A Guide to Nondeductible IRA Contributions

Michael Rubin is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with more than 25 years of experience in the retirement planning, investment strategy, and tax planning industries. He also holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

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You might not be able to deduct contributions to your traditional IRA from your taxable income if your income exceeds certain levels. The amount you can save may be limited as well, but you can still save for your retirement with contributions that you don't deduct.

You can defer taxes on the earnings and growth of your savings, just as you can with the rest of the money you've saved there. But your nondeductible contributions won't reduce your taxable income in the year you make them.

IRA Savings Build for the Future

The growth on your savings can be very good, even if you don't receive a tax break right away. That can make the contribution worthwhile in the long run if you expect to have a lower tax rate after you retire than you do now. You may want to pay taxes on earnings as you go, rather than defer taxation to a later time, if you expect your income and your tax rate to increase.

You'll pay taxes on the growth when you take your standard IRA distributions during retirement, but any savings that you didn't deduct are treated as your basis in the asset. You paid tax on that money at the time you saved it, so you won’t have to pay tax on it again later.

Note

The IRS keeps track of filers who have paid taxes on nondeductible savings by requiring that they file Form 8606 with their tax returns.

Suppose you made a $2,000 contribution one year ago that you didn't or couldn't deduct. Your account balance increases to $20,000 by the time you make a withdrawal, thanks to deductible contributions you made and investment growth.

Only $900 of that money would be taxable income to you in this case if you were to make a $1,000 withdrawal during retirement, because 10% ($2,000 divided by $20,000) was your basis. This is a return of the portion of your savings that you didn't deduct.

Contribution Limits for IRAs

Rules for IRA savings can be complex, and they adjust for inflation. It pays to review them each year.

You can put a combined total of $7,000 into traditional and Roth IRAs in 2021 or 2022 if you're age 50 or older. You can put a combined total of $6,000 into your traditional and Roth IRAs in 2021 or 2022 if you're age 49 or younger. These limits don't apply when you roll over funds from one account to another, or to qualified reservist repayments.

Note

The IRS will levy a 6% excise tax on the excess amount each year until you remove those savings if you save more than your yearly limit.

Income Restrictions for IRAs

You may not be able to deduct all that you save to a standard IRA, because you face certain income limits if you're employed by a company that offers a workplace retirement account, such as a 401(k) or 403(b). This is the case regardless of whether you choose to participate in the workplace plan. These adjusted gross income (AGI) limits increase a little each year to keep pace with inflation.

You can claim the full deduction if you're filing as single or head of household, and if your AGI is $66,000 or less as of 2021. That increases to $68,000 for tax year 2022.

You can also claim the full deduction if you're married filing jointly or a qualifying widower, and if your AGI is $105,000 or less in 2021, or $109,000 or less in 2022. You can take the full deduction if your AGI is $198,000 or less in 2021 if you're married filing jointly, and if your spouse is covered by a plan through work, but you're not. This threshold increases to $204,000 in 2022.

Note

You can claim only a partial deduction if you're married and filing a separate return, and if your AGI is less than $10,000.

Deductions are phased out from these thresholds as your income rises. You're subject to more stringent income rules if you're married and filing a separate return, although you're treated as a single payer by the IRS for these limits if you've lived apart from your spouse for the whole tax year.

Note

You can make deductible IRA contributions as long as you (or your spouse) have any earned income if neither of you can participate in a workplace plan. It doesn't matter how much you earn.

Roth IRA As an Alternative

You may still be able to save to a Roth IRA if you're covered by an employer-sponsored 401(k) and have income exceeding the limits for a regular IRA deduction. Roth IRAs have much higher income limits.

It often makes sense to make a Roth IRA contribution rather than a nondeductible IRA contribution in this case. You can't deduct either of them, but tax on the savings is deferred with a standard IRA—you'll pay taxes on that money later—while Roth IRA savings grow tax-free.

The Bottom Line

Choosing the best approach for your savings can be an ongoing process. It can depend on your age, your income, and your retirement goals. Consult a professional to help you decide the best way to achieve tax-advantaged savings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do you make a nondeductible IRA contribution?

Use IRS Form 8606 to report nondeductible IRA contributions for the year when you file your annual tax return.

What's the limit for nondeductible IRA contributions?

The maximum amount you can contribute to all of your IRA accounts combined is $6,000 per year ($7,000 if you're 50 years or older) or your total taxable income, whichever is less. The limit applies whether you're contributing to a Roth or traditional IRA and whether your contributions are deductible or not.

The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Internal Revenue Service. "Topic No. 451 Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)."
2. Internal Revenue Service. "Publication 590-B: Distributions From Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) (2020)," Pages 15-18.
3. Internal Revenue Service. "Retirement Topics—IRA Contribution Limits."
4. Internal Revenue Service. "Retirement Topics—IRA Contribution Limits."
5. Internal Revenue Service. "Are You Covered by an Employer's Retirement Plan?"
6. Internal Revenue Service. "2022 Limitations Adjusted as Provided in Section 415(d), Etc.," Page 3.
7. Internal Revenue Service. "2022 Limitations Adjusted as Provided in Section 415(d), Etc.," Page 4.
8. Internal Revenue Service. "2021 IRA Deduction Limits - Effect of Modified AGI on Deduction If You Are Covered by a Retirement Plan at Work."
9. Internal Revenue Service. "2022 IRA Contribution and Deduction Limits Effect of Modified AGI on Deductible Contributions If You ARE Covered by a Retirement Plan at Work."
10. Internal Revenue Service. "IRA Deduction Limits."
11. Internal Revenue Service. "Amount of Roth IRA Contributions That You Can Make for 2021."

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