IRA Contribution Limits 2026

You get a reduced limit, and the IRS sets out the arithmetic in Publication 590-A Worksheet 2-2. Take your modified AGI, subtract the bottom of your phase-out range ($153,000 single or head of household, $242,000 married filing jointly), divide by the width of that range ($15,000 single, $10,000 joint), and multiply by your full limit. Subtract that from the full limit, round the answer UP to the nearest $10, and if the result is greater than zero but less than $200, your limit is $200. Worked example: a single filer under 50 with $159,000 of MAGI is $6,000 into a $15,000 range, so 40% of the $7,500 limit is removed and they may contribute $4,500. At $165,000 the same person may contribute $1,500. At $168,000 and above the Roth limit is zero, though a backdoor Roth conversion may still be available. Source: IRS Notice 2025-67 and Publication 590-A.

$1,100 if you are 50 or older, which takes the total IRA limit to $8,600 for 2026. This is worth noting because it is the FIRST increase to the IRA catch-up amount since it began being indexed for inflation — it had been fixed at $1,000 for years, so a page or article still quoting $1,000 is out of date. The catch-up applies to the combined total across all your Traditional and Roth IRAs, not per account, and it phases out on the same MAGI ranges as the standard limit: a 50-plus single filer at $159,000 of MAGI may contribute $5,160 to a Roth, not the full $8,600. Separately, and often confused with this, SECURE 2.0 requires WORKPLACE plan catch-up contributions to be made as Roth from 2026 where prior-year wages from that employer exceeded $150,000 — that rule applies to 401(k)-style plans, not to IRAs. Source: IRS Notice 2025-67.

The IRS has NOT yet published the 2027 IRA limits. They are set by an inflation adjustment tied to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) measured through September 2026, and the IRS normally releases the retirement-plan figures in late October or early November of the preceding year — so expect the 2027 IRA numbers in late October 2026. Treat any 2027 IRA figure circulating before then as a projection, not a limit: only the IRS notice is authoritative. Note this is a different schedule from HSAs, whose 2027 amounts were already finalised in Revenue Procedure 2026-24 on 29 May 2026. This page is updated the day the IRS notice lands.

For 2026, the annual IRA contribution limit is $7,500 for both Traditional and Roth IRAs combined, up from $7,000 in 2025. If you are age 50 or older, you can contribute an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution, for a total of $8,600 in 2026 (up from $8,000 in 2025). This limit is shared across all your IRAs — for example, you could contribute $4,000 to a Traditional IRA and $3,500 to a Roth IRA in the same year. Source: IRS Notice N-25-67.

For 2026, the Roth IRA phase-out begins at $153,000 MAGI for single filers and $242,000 for married filing jointly (up from $150,000 and $236,000 in 2025). Above $168,000 (single) or $252,000 (married), you cannot contribute directly to a Roth IRA. If you earn above these limits, consider the Backdoor Roth IRA strategy: contribute to a non-deductible Traditional IRA and then convert it to Roth. Source: IRS Notice N-25-67.

If you or your spouse are covered by a workplace retirement plan (like a 401k), your Traditional IRA deduction phases out. For 2026, the phase-out for single filers covered by a workplace plan is $81,000-$91,000 MAGI. For married filing jointly where the contributor is covered: $129,000-$149,000. If not covered by a workplace plan, you can deduct the full $7,500 regardless of income. Source: IRS Notice N-25-67.

The Backdoor Roth IRA is a legal tax strategy for high earners who exceed the Roth IRA income limits. You contribute to a Traditional IRA (no income limit for non-deductible contributions), then convert it to a Roth IRA. The conversion is taxable only on pre-tax amounts. Beware of the pro-rata rule: if you have existing pre-tax Traditional IRA balances, the conversion will be partially taxable.

Choose Roth IRA if: you're in a low tax bracket now, you're young with decades of tax-free growth ahead, or you expect tax rates to rise. Choose Traditional IRA if: you're in a high bracket now and expect to be in a lower bracket in retirement, or you need the current deduction. A key Roth advantage: no Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) during the owner's lifetime, making it excellent for estate planning.