2026 Contribution Limits

The biggest movers for 2026 are the 401(k) employee deferral limit ($24,500 → $24,500), the 401(k) catch-up at 50+ ($7,500 → $8,000), and the IRA limit ($7,500 → $7,500). The IRA catch-up — frozen at $1,000 since 2008 — finally moved up to $1,100 thanks to SECURE 2.0's inflation indexing. Combined with the steady $11,250 SECURE 2.0 super catch-up for ages 60–63, an older worker can contribute up to $35,750 in 401(k) elective deferrals in 2026.

The §415(c) total cap (employee + employer) sits at $72,000 in 2026 (per IRS Notice 2025-67), up from $70,000 in 2025. This is the ceiling for Mega Backdoor Roth strategies and the practical limit that high-earner employer matches eventually bump against. IRA limits crossed the $500-increment threshold for the first time since 2024, moving from $7,000 to $7,000 ($8,600 with the new $1,100 catch-up).

On the health side, HSA self-only rose from $4,400 to $4,400, and HSA family from $8,750 to $8,750 — modest but meaningful given the unique tax treatment (deductible going in, tax-free growth, tax-free withdrawal for qualified medical). Health FSA jumped from $3,300 to $3,400. The Social Security wage base is the single largest dollar increase — from $176,100 to $184,500, an extra ~$8,400 of earnings now subject to the 6.2% SS payroll tax.

If you're 50 or older during 2026, you qualify for catch-up contributions on top of the standard limits. The 401(k) catch-up adds $8,000 (total: $32,500); the IRA catch-up adds $1,100 (total: $8,600); the HSA catch-up at age 55+ adds $1,000 (total: $5,400 self / $9,750 family). Combined across vehicles, an age-55+ couple can shelter over $80,000 in a single year if both are eligible.

The SECURE 2.0 super catch-up (effective tax year 2025) is the underrated change. For workers ages 60, 61, 62, or 63, the 401(k) catch-up jumps from $8,000 to $11,250 — adding $3,250 of extra deferral capacity for four critical pre-retirement years. This is genuinely meaningful for high earners trying to compress retirement saving into late-career years. The catch resets to the standard $8,000 at age 64.

Note that catch-up contributions don't count against the §415(c) total cap of $72,000 — they sit above it. So an age-50 worker can theoretically contribute $80,000 ($24,500 employee + $8,000 catch-up + employer match up to the §415(c) cap). At ages 60–63 the same calculation lands at $83,250.

Several limits have income-based phase-outs that high earners need to track. The Roth IRA phase-out for single filers in 2026 runs from $150,000 to $165,000 of MAGI; for MFJ it's $236,000 to $246,000. Above the upper end, direct Roth IRA contributions aren't allowed — but the backdoor Roth IRA strategy (contribute non-deductible to Traditional IRA, then convert) remains available and is the standard workaround for high earners.

The Traditional IRA deduction phases out separately if you (or your spouse) is covered by a workplace plan: single covered runs $79K–$89K; MFJ both covered runs $126K–$146K; MFJ where only your spouse is covered runs $236K–$246K. Above the phase-out you can still contribute to a Traditional IRA, but the deduction is gone — at which point Roth (if eligible) or a backdoor Roth becomes more attractive than a non-deductible Traditional contribution.

The Saver's Credit (a refundable credit of up to $1,000/$2,000 for low/middle-income retirement savers) phases out at $39,750 single / $79,500 MFJ MAGI. Above those thresholds the credit is zero. The Saver's Credit is one of the more under-claimed credits — eligible workers often forget it exists.

401(k) limits are applied on a calendar-year basis regardless of your employer's plan year. So if you change jobs mid-year and both plans have non-calendar plan years, the $24,500 cap still applies across both employers combined for the calendar year 2026. IRA limits work the same way — calendar year, all accounts combined.

HSA limits are also calendar-year, but with an added twist: if you become HSA-eligible mid-year and remain eligible through the end of the following year, the "last-month rule" lets you contribute the full annual limit even though you weren't covered for all 12 months. If you don't stay eligible, the IRS recaptures the excess.

FSA limits are typically tied to the plan's plan year (often calendar but sometimes July-to-June or other variants). When you start a new job mid-year, you can elect a new FSA contribution at the new employer up to the full annual limit, even if you contributed at the prior employer — FSAs are not aggregated across employers like 401(k) and IRA limits are.