Table of Contents
Are IRA contributions tax deductible?
The bottom line
Want to speak with someone?
Still unsure and want to speak with someone? Set up a time here.
Schedule a callAre IRA Contributions Tax Deductible?
Jul 8, 2022
·
3 min read
IRAs and brokerage accounts can play an important role in a retirement strategy. While there are some similarities between these types of savings vehicles, there are many important distinctions.
Individual retirement accounts
, or IRAs, can be an integral part of many retirement savings strategies. These tax-advantaged accounts offer future retirees a way to optimize their retirement strategy—but how do their tax advantages work and are contributions deductible when it’s time to file income taxes?
Are IRA contributions tax deductible?
It’s safe to say that all IRA accounts are tax-advantaged. Whether or not an individual’s contributions into that account are tax-deductible, however, depends on the type of IRA they have, if they have a workplace retirement plan, and how much they earn each year.
Regardless, they are bound to a maximum total IRA contribution limit of $6,000 per year for 2021 and 2022. If an account holder is over age 50, they can make an extra $1,000 in catch-up contributions, for a total of up to $7,000 toward their IRA(s).
It’s important to note that this is a combined limit—so even if an account holder has two (or more) different IRAs, their total contribution to all of them cannot equal more than $6,000 annually (or $7,000, if they qualify for the catch-up limit).
Traditional IRA
A traditional IRA is a retirement savings account that allows individuals to contribute with pretax dollars.
Funds contributed to traditional IRAs can be tax-deductible, meaning that contributions can indeed be deducted from an account holder’s overall taxable income for the year in which they’re made. When it comes to deducting those contributions from taxes, though, the amount an individual is allowed depends on whether they also have access to a workplace retirement account, and how much money they (and their spouse, if applicable) make in a given tax year.
In some cases, they’ll be able to deduct their total contribution amount, up to the annual limit of $6,000 (or $7,000, if they qualify). Account holders may also be able to deduct only a portion of their contributions or even none at all.
Roth IRA
A Roth IRA, on the other hand, works a bit differently.
Contributions are made with after-tax dollars, so there is no Roth IRA tax deduction offered come tax time. Instead, Roth IRA contributions are allowed to grow until retirement; when the time comes to withdraw the funds, both contributions and any growth can be withdrawn tax-free.
The bottom line
Contributions to a Roth IRA are tax-advantaged in that the contributions and even decades’ worth of growth can be withdrawn tax-free in retirement. However, contributions to a Roth IRA are not tax-deductible and won’t do anything to reduce one’s taxable income today.
A traditional IRA’s contributions, on the other hand, may be tax-deductible. This depends on certain factors such as an individual’s modified AGI and whether or not they (or even their spouse) are also covered by a retirement plan in the workplace. Contributions to a traditional IRA can either be fully deductible, partially deductible, or not deductible at all.
Retirement mistake finder
Take our retirement analyzer to find ways to better optimize your retirement investments.
Retirement Analyzer
At Titan, we are value investors: we aim to manage our portfolios with a steady focus on fundamentals and an eye on massive long-term growth potential. Investing with Titan is easy, transparent, and effective.
Get started today.
Disclosures
Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Titan has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. In addition, this content may include third-party advertisements; Titan has not reviewed such advertisements and does not endorse any advertising content contained therein.
This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any strategy managed by Titan. Any investments referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in strategies managed by Titan, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results.
Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see Titan’s Legal Page for additional important information.
You might also like
IRA Withdrawal for Education: What to Know
Using money from retirement is essentially borrowing from the future to pay for expenses now. An IRA withdrawal for education must abide by several rules.
Read More
Can an IRA Be Placed Into a Trust?
Passing an IRA on to beneficiaries after one’s death can be an involved process. Using a trust can be one way to control who and when will benefit from those funds.
Read More
What a Partial Rollover Is & How to Do One
Partial 401(k) rollovers can be an option for those who aren’t content with their 401(k) investment options or who need to bridge the retirement gap between ages 55 and 59.
Read More
What Is a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA?
A SEP IRA is a type of tax-advantaged retirement account that is available to self-employed people or small business owners and their employees.
Read More
Ready to become a client?
It's time to focus on the future of your wealth.