2013 Retirement Account Contribution Limits

How much can I contribute to my IRA and 401(k) next year? And will the income limit for Roth contributions rise?

The IRS just announced the new contribution limits for 2013, which increase slightly from 2012. The maximum you can contribute to a 401(k), 403(b), most 457s or the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan rises from $17,000 to $17,500 in 2013. The catch-up contribution limit for people age 50 or older remains at $5,500.

For more information about boosting your 401(k) contributions, see How to Increase 401(k) Contributions.

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You can also kick in more to your IRA in 2013. For both traditional IRAs and Roths, the maximum you can contribute rises from $5,000 to $5,500 (the catch-up contribution is still $1,000 for people age 50 or older, bringing their total to $6,500 in 2013). The income limit for contributing to a Roth also rises slightly -- from $183,000 to $188,000 for married couples filing jointly, and from $125,000 to $127,000 for singles and people filing as head of household. The amount you can contribute starts to phase out if your adjusted gross income is $178,000 or more for joint filers, and $112,000 for singles and heads of household.

There's no income limit for contributing to a traditional IRA, but there are income limits for deducting contributions. Those limits have also increased slightly. For details, see 2013 Pension Plan Limitations.

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The income cut-off for the saver’s credit (officially called the Retirement Savings Contribution Credit) will also rise a bit. This credit is designed to encourage lower-income workers to save for retirement in a retirement savings plan, such as an IRA or a 401(k). To qualify for the credit, your adjusted gross income must be below $59,000 if married filing jointly (up from $57,500 in 2012), $44,250 for heads of household (up from $43,125) or $29,500 for singles or married couples filing separately (up from $28,750). The lower your income, the bigger the credit, up to $1,000. For more information about the saver’s credit, see A Tax Credit for Retirement Savers.

For more information about saving for retirement, see our Jump-Start Your Retirement Plan special report.