2026 IRA Contribution Limits and Income Phase-Outs

2026 IRA Contribution Limits

These limits apply to combined traditional and Roth contributions. You cannot contribute $7,500 to both; the total across all IRAs you own is $7,500.

Example: You can contribute:

• $7,500 to Roth IRA only, or
• $4,000 to Roth + $3,500 to traditional, or
• $7,500 to traditional only.

But not $7,500 to Roth + $7,500 to traditional (the sum would exceed the limit).

Roth IRA Income Phase-Outs

You can contribute the full amount to a Roth IRA only if your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is below certain thresholds. Above those thresholds, contributions are phased out.

The band widths in the last column are structural, not annual — the single Roth band has been $15,000 wide and the MFJ band $10,000 wide for years. If you see a quoted range whose width is wrong, the figures are wrong, whatever year they claim to be.

How phase-out works: the reduction is proportional across the band, not dollar-for-dollar. Work out how far into the band you are, apply that fraction to the full limit, and subtract:

Reduced limit = limit − limit × (MAGI − bottom of band) ÷ band width

Round the result up to the nearest $10. If the result is above $0 but below $200, you may still contribute $200. (IRS Publication 590-A, Worksheet 2-2.)

Example 1: Single filer, MAGI $160,000.

• Band: $153,000–$168,000, so the width is $15,000.
• Distance into the band: $160,000 − $153,000 = $7,000, i.e. 46.67% of the way through.
• Reduction: $7,500 × 46.67% = $3,500.
• Contribution limit: $7,500 − $3,500 = $4,000.

Example 2: Single filer, MAGI $168,000 or higher.

• You are at or past the top of the band.
• Contribution limit: $0 (you're ineligible for a direct Roth contribution — see the backdoor Roth section below).

Example 3: Married filing jointly, MAGI $247,000.

• Band: $242,000–$252,000, width $10,000.
• Distance into the band: $5,000, i.e. exactly halfway.
• Reduction: $7,500 × 50% = $3,750.
• Contribution limit: $3,750.

Traditional IRA Deduction Phase-Outs

Traditional IRA contributions are always allowed (you can contribute even if ineligible for a deduction). However, the deduction phases out if you're covered by an employer-sponsored plan:

The two MFJ rows are different rules, not alternatives. Which one applies depends on whether the spouse making the contribution has workplace-plan coverage. The reduction works exactly like the Roth one above: proportional across the band, rounded up to the nearest $10.

What is "covered by an employer plan"? Your employer offers a 401(k), 403(b), SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, or other qualified plan to you, and you (or your employer) actually contributed for the year.

Example 1: Single, $85,000 MAGI, covered by a 401(k) at work.

• Band: $81,000–$91,000, width $10,000.
• Distance into the band: $4,000, i.e. 40%.
• Reduction: $7,500 × 40% = $3,000.
• Deductible amount: $7,500 − $3,000 = $4,500.
• You can still contribute the remaining $3,000 non-deductibly.

Example 2: Single, $90,000 income, not covered by any employer plan.

• No phase-out applies at all — the deduction limit only exists for people with workplace coverage.
• You can deduct the full $7,500 traditional IRA contribution.

Example 3: Married filing jointly, joint MAGI $260,000, one spouse covered by a 401(k).

• The bands use joint MAGI, not each spouse's own salary — a common and expensive mistake.
• The covered spouse: $260,000 is well past the top of the $129,000–$149,000 band, so $0 deductible.
• The uncovered spouse: uses the $242,000–$252,000 band instead. $260,000 is past the top of that too, so also $0 deductible.
• Both can still contribute $7,500 non-deductibly, which is the first step of a backdoor Roth.

Contribution and Deduction Rules

Can I contribute if I'm over the limit?

• Roth: No. You cannot contribute above the income limits (after phase-out).
• Traditional: Yes. You can always contribute (even if you can't deduct it). Non-deductible contributions don't reduce taxable income but still reduce IRA basis for Roth conversion purposes.

Can I split between traditional and Roth?

Yes. If you're eligible for Roth and want some traditional deferral, contribute to both. Example: $4,000 to Roth + $3,500 to traditional (deductible or non-deductible) = $7,500 total.

What Is "Modified Adjusted Gross Income" (MAGI)?

MAGI for Roth eligibility is generally your AGI plus:

• Traditional IRA deductions (pulled back in).
• Student loan interest deduction (pulled back in).
• Passive loss deductions (pulled back in).
• Foreign earned income exclusion (pulled back in).

For most people, MAGI ≈ AGI. Check IRS Publication 590-A for precise calculations.

Backdoor Roth for High Earners

If you exceed Roth income limits, use the backdoor Roth strategy:

1. Contribute $7,500 (non-deductible) to a traditional IRA.
2. Immediately convert it to a Roth IRA.
3. The conversion is tax-free (since the contribution was non-deductible).

Pro-rata rule caveat: If you have other pre-tax IRA balances, the conversion is partly taxable. Under IRC §408(d)(2), every traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE IRA you own is treated as one account, measured by its December 31 balance — so a $7,500 non-deductible contribution alongside a $92,500 rollover IRA is only 7.5% basis, and 92.5% of the conversion is taxable. Roll those pre-tax balances into your 401(k) before December 31 to clear the denominator.

Before you convert, price the tax bill with the Roth conversion calculator — it shows how much of the conversion lands in each bracket, which is the number that decides whether to convert all at once or across several years.

Catch-Up Contributions: Age 50+

At age 50, you can contribute an additional $1,100 to either traditional or Roth IRA. The IRA catch-up became indexed under SECURE 2.0 and moved off $1,000 for the first time in 2026.

• Age 49: Max $7,500.
• Age 50+: Max $8,600 ($7,500 + $1,100 catch-up).

The catch-up does not create eligibility. If your MAGI is above the top of the Roth band you cannot contribute to a Roth at all, catch-up included — but you can always make a non-deductible traditional contribution at your full age-adjusted limit, whatever your income.

Example: Age 52, single, MAGI $175,000 (above the $168,000 top of the Roth band).

• You cannot contribute directly to a Roth.
• But you can do a backdoor Roth: contribute $8,600 non-deductible to a traditional IRA, then convert to Roth.

Contribution Timing

You can contribute to an IRA for a tax year anytime until the unextended tax return deadline:

• Deadline for 2026 contributions: April 15, 2027, whether or not you file an extension.
• Filing an extension does not extend the IRA contribution deadline. This trips people up because it does extend the deadline for an employer's SEP-IRA contribution — but that is a different rule for a different account.

This flexibility lets you wait until you know your MAGI before deciding traditional vs. Roth.

Spousal IRAs

Married couples can fund IRAs for both spouses, even if one has no income:

Example: High-earner spouse ($200,000) earns all household income. Non-working spouse ($0).

• Working spouse can contribute to their own traditional or Roth IRA ($7,500, subject to income limits).
• Working spouse can contribute to a spousal IRA for the non-working spouse ($7,500).
• Total household contribution: $15,000 — or $17,200 if both are 50 or older.

A spousal traditional IRA grows tax-deferred (a spousal Roth grows tax-free), and the traditional version can be converted to Roth later — possibly at little or no tax if that spouse has little other income in the conversion year.

Inherited IRAs and the 10-Year Rule

The 2019 SECURE Act changed inherited IRA rules. If you inherit an IRA from someone who wasn't your spouse, you generally must empty the IRA within 10 years — and since 2025, if the original owner had already reached their required beginning date, you must also take an RMD in each of years 1 through 9 rather than waiting until year 10.

Work out what each of those nine years actually requires with the RMD calculator — the year-10 deadline is the part people remember, and the years 1 through 9 distributions are the part that generates the 25% penalty when missed.

Common Mistakes

1. Over-contributing: Exceeding limits triggers a 6% penalty annually until corrected.

2. Contributing to both Roth and traditional without tracking the combined limit: You might think you're contributing $7,500 to Roth and $7,500 to traditional, when only $7,500 total is allowed.

3. Missing the income phase-out: Thinking you're eligible when your income exceeds limits.

4. Not doing a backdoor Roth: High earners resigning themselves to not saving in Roth, when backdoor Roths are a legal workaround.

5. Forgetting about spouse IRAs: Married couples often max one spouse's IRA and overlook spousal IRAs for the other.

FAQ

I already funded my Roth for 2026 and now my income came in too high. What do I do?

You have two clean fixes and one expensive one. Recharacterize the contribution to a traditional IRA — the custodian moves the money plus its earnings and treats it as though it had always been a traditional contribution. Or withdraw the excess along with the net income attributable to it. Either fix is available until October 15, 2027 for a 2026 contribution, because you get an automatic six-month extension for this purpose if you filed on time. Miss that and the excess is hit with a 6% excise tax on Form 5329 — and it repeats every year the money stays in the account, not just once.

Does contributing to a 401(k) at work reduce how much I can put in an IRA?

No. They are separate limits: $24,500 of elective deferrals to a 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) or TSP in 2026, plus the $7,500 IRA limit. Workplace coverage affects only whether a traditional IRA contribution is deductible — it never reduces the amount you may contribute, and it has no effect at all on Roth eligibility, which depends purely on MAGI. Someone maxing a 401(k) at 50 can still put $8,600 into an IRA in the same year.

Is the backdoor Roth still legal in 2026?

Yes. No statute or regulation prohibits contributing non-deductibly to a traditional IRA and converting it, and Congress has repeatedly considered and not enacted a ban. What trips people up is not legality but the pro-rata rule: file Form 8606 for both the non-deductible contribution and the conversion, and clear any pre-tax traditional, SEP or SIMPLE IRA balance into a 401(k) before December 31, or the IRS treats your conversion as a proportional mix of basis and pre-tax money.

Can I still contribute after I stop working, or after age 70?

There is no age limit anymore — the SECURE Act repealed the old age 70½ cutoff on traditional IRA contributions for tax years beginning after 2019, and Roth IRAs never had one. What you do need is taxable compensation: wages, self-employment income, or certain taxable alimony. Social Security, pensions, rental income, interest and dividends do not count. If one spouse is still earning, though, a spousal IRA lets a fully retired spouse be funded to the same $7,500 (or $8,600 at 50+) on the earner's compensation.

Sources

• Internal Revenue Service. Notice 2025-67 (2026 IRA contribution limit, catch-up, and phase-out ranges).
• Internal Revenue Service. Publication 590-A: Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) — Worksheets 2-2 and 1-2 for the phase-out computation.
• Internal Revenue Service. "Amount of Roth IRA contributions that you can make." IRS.gov.
• Internal Revenue Service. "IRA deduction limits." IRS.gov.