New Contribution and Gift Tax Limits for 2026
Last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act made permanent the estate and gift tax exemption that had been enacted temporarily by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017—and increased it by more than $1 million per person for 2026.
Also, beginning this year, employees ages 50 and older who earned more than $150,000 in the previous tax year must put catch-up contributions to their employer-sponsored 401(k) plan into an after-tax Roth account. If the plan doesn't have a Roth 401(k) component, these high-income earners won't be able to make catch-up contributions at all.
"If you can't make catch-up contributions to your company's 401(k) plan, you might consider saving more elsewhere, either in a Roth IRA if you're within the income limits1 or in a traditional brokerage account," says Hayden Adams, CPA, CFP®, director of tax planning and wealth management research at the Schwab Center for Financial Research.
Here's what else is new for 2026—and what is staying the same.
- Type
- 2025 limit
- 2026 limit
- Change
-
Type401(k), 403(b), 457(b), and their Roth equivalents2025 limit$23,5002026 limit$24,500Change+$1,000
-
TypeCatch-up contribution, ages 50+2025 limit$7,5002026 limit$8,000Change+$500
-
TypeCatch-up contribution, ages 60–632025 limit$11,2502026 limit$11,250ChangeNo change
-
TypeTraditional and Roth IRAs2025 limit$7,0002026 limit$7,500Change+$500
-
TypeCatch-up contribution, ages 50+2025 limit$1,0002026 limit$1,100Change+$100
-
TypeHealth savings account2025 limit
Individual: $4,300
Family: $8,5502026 limitIndividual: $4,400
Family: $8,750
ChangeIndividual: +$100
Family: +$200-
TypeCatch-up contribution, ages 55+2025 limit$1,0002026 limit$1,000ChangeNo change
-
TypeSEP-IRA* and overall defined contribution plan limit†2025 limit$70,0002026 limit$72,000Change+$2,000
-
TypeSIMPLE IRA and SIMPLE 401(k)2025 limit$16,5002026 limit$17,000Change+$500
-
TypeCatch-up contribution, ages 50+2025 limit$3,5002026 limit$4,000Change+$500
-
TypeCatch-up contribution, ages 60–632025 limit$5,2502026 limit$5,250ChangeNo change
- Type
- 2025 limit
- 2026 limit
- Change
-
TypeAnnual gift tax exclusion (per recipient)2025 limit
Individual: $19,000
Married filing jointly: $38,0002026 limitIndividual: $19,000
Married filing jointly: $38,000ChangeIndividual: No change
Married filing jointly: No change-
TypeLifetime gift and estate tax exemption2025 limit
Individual: $13.99 million
Married filing jointly: $27.98 million2026 limitIndividual: $15 million
Married filing jointly: $30 million
ChangeIndividual: +$1,010,000
Married filing jointly: +$2,020,0001To contribute to a Roth IRA in 2026, a single filer's modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) must be less than $168,000, with contribution limits reduced for MAGIs between $153,000 and $168,000, and joint filers' MAGI must be less than $252,000, with contribution limits reduced for MAGIs between $242,000 and $252,000.
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