There is an added incentive for adding to your retirement nest egg, if your income falls within certain limits.
Under this incentive program, you are eligible for a non-refundable
tax credit of up to $1,000 for contributions you make to an
individual retirement account (IRA), or salary deferral contributions you make to a
401(k) plan,
SIMPLE IRA,
SARSEP,
403(b) arrangement or
457(b) plan.
This incentive program applies if your
modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) falls within the ranges listed below. The percentage of credit for which you are eligible is also indicated in the chart below. Certain other restrictions apply. For instance, you must be at least age 18 to claim the credit, and you cannot claim the credit if you were a full-time student for the
year and/or if you can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax
return.
| Credit Rate |
Married and files a joint return |
Files as head of household |
Other category of filers |
| 50% |
Up to $31,000 |
Up to $23,250 |
Up to $15,500 |
| 20% |
$31,001 – $34,000 |
$23,251 – $25,500 |
$15,501 – $17,000 |
| 10% |
$34,001 – $52,000 |
$25,501 – $39,000 |
$17,001 – $26,000 |
| 0% |
$52,000+ |
$39,000+ |
$26,001+ |
Distributions from your retirement plans in the two-year period preceding the year for which you claim the credit will affect the amount of credit for which you are eligible. This does not include distributions that were properly
rolled over, return of excess contributions, loans from your qualified plan or 403(b) account treated as distributions and distributions from a limitary retirement plan.
The credit is claimed by filing IRS
Form 8880.
To read more frequently asked tax questions, see
How do I avoid paying excess taxes on securities I have sold?,
How can I make sure I'm ready to file my taxes?,
Common Tax Questions Answered and
What are some commonly missed deductions for business owners?Question answered by
Denise Appleby, CISP, CRC, CRPS, CRSP, APA
