions (mega backdoor Roth), the total rises further: each spouse can contribute up to $72,000 total additions minus elective deferral minus employer match, with the excess going to after-tax contributions that are immediately converted to Roth. For a household maximizing every available vehicle, the total annual tax-advantaged savings can exceed $150,000.

The tax-advantaged hierarchy guide covers the optimal order for funding these accounts when the household cannot maximize all of them: employer match first (free money), then HSA (triple tax advantage), then Roth IRA (tax-free growth), then additional 401(k), then mega backdoor Roth, then taxable brokerage — where long-term growth is taxed under the capital gains brackets rather than sheltered entirely.

The sequencing matters because not all tax-advantaged dollars are equally valuable. A dollar of employer match is a guaranteed 50-100% return that no other investment can replicate. A dollar in the HSA avoids federal income tax, state income tax, and FICA — a combined marginal benefit of 30-40% for most households, with tax-free growth and tax-free medical withdrawals on top. A dollar in the Roth IRA avoids all future taxation on growth and withdrawals, which is most valuable for young workers with decades of compounding ahead. A dollar of additional 401(k) deferral provides an immediate tax deduction but will be taxed as ordinary income upon withdrawal in retirement. The hierarchy is therefore not just about maximizing the total sheltered amount — it is about maximizing the lifetime after-tax value of each dollar saved, which depends on the household’s current marginal rate, expected future marginal rate, investment time horizon, and access to each account type.

Common mistakes in contribution limit planning

Contributing to both a traditional and Roth IRA without combining the limit. The $7,000 limit ($8,000 with catch-up) applies across all IRAs combined. A person who contributes $7,000 to a traditional IRA and then $7,000 to a Roth IRA in the same year has made an excess contribution of $7,000, which is subject to a 6% excise tax per year until corrected. The correction must be made by the tax-filing deadline (including extensions) to avoid the penalty — the excess contribution and its earnings must be withdrawn or recharacterized.

Assuming the 401(k) limit includes employer match. The $23,500 elective deferral limit is the employee-only contribution. Employer matching contributions do not reduce the employee’s available deferral space — they count toward the $70,000 total additions limit, which is a separate ceiling. An employee who defers $23,500 and receives a $10,000 employer match has used $33,500 of the $70,000 total additions limit, leaving $36,500 of room for additional employer contributions or after-tax contributions (if the plan allows).

Missing the spousal IRA opportunity. A married couple filing jointly where one spouse has no earned income can still contribute $7,000 ($8,000 with catch-up) to an IRA in the non-working spouse’s name, as long as the working spouse’s earned income is at least equal to the combined IRA contributions. This is one of the most overlooked tax-advantaged opportunities for single-income households — the spousal IRA doubles the household’s IRA contribution capacity.

Ignoring the SECURE 2.0 enhanced catch-up. Employees who turn 60, 61, 62, or 63 during the tax year are eligible for the enhanced catch-up contribution of $11,250 (instead of the standard $7,500) starting in 2025. This four-year window is the most generous catch-up opportunity in the retirement account system, but it requires the employee to actively increase their deferral election — most 401(k) plans do not automatically adjust the deferral percentage when the employee enters the enhanced catch-up window. The combined employee deferral at ages 60-63 is $34,750 ($23,500 + $11,250), versus $31,000 at age 50-59 and $23,500 under 50.

Forgetting that HSA contributions reduce MAGI. HSA contributions made through employer payroll deduction reduce W-2 box 1 income, which reduces AGI and therefore reduces every MAGI-tested phase-out. For a household near the Roth IRA MAGI phase-out threshold, maximizing HSA contributions can preserve some or all of the household’s Roth IRA contribution capacity. The $8,550 family HSA contribution at a 24% federal bracket + 6% state bracket + 7.65% FICA rate generates $3,219 of tax savings while simultaneously lowering MAGI for Roth IRA phase-out purposes.

Not adjusting for mid-year eligibility changes. HSA contribution eligibility is tested monthly — an employee who switches from an HDHP to a PPO mid-year must prorate the HSA contribution for the months of HDHP coverage. Similarly, the 401(k) deferral limit applies per calendar year across all employers. An employee who changes jobs mid-year and has 401(k) plans at both employers must ensure that combined deferrals do not exceed $23,500 (plus any applicable catch-up). Excess deferrals must be corrected by April 15 of the following year to avoid double taxation.

When limits are announced and what changes

The IRS publishes the following year’s contribution limits in two releases each October:

• Revenue Procedure (typically mid-October): pension plan limits including 401(k)/403(b)/457(b) elective deferrals, total additions, SEP/SIMPLE limits, and the compensation cap.
• Notice (typically late October): IRA contribution limits, Roth IRA MAGI phase-outs, traditional IRA deductibility phase-outs, HSA limits, HDHP thresholds, and the Saver’s Credit income thresholds.

The adjustment formula uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and rounds to specific increments ($500 for most plan limits, $1,000 for total additions and compensation limits) — a formula precise enough that the 2027 limits can be projected from CPI data before the IRS announces them. In low-inflation years, limits may not change at all; in high-inflation years (2022-2023), multiple limits increased by $2,000-$3,000 in a single year. The IRS 2027 contribution limits anticipation guide covers the specific planning decisions that depend on the October announcement.

Sources

• IRS Revenue Procedure 2024-40 — 2025 pension plan limitations (401(k), 403(b), 457(b), SEP, SIMPLE, compensation cap). irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-24-40.pdf
• IRS Notice 2024-80 — 2025 IRA, Roth IRA MAGI, traditional IRA deductibility phase-outs. irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-24-80.pdf
• IRS Revenue Procedure 2024-25 — 2025 HSA contribution limits and HDHP thresholds. irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-24-25.pdf
• SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 — enhanced catch-up (§109), Roth catch-up mandate for high earners (§603). congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617
• IRS Publication 590-A — IRA contribution rules and worksheets. irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p590a.pdf
• IRS Notice 2025-67 — 2026 pension plan and IRA limits (401(k) $24,500, IRA $7,500, §415(c) $72,000, §401(a)(17) $360,000, SIMPLE $17,000). irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-67.pdf
• IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-19 — 2026 HSA contribution limits and HDHP thresholds ($4,400 self-only / $8,750 family). irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-19.pdf