What is a 403(b) Retirement Plan?

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If you're an employee of a public school or a non-profit organization, should a 403(b) be part of your retirement strategy? Absolutely.

You may have come across a 403(b) as part of your benefits package, and if you think it looks like a 401(k), you’re half right. A 403(b) can help you save for retirement just like a 401(k), but the two have noticeable differences. We’ll help you uncover what a 403(b) is and the specifics around how it works. It's a great first step to working through your retirement plans and goals .

What is a 403(b)?

A 403(b) is a retirement savings plan designed for employees of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), public schools, and certain charitable or non-profit organizations. This usually includes the following institutions:

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Public universities
State colleges
Public schools
Churches
Hospitals
Not-for-profit charities or organizations

The plan gets its namesake from the IRS code that implemented it. These retirement savings accounts let employees contribute towards retirement through pre-tax deductions from their paychecks. For Roth 403(b) participants, those contributions are after-tax.

How does a 403(b) work?

If you’re a librarian, teacher, administrator or other eligible employee at a college, university, or public school system, you may have the opportunity to participate in a 403(b) plan. That also applies to employees at non-profit, tax-exempt charities such as churches designated as 501(c)(3) organizations.

When you decide to contribute to a 403(b), you typically choose between two options to make contributions:

A percentage of your salary or paycheck
A dollar amount

Unless you designate it as a Roth contribution, your payroll deduction is tax-deferred, meaning it’s not included in your annual taxable income. Instead, you pay taxes on it when you make withdrawals in retirement. Your employer may also match a percentage of your contributions, but they’re not required to.

Once you decide how much to contribute from each paycheck, that amount goes straight into your retirement account — along with any matching contributions from your employer.

Over time, you may benefit from compounding interest, as you invest the money in your 403(b) into securities like bonds and mutual funds. This helps grow your retirement fund and makes a great option for building your retirement savings if you’re in one of the qualifying jobs.

Although you’re encouraged to save as much as you can towards retirement, there are limits to how much you can contribute to your 403(b), and the limits change annually.

Contribution limits for 2026

Each year, the IRS updates how much individuals can set aside in their retirement accounts. When contributing to a 403(b) plan in 2026, you’re limited to $24,500 in tax-deferred savings (up $1,000 from $23,500 in 2025).

Employees 50 years old and above have a slight advantage since they can make extra “catch-up” contributions to their accounts. Catch-up contributions are limited to $8,000 in 2026 ($7,500 in 2025). Overall, that means a 50-year-old employee with a 403(b) could contribute up to $32,500 of tax-deferred funds to their account in 2026 ($31,000 in 2025).

Under a 403(b), you don’t just have to be 50 and older to make catch-up contributions. With at least 15 years of service, you can add $3,000 to the standard contribution limit per year in catch-up contributions (unchanged from 2025). With the 15-year rule, these types of catch-up contributions have a lifetime cap of $15,000 (unchanged from 2025).

In addition, beginning in 2025, individuals ages 60 to 63 are now eligible for increased super catch-up contributions in their retirement plans. This enhanced catch-up contribution limit for those aged 60-63 remains $11,250 in 2026 (the same as in 2025), for a total contribution limit of $35,750 in 2026, up from $34,750 in 2025.

These limits apply to elective deferrals (employee contributions), and your plan may allow combinations of the age-50+ catch-up and the 15-year service catch-up where eligible (with the 15-year applied first). Always check with your plan administrator for specifics, as not all plans adopt every optional provision, and total contributions (including employer matches) are subject to separate overall limits of $72,000 in 2026; $70,000 in 2025.

403(b) vs 401(k)

A 403(b) retirement plan is like a sibling of the 401(k), so they have plenty of similarities with some notable differences. 401(k)s were built for employees of private companies, while 403(b)s were created for employees of public organizations and charities. Both are tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts funded by pre-tax payroll deductions. However, you can also make after-tax contributions to both.

One of the best features of both types of plans is the ability of employers to match their employee’s contributions. Suppose you contribute $5,000 to your 403(b), and your salary is $50,000. If your employer has a 5% match policy, they will contribute an additional $2,500 to your account. That's essentially "free money" and a boost to your overall portfolio performance.

The IRS treats 403(b) and 401(k) accounts with many of the same rules for managing retirement savings plans. This is best exemplified by the rules governing contribution limits which hold the same for both types of accounts.

One of the biggest differences between a 403(b) and 401(k) is how employees are vested (when you get to keep 100% of your employer’s contributions). The rules differ between employers, but some 403(b)s make employees immediately vested, so even if you leave the company, you can still take the full value of your retirement account with you.

Comparatively, 401(k)s may require you to wait multiple years before being fully vested. Another major difference is the added catch-up contributions we mentioned earlier under the 15-year rule, which allows you to add extra to your retirement fund under the 403(b). A 401(k) doesn’t have that benefit.

Pros and cons of a 403(b)

A 403(b) is a retirement savings plan commonly offered to employees of public schools, non-profit or charitable organizations, hospitals and certain religious institutions.

Here are several key pros and cons, based on how these plans typically work.

403(b) pros

Tax advantages — Pre-tax contributions lower your taxable income now, and your investments grow tax-deferred, or tax-free in a Roth 403(b). Withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income (traditional) or potentially tax-free (Roth).
High contribution limits — In 2026, you can defer up to $24,500 from your salary, plus catch-up options for those 50+ or with long service, allowing more savings than an IRA.
Potential for employer contributions — Many plans include employer matching or non-elective contributions, boosting your savings.
Extra catch-up opportunities — Beyond the standard age-50+ catch-up ($8,000 in 2026), long-term employees (15+ years of service) can add up to $3,000 per year, with a lifetime max of $15,000. Ages 60–63 get a super catch-up of $11,250, for even higher savings.
Automatic payroll deductions — Easy, hands-off saving with the power of compounding over time.
Flexible access in some cases — Many plans allow loans or hardship withdrawals. Some public-sector plans may have easier early access rules compared to many private-sector plans.
Often faster vesting — Employer contributions may vest immediately or more quickly than in many 401(k)s.
Lower fees — Certain 403(b)s, especially non-ERISA ones, have simpler setup and potentially lower fees overall.

403(b) cons

Limited investment choices — Many 403(b) plans come with fewer investment options than 401(k)s, sometimes highlighting annuities, mutual funds or investment options chosen by the employer.
Potentially higher fees — Some plans, especially annuity-heavy ones, have higher administrative, insurance or surrender charges that can reduce long-term returns.
Restricted eligibility — These plans are only available to employees of qualifying non-profits, schools, churches, etc., not for most private for-profit companies.
Early withdrawal penalties — Like 401(k)s, distributions before age 59½ usually incur a 10% penalty plus taxes, although exceptions like hardship, loans or the Rule of 55 may apply in some cases.
Creditor protection may vary — Non-ERISA 403(b)s, which are common in public or non-profit sectors, often have less protection from creditors than ERISA-covered 401(k)s.
Plan quality depends on the employer — Some plans offer great low-cost funds and features; others may push higher-cost products or have poor service.
Required minimum distributions (RMDs) — Apply starting at age 73 (for most), and Roth 403(b)s are now subject to RMDs unless rolled over.

Last word

A 403(b) plan is one of the best retirement savings tools available to educators, certain nonprofit and healthcare professionals, and others in qualifying tax-exempt organizations. With decent 2026 contribution limits, plus catch-up options, and the unique 15-year service provision, you can build tax-advantaged savings through payroll deductions, often with employer matches.

While investment choices and fees can vary by plan, a 403(b) offers tax benefits and tax-deferred or tax-free (Roth) growth to help secure your financial future. Consider maximizing contributions — especially with the added hikes that may be available for long-service — to make the most of this valuable benefit.

Seychelle is a seasoned financial professional turned personal finance writer. She’s passionate about empowering people to make smart financial decisions by combining 10 years of finance industry experience with solid research and a wealth of knowledge. Seychelle is also a Nav-certified credit and lending expert who has explored money topics such as debt consolidation, budgeting, credit, and lending in her work for publications including GOBankingRates, LendEDU, and Credible.

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