IRA Contribution Limits for 2026: How Much Can You Contribute?

One annual limit, even with several IRAs

The IRS 2026 announcement sets the age-50 catch-up at $1,100. Turning 50 by December 31 qualifies you for it. The larger catch-up for ages 60–63 in certain workplace plans does not apply to this IRA limit.

You can divide your allowance between a Traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, even with accounts at different firms. The IRS shared-limit rule counts them together for the same person and tax year.

If you rely on your own earnings, use the smaller of your age-based limit and your qualifying compensation. Qualifying compensation means pay that meets the IRA rules, not every kind of income. If you rely on a spouse’s earnings, use the spousal IRA rules below instead of this test of your own pay.

Subtract what you have already contributed

Remaining combined room = (the smaller of your age-based limit or qualifying compensation) − regular Traditional and Roth contributions assigned to 2026. This formula assumes regular payments supported by your own eligible pay. Check the rules below if you have a special transfer, repayment or error to correct.

Use payment records from each custodian, not the balances shown in your accounts. Balances include investment gains and losses and may include transferred money. Check the tax year assigned to each payment; a deposit made early in 2027 can still count toward 2026.

A valid standard rollover or conversion does not use regular contribution room. Recharacterization changes how an original contribution is treated; count that original contribution once, not its transfer again. A 529-to-Roth transfer does use annual Roth contribution room and has extra rules. Regular withdrawals do not restore your allowance. If your records include these transactions or a correction, see the special-case section before relying on the subtraction.

If the result is negative, you may have contributed too much. Keep that negative amount visible and ask the custodian how to correct it; replacing it with zero would hide the excess.

Download the 2026 IRA contribution record (CSV) to collect payments across accounts. Use a separate file for each person and tax year. Enter the custodian, IRA type, deposit date, assigned year and amount; use the remaining columns when you need to explain a payment or transfer.

The CSV (comma-separated values) file is a blank record with no formulas or macros. A row might read “Brokerage A / Traditional / March 10, 2026 / 2026 / $2,000 / Regular contribution.” Record your year-end age and qualifying compensation too, then total the relevant contributions yourself.

Update the record before another deposit if your pay estimate, assigned year or a correction has changed. For another tax year, check that year’s limits first.

Unused room does not settle Roth eligibility or your deduction

The $4,000 in the example answers one question: how much of the combined allowance is unused? Two other rules determine how you can use it.

• For a direct Roth contribution: check your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) and filing status. The Roth IRA contribution limits guide covers that income test.
• For a Traditional deduction: check whether you or your spouse is covered by a workplace retirement plan, then apply the income and filing-status rules. Being unable to deduct a contribution does not by itself prohibit making it.

A permitted Traditional payment still uses the shared allowance even when you cannot deduct it. The deduction is a possible reduction in taxable income, not an extra contribution limit. The IRS contribution guidance distinguishes these rules.

Assign the right year and keep the reporting record

The general federal deadline for regular 2026 IRA contributions is April 15, 2027, as reflected in the 2026 Form 5498 instructions. When paying into an IRA early in 2027, tell the custodian whether the payment is for 2026 or 2027 and check the receipt.

A tax-return filing extension generally does not extend the regular contribution deadline. Applicable disaster or combat-zone relief can change deadlines, so check whether it applies to you. Returning an excess contribution follows a different deadline that can include filing extensions.

For regular nondeductible Traditional contributions, file Form 8606 to record your tax basis (the portion treated as nondeductible), even if you otherwise do not have to file a tax return. Keep the form along with the payment records from your custodian. The IRS reporting rules in Publication 590-A explain the requirement; the downloadable record does not replace the tax form.

Which income supports a contribution?

Wages, salaries, commissions and other eligible pay for work generally count. Dividends, income from renting property, and pension or annuity income generally do not. Even with a high total income, you may lack enough eligible pay to use the full IRA allowance.

For self-employment, start with qualifying net earnings rather than gross business receipts. Adjust for deductible retirement-plan contributions and the deductible part of self-employment tax under the IRS compensation rules.

Nontaxable combat pay can count. Taxable non-tuition fellowship and stipend payments for graduate or postdoctoral study can also qualify. Taxable alimony depends on the applicable pre-2019 divorce or separation agreement and modification rules. If your income is one of these types, check the specific rule before using the amount.

When the basic calculation needs adjustment

Using a spouse’s earnings. On an eligible joint return, a spouse with little or no eligible pay may fund their own IRA using the other spouse’s earnings. Each person keeps their own age-based limit. The available earnings must support both spouses’ payments; you cannot count the same pay twice to justify a larger combined amount. See the IRS spousal IRA rules.

Transfers or changes in treatment. Confirm whether the transaction is a valid rollover, conversion or recharacterization. If a rollover is invalid, you cannot just leave the amount out of your count. For recharacterization, keep the amount and tax year of the payment whose treatment changed. The Forms 1099-R and 5498 instructions distinguish the reporting categories.

A 529-to-Roth transfer. This uses annual Roth contribution room alongside other Roth contributions and has its own rules about who can use it. Check the qualified tuition program rules in Publication 970 before treating it as a standard transfer.

Too much contributed. An uncorrected excess can incur a 6% excise tax for each year it remains. This generally applies to the excess amount, with a cap based on the relevant year-end IRA value, not a blanket 6% charge on your whole account. A timely return of excess must reflect the net income tied to it, including any loss. Ask the custodian to calculate that adjustment and process the proper correction; a regular withdrawal is not the same thing. The IRS excess-contribution guidance explains the correction deadlines and tax treatment.

Less common exceptions. Difficulty-of-care payments can support a limited nondeductible contribution under special rules. Section 501(c)(18) contributions can affect your IRA limit, and qualified repayments can have different counting rules. Check the specific IRS rule if any of these applies; the basic calculation and CSV do not resolve them.

Before your next deposit, total the contributions assigned to 2026 across your IRAs, compare them with the allowance your eligible pay supports, and check whether the planned Roth payment is allowed or the Traditional payment is deductible. Resolve any unusual transaction first, then confirm the tax year with the custodian.