If you file your taxes as Married Filing Jointly or a Qualifying Widower in 2026 then your income (specifically, your MAGI) needs to be below $242,000 for you to be able to fully contribute to a Roth IRA.
Contributing to an IRA is a smart move. There are two major varieties for the typical taxpayer to take advantage of: Traditional or Roth. The Traditional IRA gives you a tax deduction on contributions, while the Roth IRA lets you take distributions from the account in retirement without paying taxes. They are both excellent tools to help you build a substantial portfolio enabling you to support yourself when you can no longer work. I highly recommend you use one or both to help you save for retirement today. But there are income limits that might affect your ability to use these accounts to the fullest. And these limits change each Fall (for instance, here’s the 2026 announcement from the IRS). Let’s look at each one closely.
IRA Contribution Limits for 2026
Before we dive into income limits, let’s clarify the contribution limits for 2026:
- $7,500 annually if you’re under age 50
- $8,600 annually if you’re age 50 or older (includes $1,100 catch-up contribution)
These limits apply to your combined contributions to both Traditional and Roth IRAs. That means if you contribute $5,000 to a Roth IRA, you can only contribute $2,500 to a Traditional IRA in the same year (assuming you’re under 50).
Traditional IRA Income Limits for 2026
The IRS has chosen to limit your ability to fully deduct your contributions to a Traditional IRA based on your income. First, they split filers into two groups: those who are participating in a company retirement plan (i.e. 401K) and those who are not.
Once taxpayers are split into those two major categories, the IRS further refines the groups by filing status. In all cases, Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is used to define income.
If You ARE Covered by a Workplace Retirement Plan
Single or Head of Household
If you file your taxes as Single or Head of Household in 2026, your income needs to be below $80,000 for you to be able to fully deduct your contributions to a Traditional IRA.
- Below $80,000: Full deduction
- $80,000 – $90,000: Partial deduction (phase-out range)
- Above $90,000: No deduction
Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widower
If you file your taxes as Married Filing Jointly or as a Qualifying Widower in 2026, your income needs to be below $130,000 for you to be able to fully deduct your contributions to a Traditional IRA.
- Below $130,000: Full deduction
- $130,000 – $150,000: Partial deduction (phase-out range)
- Above $150,000: No deduction
Married Filing Separately
If you file as Married Filing Separately and you are covered by a workplace plan:
- Below $10,000: Partial deduction (phase-out range)
- Above $10,000: No deduction
If You Are NOT Covered by a Workplace Plan (But Your Spouse Is)
If you file as Married Filing Jointly and your spouse is covered by a workplace retirement plan but you are not, the phase-out range is between $242,000 and $252,000, up from $236,000-$246,000 for 2025.
If Neither You Nor Your Spouse Are Covered by a Workplace Plan
If you file as anything else and your spouse (if you have one) is not covered under a workplace retirement plan, then you have no income limits to your ability to deduct the contributions to your Traditional IRA.
Roth IRA Income Limits for 2026
Now let’s take a look at the Roth IRA and associated income limits. Thankfully, they are not as complex. The IRS tax regulations limit your ability to contribute to a Roth IRA by using your MAGI. They have three different categories based on your filing status.
Single or Head of Household
If you file your taxes as Single or Head of Household in 2026, your income (specifically, your MAGI) needs to be below $153,000 for you to be able to fully contribute to a Roth IRA.
- Below $153,000: Full contribution ($7,500 or $8,600 if 50+)
- $153,000 – $168,000: Partial contribution (phase-out range)
- Above $168,000: No contribution allowed
Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widower
If you file your taxes as Married Filing Jointly or a Qualifying Widower in 2026, your income (specifically, your MAGI) needs to be below $242,000 for you to be able to fully contribute to a Roth IRA.
- Below $242,000: Full contribution ($7,500 or $8,600 if 50+)
- $242,000 – $252,000: Partial contribution (phase-out range)
- Above $252,000: No contribution allowed
Married Filing Separately
If you file as Married Filing Separately and you lived with your spouse at any time during the year:
- Below $10,000: Partial contribution (phase-out range)
- Above $10,000: No contribution allowed
How to Calculate Your MAGI (Modified Adjusted Gross Income)
Your MAGI is used to determine your eligibility for IRA contributions and deductions. Here’s how to calculate it:
- Start with your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) from your tax return
- Add back certain deductions:
- IRA deduction
- Student loan interest
- Tuition and fees deductions
- Domestic production activities deduction
- Foreign earned income exclusion
- Foreign housing deduction
- Excluded qualified savings bond interest
- Excluded employer-provided adoption benefits
Thanks to Jim from Financial Ducks in a Row for explaining how to determine your MAGI.
Tax Saving Tip
Note that 401(k) contributions (which is a deduction you take to get to AGI) don’t get added back in to determine your MAGI. Use this knowledge to your advantage. If you are close to reaching your phase-out limits, then add more contributions to your 401(k) to drop your MAGI so that you can continue investing in your IRA.
Annual Updates to Income Limits
Every year, the income limits are evaluated against inflation to determine if a change is needed. In the past ten years, there has only been one instance where the limit did not change for one of the two major categories. The IRS typically announces these changes in the fall for the following tax year.
What If You Exceed the Income Limits?
If your income exceeds the Roth IRA limits, you may want to consider:
- Backdoor Roth IRA: Contribute to a Traditional IRA (no income limits for contributions), then convert it to a Roth IRA
- Traditional IRA: Even if you can’t deduct contributions, you can still make non-deductible contributions
- Increase 401(k) contributions: Lower your MAGI to potentially qualify for Roth IRA contributions
Important Deadlines
You have until the tax filing deadline (typically April 15) to make IRA contributions for the previous tax year. For 2026 contributions, you have until April 15, 2027 to contribute.
Summary
IRA income limits can be complex, but understanding them helps you maximize your retirement savings. For 2026:
- Contribution limit: $7,500 (or $8,600 if 50+)
- Roth IRA full contribution: Under $153,000 (single) or $242,000 (married)
- Traditional IRA full deduction (if covered by workplace plan): Under $80,000 (single) or $130,000 (married)
- Use your 401(k) to lower MAGI and potentially qualify
Are you wondering what it means to “fully contribute” to your IRA? Your 2026 contribution limit is $7,500 annually. Those 50 and older can tack on an additional $1,100 for a total contribution of $8,600. For more on this, see the IRS page on IRA contribution limits.
