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IRS sets 401(k) limits for 2025, which means a new backlog for some
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IRS sets 401(k) limits for 2025, which means a new backlog for some

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Americans will be able to save more into their corporate retirement plans before taxes in 2025.

The IRS said Friday that it has increased the annual employee deferral limit from $23,000 in 2024 to $23,500 for company plans, including 401(k)s, 403(b)s, state 457 plans and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan. Catch-up contributions for participants age 50 and older remain at $7,500, meaning their total contribution for 2025 is capped at $31,000.

According to Vanguard’s How America Saves report, in 2023, only 14% of employees have maxed out their work schedules. In plans that provided for catch-up contributions, 15% of participants aged 50 and over paid in more, it said.

From 2025, a higher catch-up contribution limit will apply to employees aged 60 to 63 who participate in one of these tariff plans. This cap is $11,250 instead of $7,500.

“Once you reach age 64, you are no longer eligible for a super catch-up contribution and are limited to the regular catch-up contribution amount,” said Richard Pon, a certified public accountant in San Francisco, California.

But remember: “At the moment there is technically no law requiring employers to make a super catch-up contribution, so I believe an employer’s pension plan will need to be amended to specifically allow for a super catch-up contribution.”

What are the IRA limits in 2025?

The limit on annual contributions to an IRA remains $7,000. The IRA catch-up contribution limit for people age 50 also remained at $1,000 after a cost-of-living adjustment for 2025, the IRS said.

Have the income ranges for contributions to traditional and Roth IRAs changed?

Yes, income is sufficient to determine eligibility to make deductible contributions to a traditional IRA, contributions to Roth IRAs and claiming the Saver’s Credit, all increased for 2025, the IRS said.

Here are the exit areas for 2025:

  • For single taxpayers who have a company pension plan, the phase-out range increased from $77,000 to $87,000 to $79,000 to $89,000.
  • For married couples making the IRA contribution, if the IRA contributing spouse is covered by a company retirement plan, the phaseout range increases from $123,000 to $143,000 to $126,000 to $146,000.
  • For an IRA contributor who is not covered by a company pension plan and is married to a covered individual, the phase-out range is $236,000 to $246,000, up from $230,000 and $240,000.
  • For a married person who files a separate tax return and is covered by a company pension plan, the phase-out limit is not subject to annual cost-of-living adjustments and is between $0 and $10,000.
  • The income phase-out range for taxpayers contributing to a Roth IRA is $150,000 to $165,000 for single filers and heads of household, rising from $146,000 to $161,000. For married couples filing jointly, the income phase-out range increased from $230,000 to $240,000 to $236,000 to $246,000. The phase-out range for a married individual filing a separate tax return and contributing to a Roth IRA is not subject to annual cost-of-living adjustments and is between $0 and $10,000.
  • The income limit for the Saver’s Credit (also known as retirement savings) for low- and middle-income workers is $79,000 for married couples filing jointly, up from $76,500. $59,250 for heads of household, up from $57,375; and $39,500 for singles and married filing separately, up from $38,250.

Medora Lee is a money, markets and personal finance reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and sign up for our free Daily Money newsletter every Monday through Friday morning for personal finance tips and business news.

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