Money & Benefits · Tracker
401(k) and IRA contribution limits 2027, due this fall, and 2026
The 2026 limits for 401(k), 403(b), 457, IRA, SIMPLE and SEP plans from the IRS, with the 2027 limits added the day the IRS announces them.
Last verified · refreshed on-event
The tax code requires most retirement plan limits to be adjusted each year for the cost of living, and each fall the IRS publishes the next year’s figures in a notice and a news release. The 2026 limits came on November 13, 2025, in Notice 2025-67 and news release IR-2025-111. The 2027 limits are expected the same way this fall, and the 2027 column below fills in the day they appear. Until then it stays empty; this page does not publish forecasts as figures.
For 2026 an employee can put $24,500 into a 401(k), 403(b) or governmental 457(b) plan, plus a catch-up of $8,000 from age 50. SECURE 2.0 added a higher catch-up for people who turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 during the year, $11,250 in 2026, and from 2026, in a plan with a Roth option, anyone whose prior-year wages from that employer exceeded $150,000 must make catch-up contributions as Roth contributions. The IRA limit is $7,500, with a $1,100 catch-up from age 50. Tax brackets and the standard deduction, set in a separate IRS document, are on tax brackets 2027 and the 2026 figures.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Limit | 2027 | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) employee contributions | — | $24,500 | $23,500 |
| Catch-up at age 50 and over (401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b)) | — | $8,000 | $7,500 |
| Higher catch-up at ages 60 to 63 (most 401(k), 403(b) and governmental 457 plans) | — | $11,250 | — |
| Total into a 401(k) or other defined contribution plan, all sources | — | $72,000 | $70,000 |
| Compensation that counts toward contributions | — | $360,000 | $350,000 |
| IRA contributions | — | $7,500 | $7,000 |
| IRA catch-up at age 50 and over | — | $1,100 | $1,000 |
| Traditional IRA deduction starts phasing out, joint return | — | $129,000 | $126,000 |
| Traditional IRA deduction starts phasing out, single or head of household | — | $81,000 | $79,000 |
| SIMPLE IRA or SIMPLE 401(k) contributions | — | $17,000 | $16,500 |
| SIMPLE catch-up at age 50 and over | — | $4,000 | $3,500 |
| SIMPLE higher catch-up at ages 60 to 63 | — | $5,250 | — |
| SEP maximum contribution | — | $72,000 | $70,000 |
| Highly compensated employee threshold | — | $160,000 | $160,000 |
| Defined benefit plan annual benefit limit | — | $290,000 | $280,000 |
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FactFiled, “401(k) and IRA contribution limits 2027, due this fall, and 2026,” last verified September 12, 2026, https://factfiled.com/money/trackers/401k-and-ira-contribution-limits-2027
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What to do
- Check your plan’s own documents as well: a plan can set its own limit below the IRS maximum, and catch-ups are available only where the plan permits them. irs.gov
- The ages 60 to 63 catch-up applies in the calendar year you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63, whatever month your birthday falls in. irs.gov
- IRA catch-up contributions for a year are due by your tax return due date, not including extensions. irs.gov
Questions readers ask
- What is the 401(k) limit for 2027?
- The IRS has not announced it yet. It publishes the next year’s retirement limits each fall; the 2026 limits came on November 13, 2025. For 2026 the limit is $24,500, and this page adds the 2027 figure the day the IRS publishes it.
- What is the IRA contribution limit for 2026?
- $7,500, up from $7,000 in 2025, with an extra $1,100 catch-up for people age 50 and over.
- What is the catch-up contribution for ages 60 to 63?
- For 2026 it is $11,250 in most 401(k), 403(b) and governmental 457 plans, instead of the $8,000 catch-up from age 50. It applies in the calendar year you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63. SIMPLE plans have their own version, $5,250 for 2026.
- Do catch-up contributions have to be Roth?
- From 2026, for higher earners in plans that offer a Roth option: if your prior-year wages from that employer exceeded $150,000, catch-up contributions must be made on a Roth basis.
Mentioned:Internal Revenue Service
How we reported this
Built from the documents in the Source Card. Opened on September 12, 2026 with the 2026 and 2025 limits from the IRS; the 2027 column waits for the IRS notice expected this fall.
This page reports figures and dates from the agency documents it cites. It is not tax, benefits or financial advice; the agency’s own notice controls if the two ever differ, and a decision about your own situation belongs with the agency or a qualified professional.
Written by Mirza Seraj Baig · Checked against the documents in the source card (editorial standards).
Updates
- Opened with the 2026 and 2025 limits from the IRS; the 2027 column waits for the IRS notice expected this fall.