Even though tax filing season is well under way, there’s still time to make a regular IRA contribution for 2020. You have until your tax return due date (not including extensions) to contribute up to $6,000 for 2020 ($7,000 if you were age 50 or older on or before December 31, 2020). For most taxpayers, the contribution deadline for 2020 is April 15, 2021.
You can contribute to a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA, or both, as long as your total contributions don’t exceed the annual limit (or, if less, 100% of your earned income). You may also be able to contribute to an IRA for your spouse for 2020, even if your spouse didn’t have any 2020 income.
Traditional IRA
You can contribute to a traditional IRA for 2020 if you had taxable compensation. However, if you or your spouse was covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan in 2020, then your ability to deduct your contributions may be limited or eliminated, depending on your filing status and modified adjusted gross income (MAGI). (See table below.) Even if you can’t make a deductible contribution to a traditional IRA, you can always make a nondeductible (after-tax) contribution, regardless of your income level. However, if you’re eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA, in most cases you’ll be better off making nondeductible contributions to a Roth, rather than making them to a traditional IRA.
| 2020 income phaseout ranges for determining deductibility of traditional IRA contributions: | ||
| 1. Covered by an employer-sponsored plan and filing as: | Your IRA deduction is reduced if your MAGI is: | Your IRA deduction is eliminated if your MAGI is: |
| Single/Head of household | $65,000 to $75,000 | $75,000 or more |
| Married filing jointly | $104,000 to $124,000 | $124,000 or more |
| Married filing separately | $0 to $10,000 | $10,000 or more |
| 2. Not covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan, but filing joint return with a spouse who is covered by a plan | $196,000 to $206,000 | $206,000 or more |
Roth IRA
You can contribute to a Roth IRA if your MAGI is within certain limits. For 2020, if you file your federal tax return as single or head of household, you can make a full Roth contribution if your income is less than $124,000. Your maximum contribution is phased out if your income is between $124,000 and $139,000, and you can’t contribute at all if your income is $139,000 or more. Similarly, if you’re married and file a joint federal tax return, you can make a full Roth contribution if your income is less than $196,000. Your contribution is phased out if your income is between $196,000 and $206,000, and you can’t contribute at all if your income is $206,000 or more. If you’re married filing separately, your contribution phases out with any income over $0, and you can’t contribute at all if your income is $10,000 or more.
| 2020 income phaseout ranges for determining eligibility to contribute to a Roth IRA: | ||
| Your ability to contribute to a Roth IRA is reduced if your MAGI is: | Your ability to contribute to a Roth IRA is eliminated if your MAGI is: | |
| Single/Head of household | $124,000 to $139,000 | $139,000 or more |
| Married filing jointly | $196,000 to $206,000 | $206,000 or more |
| Married filing separately | $0 to $10,000 | $10,000 or more |
Even if you can’t make an annual contribution to a Roth IRA because of the income limits, there’s an easy workaround. You can make a nondeductible contribution to a traditional IRA and then immediately convert that traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Keep in mind, however, that you’ll need to aggregate all traditional IRAs and SEP/SIMPLE IRAs you own — other than IRAs you’ve inherited — when you calculate the taxable portion of your conversion. (This is sometimes called a “back-door” Roth IRA.)
If you make a contribution — no matter how small — to a Roth IRA for 2020 by your tax return due date and it is your first Roth IRA contribution, your five-year holding period for taking qualified tax-free distributions from all your Roth IRAs (other than inherited accounts) will start on January 1, 2020.
Making a last-minute contribution to an IRA may help you reduce your 2020 tax bill. If you qualify, your traditional IRA contribution may be tax deductible. And if you had low to moderate income and meet eligibility requirements, you may also be able to claim the Saver’s Credit for 2020 based on your contributions to a traditional or Roth IRA. Claiming this nonrefundable tax credit may help reduce your tax bill and give you an incentive to save for retirement. For more information, visit irs.gov.
You have until your tax return due date (not including extensions) to contribute up to $6,000 for 2020 ($7,000 if you were age 50 or older on December 31, 2020) to all IRAs combined. For most taxpayers, the contribution deadline for 2020 is April 15, 2021.
Copyright 2006-2019 Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. The information provided is from a third-party source which we believe to be reliable, but we have not independently verified the content. This material is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal or tax advice and is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified attorney, tax advisor or plan provider.
