Can I contribute to an IRA if I participate in a retirement plan at work?

You can contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA even if you participate in another retirement plan through your employer or business. However, you may not be able to deduct all of your traditional IRA contributions if you or your spouse participates in another retirement plan at work. Roth IRA contributions might be limited if your income exceeds a certain level.

Examples

  1. Danny, an unmarried college student earned $3,500 in 2020. Danny can contribute $3,500, the amount of his compensation, to his IRA for 2020. Danny's grandmother can make the contribution on his behalf.
  2. John, age 42, has a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA. He can contribute a total of $6,000 to either one or both for 2020.
  3. Sarah, age 50, is married with no taxable compensation for 2020. She and her spouse, age 48, reported taxable compensation of $60,000 on their 2020 joint return. Sarah may contribute $7,000 to her IRA for 2020 ($6,000 plus an additional $1,000 contribution for age 50 and over). Her spouse may also contribute $6,000 to an IRA for 2020.
  • contribute, ira, retirement, plan
  • 0 Users Found This Useful
Was this answer helpful?

Related Articles

How much can you contribute to your IRA?

For 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the total contributions you make each year to all of your...

Roth IRA contribution limit

In addition to the general contribution limit that applies to both Roth and traditional IRAs,...

IRA contributions after age 70½

For 2020 and later, there is no age limit on making regular contributions to traditional or Roth...

Spousal IRAs

If you file a joint return, you may be able to contribute to an IRA even if you didn’t have...

Tax on excess IRA contributions

An excess IRA contribution occurs if you: Contribute more than the contribution limit. Make a...