The IRS announced last month in November cost-of-living adjustments to limits on contributions to retirement plans for 2019. There hasn’t been an increase in some plan types since 2013, which is why now is a great time to take advantage of maximizing retirement contributions. According to a 2017 FINRA study, 10% of American retirement savers are contributing the maximum allowed. Are you?
Here’s the breakdown of the 2019 IRS changes for retirement plans:
- 401(k)s, 403(b)s, most 457 plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan will rise to $19,000 next year, up from $18,500 in 2018.
- IRA contributions (Pre-Tax, Roth, or a combo) rose to $6,000 from $5,500, the limit that has been in place since 2013.
- Catch-up contribution limits if you’re 50 or older in 2019 remains unchanged at $6,000 for workplace plans and $1,000 for IRAs.
- SEP IRA or a solo 401(k) goes up from $55,000 in 2018 to $56,000 in 2019, based on the amount they can contribute as an employer, as a percentage of their salary. The compensation limit used in the savings calculation also goes up from $275,000 in 2018 to $280,000 in 2019.
- SIMPLE retirement accounts goes up from $12,500 in 2018 to $13,000 in 2019. The SIMPLE catch-up limit is still $3,000.
- Defined Benefit Plans goes up from $220,000 in 2018 to $225,000 in 2019.
- Deductible IRA Phase-Outs for taxpayers making contributions to a traditional IRA is phased out for singles and heads of household who are covered by a workplace retirement plan and have modified adjusted gross incomes (AGI) between $64,000 and $74,000. For married couples filing jointly, in which the spouse who makes the IRA contribution is covered by a workplace retirement plan, the income phase-out range is $103,000 to $123,000 for 2019.
- Roth IRA Phase-Outs for taxpayers making Roth IRA contributions is $193,000 to $203,000 for married couples filing jointly. For singles and heads of household, the income phase-out range is $122,000 to $137,000.
If you aren’t contributing the maximum into these types of retirement accounts, you can increase what you’re contributing overall. If you have questions about these increases or want meet regarding your overall saving and investing, now is the time to plan for 2019.
