Limits & Rules

The dollar limits and IRS rules that decide how much you are allowed to put into each retirement account each year, updated for 2026.

8 articles in this topic.

Last updated: 2026-08-17.

• Compensation Limits That Cap Employer Contributions

  Above $360,000 of salary your employer's plan must ignore every additional dollar. How the IRC §401(a)(17) limit works, and how it eats your match.

• FICA Wage Base and How It Drives Plan Limits

  The Social Security wage base is $184,500 for 2026. It is the OASDI cap and the quiet anchor under nearly every other retirement-plan limit.

• The Mandatory Roth Catch-Up Starting 2026

  From January 1, 2026, prior-year FICA wages above $150,000 force your age-50 catch-up into Roth. The mechanics, the two-year delay, and what to do this year.

• RMD Rules After SECURE 2.0

  2026 RMD rules: starting age 73 or 75, the Uniform Lifetime Table, the still-working exception, the reduced excise tax, and inherited-IRA RMDs.

• HSA Contribution Limits and the 55+ Catch-Up

  Every 2026 HSA limit: self-only, family, and the $1,000 catch-up at 55, plus the eligibility rules and the Medicare trap that ends contributions.

• 415(c) Annual Additions Limit 2026: $72,000 Cap Explained

  IRC §415(c) caps everything flowing into a defined-contribution plan at $72,000 in 2026. What counts, what does not, and how it sets mega backdoor room.

• SECURE 2.0 Super Catch-Up (Ages 60–63): An Extra $3,250 You Probably Missed

  From 2026, savers aged 60 through 63 can make an $11,250 catch-up contribution to a 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) instead of the standard $8,000.

• 2026 IRS Retirement Contribution Limits: The Complete Guide

  Every 2026 IRS retirement contribution limit in one place: 401(k), IRA, HSA, SEP, SIMPLE, 457(b), and the SECURE 2.0 super catch-up for ages 60 to 63.

• Calculator & Tool

  Average Retirement Savings by Age

  How your balance compares to households in your age band.