---
title: "401(k) Contribution Limits 2026: Max and Catch-Up | TaxWren"
description: "The 2026 401(k) limit is $24,500 (up $1,000). At 50+ you can add $8,000, at 60 to 63 $11,250. What maxing out costs per paycheck."
url: https://taxwren.com/blog/401k-contribution-limits
---

[Paychecks](/blog/paychecks) · Guide

# 401(k) contribution limits for 2026: $24,500, plus catch-up at 50 and at 60 to 63

The 2026 401(k) limit is $24,500 (up $1,000). At 50+ you can add $8,000, at 60 to 63 $11,250. What maxing out costs per paycheck.

By [the TaxWren team](/about#who-writes) · Updated October 16, 2026 · 3 min read

## Key takeaways

-   You can put up to $24,500 of your own pay into a 401(k) in 2026, $1,000 more than in 2025. The limit covers traditional and Roth contributions together.
-   From age 50 the limit is $32,500 with the catch-up; in the years you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 it is $35,750.
-   Employer contributions don't count toward your limit. Traditional contributions skip income tax now but still pay Social Security and Medicare.

In 2026 you can contribute up to $24,500 of your pay to a [401(k)](/glossary#401k), up from $23,500 in 2025. Savers who are 50 or older can add another $8,000 as a [catch-up contribution](/glossary#catch-up-contribution), for $32,500, and in the years you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 the catch-up is $11,250, for $35,750. Employer contributions don't count toward these amounts.

## 2026 401(k) limits at a glance

| Limit | 2026 | 2025 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Employee contributions (under 50) | $24,500 | $23,500 |
| Catch-up, age 50 or older | $8,000 | $7,500 |
| Catch-up, the years you turn 60 to 63 | $11,250 | $11,250 |
| Total at 50 or older | $32,500 | $31,000 |
| Total at 60 to 63 | $35,750 | $34,750 |

Source: IRS cost-of-living adjustments for retirement plans. The same limit applies to 403(b) plans, the federal Thrift Savings Plan and governmental 457(b) plans.

## Who the limit applies to

-   **It is per person, not per plan.** All your elective deferrals in the year are added together, so two jobs with two 401(k) plans share one limit.
-   **Traditional and Roth share it.** A [Roth 401(k)](/glossary#roth-401k) contribution is an elective deferral made after tax, so a mix of both still can't pass $24,500.
-   **The employer's part is separate.** An [employer match](/glossary#employer-match) or profit-sharing contribution counts toward a different, higher limit on total contributions to your account, not toward yours.
-   **Age is what you reach by December 31.** The 60-to-63 catch-up applies in the years you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63; from the year you turn 64 the regular $8,000 catch-up applies again.

SIMPLE IRA plans have their own, lower limits: $17,000 in 2026, plus $4,000 at 50 or older and $5,250 at 60 to 63. IRAs are separate too: you can put up to $7,500 into an IRA ($8,600 at 50 or older) on top of a 401(k).

## What maxing out costs your paycheck

Traditional contributions come out of your pay before income tax, so they shrink take-home pay by less than you put in. Social Security and Medicare are still taken on them. Contributing the full $24,500, single filer in Texas, paid every two weeks, 2026:

| Salary | Share of pay | Income tax saved | Less per paycheck, traditional | Less per paycheck, Roth |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $80,000 | 30.6% | $4,290 | $777 | $942 |
| $120,000 | 20.4% | $5,390 | $735 | $942 |
| $200,000 | 12.3% | $5,880 | $716 | $942 |

Federal income tax only (Texas has none); from the TaxWren take-home pay engine.

Example

On a $120,000 salary, maxing out a traditional 401(k) saves $5,390 of federal income tax, so each biweekly paycheck is only $735 smaller. The same amount as a Roth contribution costs $942 per paycheck, because the tax is paid now and qualified withdrawals later are tax-free.

If your state has an income tax and also leaves traditional contributions out of taxable wages, the saving is larger. Try your own salary, state and match in the [401(k) calculator](/401k-calculator), or see the effect on your whole paycheck in the [take-home pay calculator](/take-home-pay-calculator).

## Traditional or Roth?

The limit is the same either way, so the choice is about when you pay tax. Traditional contributions lower your [taxable income](/glossary/taxable-income) now and are taxed when you withdraw them. Roth contributions are taxed now; withdrawals of contributions and earnings are tax-free if the account is at least five years old and you are 59½ or older, disabled or deceased. A raise that lifts you into a higher [tax bracket](/federal-tax-brackets) makes the traditional deduction worth more; the [pay raise calculator](/pay-raise-calculator) shows how much of a raise reaches your paycheck.

## Sources

1.  IRS: [IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 retirement plan and IRA limits)](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-67.pdf) (official)
2.  IRS: [401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits](https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-401k-and-profit-sharing-plan-contribution-limits) (official)
3.  IRS: [Topic no. 424, 401(k) plans](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc424) (official)

Figures come from the data files behind our calculators and update with them. See our [methodology](/methodology) and [editorial policy](/editorial-policy). This article is general information, not tax advice.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the max 401(k) contribution for 2026?

$24,500 of your own contributions if you are under 50, $32,500 at 50 or older and $35,750 in the years you turn 60 to 63. Employer contributions come on top, under a separate overall limit.

### Does the limit include my employer match?

No. The elective deferral limit counts only what you contribute from your pay. Employer matching and profit-sharing contributions fall under a separate, higher limit on total contributions to your account.

### Is the 401(k) limit per plan or per person?

Per person. If you work two jobs with two 401(k) plans, or a 401(k) and a 403(b), all your elective deferrals are added together and the total can't exceed $24,500 (plus any catch-up).

### Do Roth 401(k) contributions have a separate limit?

No. Roth contributions are elective deferrals made after tax, so traditional and Roth together share the $24,500 limit. You can split them any way your plan allows.

### What percent of my salary should I contribute to max out?

Divide the limit by your salary. On $80,000 that is 30.6%; on $120,000, 20.4%; on $200,000, 12.3%. If you hit the limit early in the year, check whether your plan still pays the full employer match.

## Run your own numbers

-   [401(k) calculator](/401k-calculator)
    
    401(k) contribution within the IRS limit, what it costs per paycheck after tax (traditional or Roth), the income tax saved, the employer match and a projected balance at retirement.
    
-   [Take-home pay calculator](/take-home-pay-calculator)
    
    Gross to net salary after federal, FICA, state and local taxes.
    
-   [Pay raise calculator](/pay-raise-calculator)
    
    How much of a raise reaches your paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state tax: new salary, raise percentage, extra take-home pay per year and per paycheck.
    

## Latest paychecks news

-   October 16, 2026[Social Security benefits rise 3.6% in 2027, and the tax cap goes to $192,300](/news/social-security-cola-and-wage-base-increase)

## More on paychecks

-   [FICA tax in 2026: Social Security and Medicare rates, and who pays what](/blog/fica-tax)
-   [Bonus tax rate 2026: why 22% is withheld and what you really pay](/blog/bonus-tax-rate)
-   [How much tax is taken out of a paycheck in 2026?](/blog/how-much-tax-is-taken-out-of-paycheck)