🏦 Retirement accounts at a glance (2026)

Every plan side by side: tax going in, tax coming out, and the 2026 limits.

Before tax: lowers your taxable income today. You pay tax when you take the money out.

After tax (Roth): no tax break today. The growth and the withdrawals are tax-free later.

Traditional or Roth? Pay the tax when your rate is lower: a higher tax bracket later usually favors Roth, a lower one favors traditional.

Account	Money in → Money out	2026 max
401(k) · 403(b) · 457(b)	Before taxTaxed	$24,500
Roth 401(k)	After taxTax-free	$24,500
Traditional IRA	Before taxTaxed	$7,500
Roth IRA	After taxTax-free	$7,500
SEP IRA	Before taxTaxed	$72,000
SIMPLE IRA	Before taxTaxed	$17,000
Not just for retirement
HSA	Before taxTax-free for medical	$4,400
529	After taxTax-free for education	No yearly cap

The details

401(k) · 403(b) · 457(b) · $24,500

Through your job. 403(b): schools and nonprofits. 457(b): government.

Age 50+: +$8,000 · Ages 60–63: +$11,250 instead

Roth 401(k) · $24,500

Through your job, if your plan offers a Roth option.

Shares the 401(k) limit · Age 50+: +$8,000 · Ages 60–63: +$11,250 instead

Traditional IRA · $7,500

Anyone with earned income.

Age 50+: +$1,100

Roth IRA · $7,500

Anyone with earned income, under the income limit.

Shares the IRA limit · Age 50+: +$1,100

SEP IRA · $72,000

Self-employed people and small-business owners.

Up to 25% of your pay

SIMPLE IRA · $17,000

Workers at small businesses (100 employees or fewer).

Age 50+: +$4,000 · Ages 60–63: +$5,250 instead

HSA · $4,400

Anyone on a high-deductible health plan.

Family coverage: $8,750 · Age 55+: +$1,000

529 · No yearly cap

Anyone saving for school: a child's, a grandchild's or your own. Each state runs its own plan.

Many states give a state tax break going in · Gift-tax free up to $19,000 a year per giver, or $95,000 at once by spreading it over 5 years

💡 Good to know

Roth IRA income limit: the full $7,500 if you earn under $153,000 single or $242,000 married. Nothing above $168,000 / $252,000.
Traditional IRA: if you also have a plan at work, the tax deduction shrinks between $81,000 and $91,000 single ($129,000–$149,000 married).
An employer match is extra money on top of your own 401(k) limit.
New in 2026: earned over $150,000 in wages last year? Your 401(k) catch-up must go in as Roth.
Taking money out before age 59½ usually costs a 10% penalty on top of the tax.
HSA: after 65 you can spend it on anything. Non-medical withdrawals are then taxed like a traditional IRA.
529: since 2026, up to $20,000 a year can pay K-12 school costs (tuition, books, tutoring), and trade certificates count too. Leftovers: up to $35,000 in total can move to the child's Roth IRA once the account is 15 years old. Other withdrawals pay tax plus 10% on the earnings.

Limits are per person for 2026, from the IRS. They change every year. IRS announcement · Educational, not financial or tax advice.

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