Maximum Retirement Account Contribution Limits for 2017

In 2017, you have another chance to max out your retirement accounts. Here is a rundown of yearly contribution limits for the popular retirement savings vehicles.

IRAs. The 2017 limits are the same as in 2016: $5,500 for IRA owners who will be 49 and younger this year, $6,500 for IRA owners who will be 50 or older this year. These limits apply to both Roth and traditional IRAs.

What if you own multiple IRAs? This $5,500/$6,500 limit applies to your total IRA contributions for a calendar year. So, for example, should you happen to have five IRAs, you could make an equal contribution of $1,100 (or $1,300) to each of them in 2017, or unequal contributions to them not exceeding the applicable $5,500/$6,500 limit.

Keep in mind that you can fund your 2016 IRA(s) until April 18, 2017 (the 2017 federal income tax deadline). It is best to fund your IRA for a particular year right as that year starts, but if you procrastinated for any reason in 2016, you still have time.

High earners may find their ability to make a full Roth IRA contribution restricted. This applies to a single filer or head of household whose modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) falls within the $118,000-133,000 range, and to married couples with a MAGI of $186,000-196,000. If your MAGI exceeds the high ends of those phase-out ranges, you may not make a 2017 Roth IRA contribution. (For tax year 2016, the respective phase-out ranges are $117,000-132,000 and $184,000-194,000.)

401(k)s, 403(b)s, & 457s. Each of these workplace retirement plans have 2017 contribution limits of $18,000, $24,000 if you will be 50 or older this year. If you are a participant in a 457 plan and within three years of what your employer deems “normal” retirement age, you can contribute up to $36,000 annually to your plan during the last three years preceding that “normal” retirement date.⁴

SIMPLE IRAs & SEP-IRAs. In 2017, the contribution limit for a SIMPLE IRA is $12,500; those who will be 50 or older this year may contribute up to $15,500. Federal law requires business owners to match these annual contributions to at least some degree; self-employed individuals can make both employee and employer contributions to a SIMPLE IRA.

Business owners and the self-employed can contribute to SEP-IRAs, which, like Roth IRAs, only accept contributions of pre-tax dollars. Therefore, SEP-IRA contributions will not reduce your taxable income. As a tradeoff, the annual contribution limit on a SEP-IRA is very high – in 2017, it is either $54,000 or 25% of your income, whichever is lower.