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If you want to save more for retirement, you won’t be afforded any additional savings in your individual retirement account (IRA). The IRS recently announced the 2025 IRA contribution limits, and they’re identical to the limits for 2024.
In 2025, you can contribute up to $7,000 to a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA, or a combination of the two. If you’re 50 or older, you can make an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution or a total of $8,000.
Read on to learn about the 2025 IRA contribution limits and other rules you should know.
Read more: Retirement planning: A step-by-step guide
The IRS adjusts the IRA contribution and income limits every year for inflation. When adjustments occur, they’re usually made in $500 increments. For the first time in three years, traditional and Roth IRA contribution limits won’t rise in 2025.
The IRA annual contribution limits apply to both Roth IRA and traditional IRAs. If you choose to save in both a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA, the most you can save between the two accounts in 2024 is $7,000 total (or $8,000 if you’re 50 or older). The limits remain at $7,000 (or $8,000 if you’re 50 or older) in 2025.
Learn more: How much can you contribute to your 401(k) in 2025?
Note that if your taxable wages are lower than these limits, you can only contribute the amount you earned. Suppose your earned income (money you earn from a job or self-employment) is $5,000 in 2025. Your maximum IRA contribution in 2025 would be $5,000, not $7,000.
One exception: If you don’t earn taxable compensation but you’re married and file a joint return with someone who earns money from working, you can contribute to a spousal IRA.
You can fund your IRA on whatever schedule you choose. If you contribute each month to make the maximum contribution, here’s what the monthly amounts look like and how they’ll change next year.
A Roth IRA is an individual retirement arrangement that you fund with after-tax money. As long as you wait until age 59 ½ and you’ve held the account for at least five years, all Roth IRA distributions are tax-free. You can also withdraw your earnings (but not the contributions) at any time tax- and penalty-free. However, you will owe income taxes and a 10% penalty on most early withdrawals of earnings from a Roth IRA.
You can only contribute to a Roth IRA if your income falls below certain thresholds set by the IRS each year. Eligibility is based on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI). For most people, that’s your adjusted gross income you calculate for your income tax return before you subtract any deduction for student loan interest.
Learn more: HSA contribution limits for 2024 and 2025: Here’s how much you can save
A traditional IRA is a retirement account that allows you to deduct your contribution, depending on your income and whether you or your spouse is covered by a workplace plan. Those with higher incomes can take only partial deductions. Distributions are taxed at ordinary income rates. A 10% early withdrawal penalty typically applies to any distributions you take before age 59 ½.
There are no income limits that apply to traditional IRA contributions. However, income limits apply to traditional IRA deductions if you or your spouse are covered by a workplace retirement plan.
For both traditional and Roth IRAs, you have until Tax Day to fund your account for the tax year.
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Deadline to fund your IRA for 2024: April 15, 2025
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Deadline to fund your IRA for 2025: April 15, 2026
Note that filing for a tax extension doesn’t buy you extra time to fund your IRA for the year.
Some retirement accounts are subject to required minimum distributions (RMDs), which are mandatory distributions once the account holder reaches a specified age. There are no RMDs for Roth IRAs, but RMDs are required for traditional IRAs.
The Secure Act 2.0, which was passed in late 2022, raised the RMD age from 72 to 73. Here’s when you’ll need to take RMDs under the new law:
If you turn 73 in 2024:
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You don’t need to take an RMD in 2024
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Your first RMD is due by April 1, 2025
If you turn 73 in 2025:
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You don’t need to take an RMD in 2025
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Your first RMD is due by April 1, 2026
Essentially, you’re allowed to delay your first RMD until April 1 the year after you turn 73. All subsequent RMDs are due by Dec. 31 each year. If you opt to delay your first RMD until the year after you turn 73, you’ll need to take two RMDs in that year – which could push your income into a higher tax bracket.
Because the rules surrounding RMDs are complex, always consult with a tax adviser.
Learn more: The 2025 tax brackets are here. How much will you owe?
The Roth IRA contribution limit is $7,000 in 2025, or $8,000 if you’re at least 50. These limits are the same as the 2024 IRA limits.
No. If you’re rolling over a 401(k) or another retirement account into an IRA, the rolled over amount won’t count toward the limits. You can roll over your account and then fund your IRA up to the limits for the tax year.
Some retirement savers who earn more than the Roth IRA limits use a strategy called a backdoor Roth IRA. In short, you fund a non-deductible traditional IRA with after-tax contributions, then transfer the funds to a Roth IRA and pay any applicable taxes. The advantage of this strategy is that you get the long-term, tax-free growth a Roth IRA offers. Be aware, though, that the IRS has never provided formal guidance on whether this strategy is permitted, so there’s some risk involved.