The 2027 Contribution Limits: Are You Leaving Tax Savings on the Table?
How to Save for Retirement With Irregular Income: A SEP IRA Guide for the Self-Employed
What is RetireBy and How Does it Calculate Your Retirement Number?
One Open Enrollment Move That Isn't on Your Benefits Form
Mid-Year Retirement Planning Checklist: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your 401(k)
"I Didn't Realize How Much It Was Weighing on Me": 5 People on What It Felt Like to Finally Get Their Retirement Savings in Order
The 401(k) You Forgot About is Costing You More Than You Think
The Retirement Gap Women Can’t Ignore
Millennials and Gen X Are Underestimating How Long Retirement Will Last
Tax Season Checklist
Year-End Retirement Checklist
Catch-Up Contributions for 401(k)s and IRAs Explained
401(k) Rollover Checklist
Year-End Retirement Tax Strategies
401(k) Explained: Everything You Need to Know Before Your Next Job
IRA and 401(k) Deadlines
What Caregivers Can Do to Close the Retirement Gap
401(k) vs IRA? Side-by-Side Comparison
What IRA is Best for a Self-Employed Person?
A Simple Guide on IRA Contribution Reporting
A Comprehensive Guide to Traditional and Roth IRAs
The 2027 Contribution Limits: Are You Leaving Tax Savings on the Table?
The IRS has announced the 2027 401(k) and IRA limits. Here’s what changed, which account fits your income, and how to put the new limits to work toward your retirement goals.
At a glance
The IRS announced the 2027 retirement contribution limits on November 12, 2026. The 2027 IRA limit is $7,500 or, $8,600 if you’re 50 or older.
From January 1 to April 15, 2027, you can contribute toward both your 2026 and 2027 IRA limits if you have not already maxed out your contribution for 2026.
SEP IRA owners have until their tax filing deadline, including extensions, to fund the prior year.
The 2027 401(k) limit rises to $25,500, with an $8,500 catch-up if you’re 50 or older.
Setting up monthly contributions can help spread your savings across the year instead of leaving a lump sum for the deadline.
The IRS kept the IRA contribution limit for 2027 at $7,500 or, $8,600 if you’re 50 or older. If you haven’t maxed out your 2026 IRA yet, you have until April 15, 2027 to do it. That means early 2027 is a rare window when you can fund two tax years at once.
When Is the Deadline for 2026 IRA Contributions?
You have until April 15, 2027 to make IRA contributions that count toward 2026. That’s your tax filing deadline, and a filing extension doesn’t extend it for Traditional or Roth IRAs.
Workplace 401(k) contributions work differently. They come out of your paycheck, so they have to be made by December 31 of the year in which you contribute in.
If you’re self-employed, you can generally make 2026 SEP IRA contributions up to your business’s tax filing deadline. If you get a filing extension, that deadline is extended too.
Contributing before the deadline helps give your money more time to grow. If your Traditional IRA contribution is deductible, you can subtract the amount you contributed from your income when you file your 2026 tax return. That means you pay tax on a smaller amount of income, which can lower your 2026 tax bill.
What Are the 2027 Contribution Limits?
The IRS announced its 2027 cost-of-living adjustments on November 12, 2026. Here’s how the new limits compare with 2026.
The IRA limit covers your Traditional and Roth IRAs together, not each one. You also can’t contribute more than your earned income for the year.
The Deadline That Matters
Every year, the IRS reviews retirement account contribution limits to adjust them for inflation. While workplace 401(k) contributions must be locked in for the year by December 31st, IRAs offer a much longer window.
You typically have until April 15th of the following year to make contributions that count toward your previous tax year.
This creates a unique, high-value window. If you haven't maxed out your previous year's contribution limits, adding to your account in this window can help give your money more time to compound and potentially lower your taxable income.
Be Retirement Confident.
Roll over all your old 401(k)s into a PensionBee Individual Retirement Account (IRA). It takes just a few minutes to sign up.
Each type of IRA is taxed differently, and some are built for specific situations. Here's a quick guide to which one might suit you.
Traditional IRA. Contributions may be tax-deductible now, depending on your income and whether you or your spouse has a retirement plan at work. You pay income tax when you withdraw in retirement.
Roth IRA. You contribute after-tax dollars, and qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free. Roth IRAs have income limits: if your modified adjusted gross income falls in the 2027 phase-out range ($158,000 to $173,000 for single filers and heads of household, or $250,000 to $260,000 for married couples filing jointly), the amount you can contribute directly shrinks or disappears.
SEP IRA. Built for freelancers, consultants and small business owners. You can contribute up to 25% of compensation, subject to an annual dollar cap, which makes it a powerful way for self-employed people to save more and help reduce their taxable income.
You don't have to pick just one. You can split contributions between a Traditional and a Roth IRA, as long as the combined total stays within the annual limit. And if you have self-employment income, a SEP IRA can sit alongside either.
Three IRA moves to consider before April 15
Check your true gap. Add up what you've contributed to your IRA for 2026 and compare it against the IRA limit. Then you'll know about how much room you have left. If you have the financial capacity, consider topping it up before the deadline.
Automate your 2027 IRA savings. Divide the new IRA limit by 12 and set up monthly contributions. When saving happens on autopilot, there's no year-end lump sum to worry about.
Audit your tax eligibility. If your household income changed significantly, check whether a deductible Traditional IRA contribution or a Roth IRA gives you the bigger advantage. Then plug your plan into our RetireBy calculator to see how maxing out your IRA contributions could affect your retirement goals.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
One of the biggest threats to your retirement savings often isn't the market. It's inertia.
Jason, a PensionBee customer from New York assumed the retirement accounts he'd left at old jobs were fine on their own. A decade passed before he checked. He found his money had been moved into a low-yield cash default and worn down by fees.
"Ignorance made me comfortable," Jason says. "I truly believed it was safe. And I was sadly wrong."
Bring It All Together in 30 Minutes
Have old 401(k)s or IRAs from past employers scattered? Consolidating them shouldn't be a bureaucratic headache. Erin, a PensionBee customer from Texas who’s a financial consulting professional, used a dedicated PensionBee BeeKeeper to seamlessly locate and roll over three separate accounts in under 30 minutes.
The new limits are here. Don't let April 15 pass without knowing where you stand.
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