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Broadly speaking, individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, offer some sort of tax benefit — either during the year that contributions are made or when distributions take place after retiring. But not all retirement accounts are taxed the same.

With a traditional IRA, it’s possible for certain individuals to both invest for their future and reduce their present tax liability. For tax year 2023, the maximum IRA deduction is $6,500 for individuals younger than 50, and $7,500 for those 50 and older. For tax year 2024, the maximum IRA deduction is $7,000 for people younger than 50, and $8,000 for those 50 and older.

To maximize deductions in a given year, the first step is understanding how IRA tax deductions work. A good place to start is learning the differences between common retirement accounts — and their taxation. And since each financial situation is different, an individual may also want to speak with a tax professional about their specific situation.

Read on to learn more about IRA tax deductions, including how both traditional and Roth IRA accounts are taxed in the U.S.

What Is a Tax Deduction?

First, here’s a quick refresher on tax deductions for income taxes — the tax owed/paid on a person’s paycheck, bonuses, tips, and any other wages earned through work. “Taxable income” also includes interest earned on bank accounts and some types of investments.

Tax deductions are subtracted from a person’s total taxable income. After deductions, taxes are paid on the amount of taxable income that remains. Eligible deductions can allow qualifying individuals to reduce their overall tax liability to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

For example, Person X earns $70,000 per year. They qualify for a total of $10,000 in income tax deductions. When calculating their income tax liability, the allowable deductions would be subtracted from their income — leaving $60,000 in taxable income. Person X then would need to pay income taxes on the remaining $60,000 — not the $70,000 in income that they originally earned.

For the 2023 tax year, 22% is the highest federal income tax rate for a person earning $70,000. By deducting $10,000 from their taxable income, they are able to lower their federal total tax bill by $2,200, which is 22% of the $10,000 deduction. (There may be additional state income tax deductions.)

A tax deduction is not the same as a tax credit. Tax credits provide a dollar-for-dollar reduction on a person’s actual tax bill — not their taxable income. For example, a $3,000 tax credit would eliminate $3,000 in taxes owed.

💡 Quick Tip: The advantage of opening a Roth IRA and a tax-deferred account like a 401(k) or traditional IRA is that by the time you retire, you’ll have tax-free income from your Roth, and taxable income from the tax-deferred account. This can help with tax planning.

Putting the IRA Tax Deduction to Use

Traditional IRA tax deductions are quite simple. If a qualifying individual under age 50 contributes the maximum allowed to a traditional IRA in a year — $6,500 for the 2023 tax year and $7,000 for the 2023 tax year — they can deduct the full amount of their contribution from their taxable income.

That said, you are not eligible to claim your IRA deduction if you are:

•   Single and covered by a workplace retirement account and your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is more than $83,000 for tax year 2023 ($87,000 or more for tax year 2024)

•   Married filing jointly and covered by a work 401(k) plan and your MAGI is more than $136,000 for tax year 2023 ( more than $143,000 for tax year 2024)

•   Married, only your spouse is covered by a work 401(k) plan, and your MAGI is more than $228,000 for tax year 2023 ($240,000 or more for tax year 2024).

It’s worth noting that you may claim a partial deduction, depending on your income if you are:

•   Single and covered by a workplace retirement account and your adjusted gross income is more than $73,000 and less than $83,000 for tax year 2023 (more than $77,000 and less than $87,000 for tax year 2024)

•   Married filing jointly and covered by a work 401(k) plan and your MAGI is more than $116,000 and less than $136,000 for tax year 2023 (more than $123,000 and less than $143,000 for tax year 2024)

•   Married, only your spouse is covered by a work 401(k) plan, and your MAGI is more than $218,000 and less than $228,000 for tax year 2023 (more than $230,000 and less than $240,000 for tax year 2024).

401(k), 403(b), and other non-Roth workplace retirement plans work in a similar way (contributions to Roth IRAs are not tax deductible). For the 2023 tax year, the contribution maximum for a 401(k) is $22,500 with an additional $7,500 catchup contribution for employees 50 and older. For tax year 2024, the contribution maximum is $23,000 with an additional $7,500 catchup contribution for employees 50 and older. A person under 50 who contributes the full amount in 2023 could then deduct $22,500 from their taxable income ($23,000 in 2024), potentially lowering their tax bracket.

One common source of confusion: The tax deduction for an IRA will reduce the amount a person owes in federal and state income taxes, but will not circumvent payroll taxes, which fund Social Security and Medicare. Also known as Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes, these are assessed on a person’s gross income. Both the employer and the employee pay FICA taxes at a rate of 7.65% each.

Understanding Tax-Deferred Accounts

Traditional IRA, 401(k), and other non-Roth retirement accounts are deemed “tax-deferred.” Money that enters into one of these accounts is deducted from an eligible person’s total income tax bill. In this way, qualifying individuals do not pay income taxes on that invested income until later.

Because these taxes are simply deferred until a later time, the money in the account is usually taxed when it’s withdrawn.

Here’s an example of this: Having reached retirement age, a person chooses to withdraw $30,000 per year from a traditional IRA plan. As far as the IRS is concerned, this withdrawal is taxable income. The traditional IRA money will be taxed as the income.

So, what’s the point of deferring taxes? Generally speaking, people may be in a higher marginal tax bracket as a working person than they are as a retired person. Therefore, the idea is to defer taxes until a time when an individual may pay proportionally less in taxes.

Tax Brackets and IRA Deductions

Income tax brackets can work in a stair-step fashion. Each bracket reveals what a person owes at that level of income. Still, when a person is “in” a certain tax bracket, they do not pay that tax rate on their entire income.

For instance, in 2023, single filers pay a 12% federal income tax rate for the income earned between $11,001 and $44,725. Then, the tax rate “steps up,” and they pay a 22% tax on the income earned that falls in the range of $44,726 and $95,375. Even if a person is a high-earner and “in” the 37% tax bracket, they still pay the lower rates on their lower levels of income.

Why is this worth noting? Because tax deductions reduce a person’s taxable income at their highest marginal rate (their highest “stair-step”). Using 2023 tax rates, a person with $70,000 in taxable income would be taxed like this:

•   10% up to $11,000 ($59,000 remaining)

•   12% up to $44,725 ($14,275 remaining)

•   22% on the remaining $14,275

However, if that same person contributes the maximum to their tax-deferred retirement account, they would be taxed 22% on the top amount minus what’s deductible. In other words, they wouldn’t be taxed 22% on the full $14,275.

401(k) Withdrawals and Taxation

Now, let’s compare that with the taxation on a $30,000 withdrawal from a 401(k). Assuming 2023 income tax rates, a $12,000 withdrawal would be taxed at a 10% rate up to $11,000 and then a 12% rate for the remaining $19,000.

Taxes are assessed at a person’s “effective,” or average, tax rate. This is another reason that some folks prefer to defer their taxes until later, when they can pay a hypothetically lower effective tax rate on their withdrawals, rather than taxes at their highest marginal rate.

But, here’s why it’s not so simple: All of the above assumes that income tax rates remain the same over time. And, income tax rates (and eligible deductions) can change with federal legislation.

Still, plenty of earners opt to reduce their tax bill at their highest rate in the current year — and a tax deduction via an eligible retirement contribution can do just that.

For individual tax questions, it’s a good idea to consult a tax professional with questions about specific scenarios.

What About Roth IRAs and Taxes?

Simply put, there are no tax deductions for Roth retirement accounts. Both Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) account contributions are not tax-deductible.

The trade-off is that Roth money is not taxed when it is withdrawn in retirement, as is the case with tax-deferred accounts like a 401(k) and traditional IRA. In fact, this is the primary difference between Roth and non-Roth retirement accounts. With Roth accounts, taxes are already paid on money that is contributed, whereas income taxes on a non-Roth 401k are deferred until later.

So, then, what are some advantages of a Roth retirement account? All retirement accounts provide an additional type of tax benefit as compared to a non-retirement investment account: There are no taxes on interest or capital gains, which is money earned via the sale of an investment.

Someone might choose a Roth over a tax-deferred retirement account because they prefer to pay the income taxes up front, instead of in retirement. For example, imagine a person who earned $30,000 this year. They pay a relatively low income tax rate, so they simply may prefer to pay the income taxes now. That way, the taxes are potentially less of a burden come retirement age.

Not everyone qualifies for a Roth IRA. There are limits to how much a person can earn. For a single filer, the ability to contribute to a Roth IRA for tax year 2023 begins to phase out when a person earns more than $138,00 ($146,000 for tax year 2024), and is completely phased out at an income level of $153,000 in 2023 ($161,000 for tax year 2024). For a person that is married and filing jointly, the phase-out begins at $218,000 in 2023 ($230,000 for tax year 2024), ending at $228,000 in 2023 ($240,000 for 2024).

💡 Quick Tip: Before opening an investment account, know your investment objectives, time horizon, and risk tolerance. These fundamentals will help keep your strategy on track and with the aim of meeting your goals.

Deduction and Contribution Limits

The maximum amount a person is able to deduct from their taxes by contributing to a retirement account may correspond to an account’s contribution limits.

Here are the maximum contributions for the 2023 tax year:

•   Traditional IRA Limits: $6,500 ($7,500 if age 50 or older), deductibility depends on whether the person is covered by a workplace retirement plan

•   401(k): $22,500 (additional $7,500 if age 50 or older)

•   403(b): $22,500 (additional $7,500 if age 50 or older)

•   457(b): $22,500 (additional $7,500 if age 50 or older)

•   Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): $22,500 (additional $7,500 if age 50 or older)

•   Simple IRA or 401(K): $15,500 (additional $3,500 if age 50 or older)

•   SEP IRA: The lower of 25% of an employee’s income, or $66,000

•   Solo 401(k): Either $22,500 or up to 100% of total earned income as employee, additional opportunity to contribute as the employer

Here are the maximum contributions for the 2024 tax year:

•   Traditional IRA: $7,000 ($8,000 if age 50 or older), deductibility depends on whether the person is covered by a workplace retirement plan

•   401(k): $23,000 (additional $7,500 if age 50 or older)

•   403(b): $23,000 (additional $7,500 if age 50 or older)

•   457(b): $23,000 (additional $7,500 if age 50 or older)

•   Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): $23,000 (additional $7,500 if age 50 or older)

•   SEP IRA: The lower of 25% of an employee’s income, or $69,000

•   Simple IRA or 401(K): $16,000 (additional $3,500 if age 50 or older)

The above lists are only meant as a guide and do not take into account all factors that could impact contribution or deduction limits — such as catch-up contributions. Anyone with questions about what accounts they qualify for should consult a tax professional.

Investing for Retirement

Different types of retirement accounts come with distinct tax benefits and, for eligible investors, IRA tax deductions. Opening a retirement account and contributing to certain tax-deferred accounts may affect how much a person owes in income taxes in a given year. Roth accounts may provide tax-free withdrawals later on.

Ready to invest for your retirement? It’s easy to get started when you open a traditional or Roth IRA with SoFi. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

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Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

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