2026 Retirement Contribution Limits

How much can I put in a 401(k) in 2026?

The elective deferral limit is $24,500. If you are 50 or older you may add a $8,000 catch-up, and if you turn 60, 61, 62, or 63 during the year the catch-up rises to $11,250 instead. Employer contributions do not count against your deferral limit. Your deferrals plus employer contributions are capped at $72,000 under §415(c), but catch-ups sit on top of that cap: up to $80,000 at 50+, or $83,250 if you are 60–63, never more than your pay.

Did the IRA limit finally go up?

Yes. The IRA contribution limit rises to $7,500 for 2026 from $7,000, and for the first time the age-50 IRA catch-up is indexed — it goes to $1,100 from $1,000. The limit is per person, not per account, and is capped at your taxable compensation for the year.

Why are there two SIMPLE IRA limits?

SECURE 2.0 Act §117 created a higher "applicable" limit for SIMPLE plans sponsored by employers with 25 or fewer employees — and for employers with 26 to 100 employees that make an enhanced match or nonelective contribution. For 2026 the standard deferral is $17,000 and the applicable limit is $18,100. Participants in those "applicable" plans have their own age-50 catch-up of $3,850, which did not rise for 2026 — so for 2026 it is $150 lower than the standard SIMPLE catch-up of $4,000 (in 2025 it was the higher of the two).

Do I have to make my catch-up contributions Roth in 2026?

Probably yes, if you are a high earner. Two dates get confused here. The statute — SECURE 2.0 §603 — is effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025, so the Roth catch-up requirement itself is live for 2026: if your 2025 FICA wages from the plan-sponsoring employer exceeded $150,000, any catch-up you make in 2026 must be designated Roth. What lands later is the *regulatory* package: the final regulations generally apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2026, with later dates for certain governmental and collectively bargained plans, and plans may use a reasonable, good-faith interpretation of the statute until then. That is an administrative grace period on how plans implement the rule, not a delay of the rule. Check your plan documents: some plans applied it from 2026, others are relying on good-faith transition relief.

Can I contribute to both a 401(k) and an IRA?

Yes. The $24,500 deferral limit and the $7,500 IRA limit are separate. Being covered by a workplace plan does not stop you from contributing to an IRA — it only restricts whether the traditional IRA contribution is deductible, using the MAGI phase-out ranges in the table above.

What is the deadline for a 2026 IRA contribution?

The due date of your 2026 return, not including extensions — generally April 15, 2027. Workplace plan deferrals are different: they must come out of payroll by December 31, 2026, which is why the year-end paycheck is the last chance to top up a 401(k).