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IRA Contribution Limits and Catch-Up Contributions

On December 22, 2017, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. The information in this article predates the tax reform legislation and may not apply to tax returns starting in the 2018 tax year. You may wish to speak to your tax advisor about the latest tax law. This publication is provided for your convenience and does not constitute legal advice. This publication is protected by copyright.

IRA Contribution Limits and Catch-Up Contributions
For those who annually contribute to their IRA account and wish they could contribute more, there is good news. The annual contribution limit is inflation adjusted each year and is slowly increasing. Taxpayers 50 and older are allowed larger contributions through so-called “make-up” provisions (see table below).

The contribution limit for Traditional IRA Accounts for taxpayers that do not have a qualified plan with their employer is as follows.

IRA Contribution Limits

Year
2008-2012
2013 - 2017
2018
Under Age 50
5,000
5,500
Inflation Adjusted
Age 50 & Over
6,000
6,500
6,500



However, if a taxpayer is an active participant in an employer’s pension plan or a self-employed pension plan, the deductible amount will be ratably phased out if their income for the year (AGI) is within the phase out range and not allowed at all if the AGI exceeds the phase out range (see the table below). The phase-out ranges are adjusted annually for inflation.

Phase-Out Ranges

Filing Status
2016
2017
Single & Head of Household
61,000 - 71,000
62,000 - 72,000
Married Filing Jointly
98,000 - 118,000
99,000 - 119,000
Married Filing Separately
0 - 10,000
0 - 10,000

Special rule for a nonactive participant spouse - The limits for deductible IRA contributions do not apply to the spouse of an active participant. Rather, the maximum deductible IRA contribution for an individual who is not an active participant but whose spouse is an active participant, is phased out for the non-active participant if their combined AGI is between the inflation adjusted limits for the year as illustrated in the table below.


Nonactive Spouse Phase-Out Ranges

Year
2016
2017
Phase-Out Range
184,000 - 194,000
186,000 - 196,000

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