Maximum Combined Roth 401k + Traditional 401k Contribution Limits for 2025?

The total employee contribution limit for 401k plans in 2025 is $23,500 combined across both Traditional and Roth 401k. This means you can split your contributions however you want between the two types, but the total can't exceed $23,500. For example, you could contribute $10,000 to Traditional 401k and $13,500 to Roth 401k, or any other combination that adds up to $23,500. Your employer's matching contributions don't count toward this limit. For IRAs, the limit in 2025 is $7,000 for people under 50. This limit applies to the total of both Traditional and Roth IRAs combined. So you could do $3,500 in each, all $7,000 in Roth, all $7,000 in Traditional, etc. The 401k limits and IRA limits are separate from each other. Contributing to a 401k doesn't reduce how much you can put in an IRA. However, your income and whether you have a workplace retirement plan may affect the tax deductibility of Traditional IRA contributions or your eligibility to contribute to a Roth IRA.

After trying to figure out these retirement contribution limits for months, I finally found an amazing tool that made everything crystal clear for my situation. I was so confused about how my 401k contributions affected my IRA options until I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my specific income and retirement accounts. The tool breaks down exactly how much you can contribute to each account type based on your personal financial situation. In my case, I discovered I was eligible for a partial Roth IRA contribution even though I initially thought I was completely phased out due to my income. The tool showed me exactly how much I could contribute and even suggested the optimal split between traditional and Roth accounts based on my tax situation.

Just wanted to update on my retirement contribution situation - I ended up using https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was incredibly helpful! I was seriously confused about how much I could contribute to my Roth IRA while also maxing out my 401k, especially with my income being right at the phaseout threshold. The analysis showed me I could still contribute about $4,200 to my Roth IRA even though I was in the phaseout range, which was way more than I thought! It also recommended I split my 401k contributions with about 70% in traditional and 30% in Roth based on my tax bracket now versus expected retirement income. Never would have figured that out on my own. Totally worth checking out if you're trying to optimize your retirement contributions and understand all these complicated limits!

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I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment yesterday, I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to get an answer about my 401k rollover situation before the tax deadline. I've never been more pleasantly surprised. The service actually worked exactly as described. Their system called me back in about 35 minutes with an IRS agent already on the line. The agent confirmed that my 401k rollover wouldn't affect my IRA contribution limits for 2025 and gave me specific guidance for my situation. What would have been a half-day project of being stuck on hold turned into a 15-minute productive call. For anyone with complicated retirement account questions that need official IRS clarification, this is absolutely worth trying. I'm honestly shocked at how well it worked.

Don't forget about the catch-up contributions if you're 50 or older! The limits change quite a bit: For 2025, if you're 50+: - 401k (Traditional + Roth combined): $23,500 + $7,500 catch-up = $31,000 - IRAs (Traditional + Roth combined): $7,000 + $1,000 catch-up = $8,000 Also, some employers offer after-tax 401k contributions (not Roth) that can be converted to Roth through what's called the "mega backdoor Roth" strategy. This can potentially allow you to contribute much more than the standard limits, up to a total annual limit of $69,000 for 2025 (including employer match and all contributions).

Does anyone know how the income limits work for Roth IRA contributions if you're already maxing out your 401k? I make about $145k and wasn't sure if I can still contribute to a Roth IRA for 2025 or if I'm over the income limit.

Great question! Just to add some clarification on the HSA angle since you mentioned wanting to max everything out - if you have access to a Health Savings Account through a high-deductible health plan, that's another tax-advantaged account to consider for 2025. The HSA contribution limits for 2025 are $4,300 for individual coverage and $8,550 for family coverage, with an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution if you're 55 or older. HSAs are actually triple tax-advantaged (deductible contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses), making them incredibly powerful for retirement planning. Unlike retirement accounts, HSAs don't have income limits for contributions, and after age 65 you can withdraw funds for any purpose (though non-medical withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income, similar to a traditional IRA). Many people use HSAs as a "stealth retirement account" by paying medical expenses out-of-pocket and letting the HSA grow tax-free for decades. So your complete tax-advantaged savings strategy for 2025 could potentially include: $23,500 in 401k, $7,000 in IRA, and up to $8,550 in HSA if you have family coverage - that's nearly $40,000 in tax-advantaged space before even considering employer matching!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm 28 and just started a new job that offers both traditional and Roth 401k options. Reading through all these responses really clarified the $23,500 combined limit for 2025 - I was definitely overthinking it and thought each account type had its own separate limit. One thing I'm still wondering about: if I expect to be in a higher tax bracket in retirement (hoping my career continues to grow), would it make more sense to prioritize Roth 401k contributions over traditional? Or should I hedge my bets and split between both types? Also, the HSA information from Sofia was incredibly valuable - I didn't realize it could function as a retirement account after 65. My employer offers an HSA with their high-deductible plan, so I'm definitely going to look into maximizing that alongside my 401k contributions. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and knowledge!

This is exactly the kind of comprehensive breakdown I was looking for when I started getting serious about retirement planning! One thing I'd add that might be helpful for folks trying to optimize their strategy is to consider the timing of when you make your contributions throughout the year. If you're planning to max out your 401k ($23,500 for 2025), try to spread it evenly across all pay periods rather than front-loading it early in the year. This ensures you don't miss out on any employer matching contributions - some employers only match on a per-paycheck basis, so if you max out your 401k contributions by June, you could potentially miss out on employer matching for the rest of the year. For IRAs, you actually have until the tax filing deadline (usually April 15th) to make contributions for the previous tax year. This gives you extra time to see what your final income will be and determine if you're eligible for Roth IRA contributions or if you need to do a backdoor Roth conversion. Also worth noting that if you change jobs during the year, you can potentially contribute to multiple employer 401k plans as long as your total employee contributions don't exceed the annual limit ($23,500 for 2025). The IRS tracks this by individual, not by employer plan. Great thread - bookmarking this for future reference!