Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2026: Max, Catch-Up and Income Limits

The 2026 IRA limit is $7,500 across all your Roth and traditional IRAs combined, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older. Direct Roth contributions shrink as income rises and reach zero at $168,000 for single filers and $252,000 for married couples filing jointly. For many savers the income line, not the dollar cap, is what closes the Roth.

The dollar cap is the number everyone quotes, and it is the easy part. The income test uses modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), which is not the same as your salary, so check your own return before you pick an account. The figures below are the 2026 numbers the IRS published in its November 13, 2025 release and in Publication 590-A, and we read them as of October 10, 2026.

The 2026 contribution limit and the age 50 catch-up

The IRS raised the IRA limit to $7,500 for 2026, from $7,000 in 2025, in its November 13, 2025 release. Anyone 50 or older can add a catch-up of $1,100, up from $1,000, which brings the total to $8,600. The limit is one pool, not one per account. A Roth and a traditional IRA share it, so $4,000 in one and $3,500 in the other uses the full room, and a third IRA adds no room.

The number is a ceiling, not a target. Your contribution cannot be larger than your taxable compensation for the year, whichever is smaller. A 22-year-old with a $4,200 summer paycheck can put in $4,200, and the other $3,300 of room sits unused. The pay cap only binds for people who earn less than the limit, such as part-time or seasonal workers.

Can you contribute to a Roth IRA if you earn too much?

Yes, up to a point. The Roth income test is a phase-out, so the allowed amount shrinks as your modified AGI moves through the range, and it reaches zero at the top. The table gives the 2026 range for each filing status next to the 2025 range, so you can see what moved.

Inside a range you get a reduced limit, not a yes or no. This page does not estimate a figure for any income inside a range, because a rough number would mislead the savers who sit closest to the line. Publication 590-A or a tax professional can take you through the exact figure. Below the bottom of the range you can contribute the full limit.

Married filing separately gets a much narrower window. If you filed separately and lived with your spouse at any time in 2026, the range stays at $0 to $10,000 of modified AGI, a figure the IRS did not adjust for inflation. Above that line there is no direct Roth room for the year. A joint return uses the much wider joint range, so this line only matters for couples who file separately.

What changed from 2025 to 2026

The IRA limit rose by $500, the catch-up by $100, and the single and joint Roth ranges each moved up by $3,000 and $6,000 at both ends. The married filing separately range did not change. The shift matters most for savers near an old line: a single filer with $151,000 of MAGI was still inside the 2025 range, which reduced the Roth, but sits below the 2026 bottom of $153,000 and gets the full limit.

Use the 2026 ranges in the table, not the 2025 ones you may remember, because the cut-off points moved.

How much can someone 50 or older put in a Roth IRA?

At 50 or older in 2026, the combined limit across all your IRAs is the figure in the first table, and the catch-up adds to that same pool. A married couple filing jointly, both 50 or older, with MAGI under $242,000 and enough taxable pay of their own to reach the full limit, can put $17,200 into IRAs together. A couple under 50 in the same position reaches $15,000 by the same arithmetic.

The $17,200 figure assumes each spouse has taxable pay of their own at or above the full limit. Pay below that caps that spouse's contribution, the same rule as for a single filer. Check each spouse's pay separately before you plan a joint total.

Traditional IRA deduction limits when you have a workplace plan

Traditional IRA contributions follow a separate rule. Whether you can deduct them in full, in part or not at all depends on your income and on whether you are covered by a workplace plan such as a 401(k). The table gives the 2026 deduction phase-out ranges from the same IRS release.

The third row is the one people miss. If you have no workplace plan but your spouse does, the deduction does not start to fade until a much higher income, and that row is a deduction test only. It does not change how much you may contribute. The Roth and traditional ranges are different numbers, so a reader can be fully eligible for one and shut out of the other.

Worked examples for 2026

The examples below use the limits and ranges above. The inputs are modified AGI and taxable pay, and the results are arithmetic on the published figures, not forecasts of what any saver will contribute.

The 47-year-old case is where many readers get stuck. A $175,000 single earner is above the top of the range, so a direct Roth contribution is closed for 2026. The traditional IRA is a separate question, and for a covered single filer the deduction is gone above $91,000 of modified AGI, per the table above. Whether a traditional contribution still makes sense at that income is a separate decision, and this page does not cover it.

The joint case at 55 is simpler. At $230,000 of MAGI the couple sits below the $242,000 bottom of the joint range, so neither spouse is reduced. Each spouse still needs enough taxable pay to reach the full limit, because the contribution cannot exceed pay.

When the 2026 contribution deadline falls

You can make a contribution for 2026 at any time during 2026, or up to the due date of your 2026 tax return, not counting extensions. For most people that date is April 15, 2027. The same rule applied to 2025 contributions, which had to be made by April 15, 2026.

The deadline gives you until spring to decide, which helps if your income is still settling. The cap does not grow with the wait, though. The annual limit and catch-up, and the income ranges, apply to the 2026 year no matter when in the window you pay.

What we checked

On October 10, 2026, we read the IRS news release that set the 2026 figures (IR-2025-111, November 13, 2025), IRS Publication 590-A for the contribution deadline, the compensation cap and the filing-status rules, and the IRS Roth IRA page for the rule that one combined limit covers all your Roth and traditional IRAs. The worked examples do not cover state income tax, which can differ.

For a taxable account next to the IRA, the robo-advisor ranking compares robo-advisor fees. The Wealthfront vs Betterment comparison covers the two fee models in more detail. Cash you may need before you contribute belongs in the 2026 cash comparison, and money outside a workplace plan can start with the free investing apps ranking.

This page is general information, not personalized financial advice. Confirm the limits and your own eligibility on IRS.gov or with a tax professional, and check your IRA provider's terms before you contribute.

Cite this: FinanceRadar, "Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2026: Max, Catch-Up and Income Limits", October 2026.

FAQ

What is the Roth IRA contribution limit for 2026?

For savers under 50 it is $7,500, shared across every Roth and traditional IRA you own. The IRS raised it from $7,000 in 2025 in its November 13, 2025 release. A contribution can be smaller if your taxable pay is lower than the limit, or if your modified AGI sits inside the phase-out range.

How much can you put into a Roth IRA at 50?

$8,600 in 2026 across all your IRAs: the annual limit plus the $1,100 catch-up for people 50 and older. The catch-up is added to the normal limit, and the same combined pool applies to Roth and traditional accounts.

What is the 2026 income limit for a single filer?

A single or head of household filer phases out between $153,000 and $168,000 of modified AGI. Above the top of the range, you cannot make a direct Roth contribution for 2026. Inside the range the allowed amount is reduced, and IRS Publication 590-A or a tax professional can work out the exact figure.

Does the limit cover traditional IRAs too?

Yes. The annual limit, including the catch-up at 50 and older, applies to all your traditional and Roth IRAs combined. You can split it between the two types, but the total cannot go over the limit.

Is the 2026 contribution deadline April 15, 2027?

For most people, yes. A contribution for a tax year can be made until the due date of that year's return, not counting extensions. The same rule gave April 15, 2026 as the deadline for 2025 contributions.