Working 2 jobs - what's the max 401k contribution I can make for both?

The IRS limit for employee 401k contributions in 2025 is $22,500 across ALL your 401k accounts combined. This is YOUR contribution limit regardless of how many employers you have. So if you've already maxed out $22,500 at Job 1, you can't contribute any more to a 401k at Job 2. However, there's an important distinction: the overall 401k limit (combined employee + employer contributions) is $68,500 for 2025 PER PLAN. This means each 401k plan can receive up to $68,500 total. So theoretically, if Job 2 offers a 401k, you could contribute $0 (since you've maxed out at Job 1), but your Job 2 employer could still contribute up to the $68,500 limit for that plan. But since you mentioned Job 2 doesn't match, this probably doesn't help you.

I was in a similar situation last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which really helped clear up my retirement contribution confusion. I uploaded my tax docs and it flagged that I was about to over-contribute to my 401ks from multiple jobs. Saved me from a potential tax headache! Their system analyzed my specific situation and gave me personalized contribution limits for each account type based on both my jobs.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it despite my skepticism and I'm genuinely impressed. It found that I could actually do a Mega Backdoor Roth with one of my employers that I didn't even know offered after-tax contributions! The system analyzed my specific income situation and showed me I was leaving about $35k of tax-advantaged space on the table between my two jobs. The recommendations were super specific to my situation, not just generic advice. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to optimize retirement contributions across multiple jobs.

Since you're maxing out your 401k already, you might also want to get clarity directly from the IRS. I was in a similar situation and was getting mixed advice until I finally got through to an actual IRS agent using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have this service where they basically wait on hold with the IRS for you and then call you when an agent is on the line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was shocked it actually worked because I had been trying to get through to the IRS for weeks! The agent confirmed the exact contribution limits for my situation with multiple W-2 jobs and cleared up my confusion about the backdoor Roth too.

Ok I feel like I need to eat crow here. After dismissing Claimyr as a scam, I actually tried it because I was desperate to resolve a similar retirement contribution issue. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 2 hours (after trying for WEEKS on my own). The agent confirmed I was right at the edge of the income phase-out for Roth IRA contributions with my multiple jobs, and gave me specific guidance on how to handle it. Still surprised it worked, but definitely saved me tons of time and frustration. The direct advice from an actual IRS agent was exactly what I needed.

Don't forget about other options! If you've maxed out your 401k, you could also look at: 1. Traditional or Roth IRA (subject to income limits) 2. HSA if you have a high deductible health plan (triple tax advantage) 3. Taxable brokerage accounts 4. If Job 2 offers it, after-tax 401k contributions that can be converted to Roth (Mega Backdoor) The backdoor Roth IRA you mentioned would be relevant if your income exceeds the limits for direct Roth contributions. Basically you contribute to a non-deductible Traditional IRA and then convert it to Roth.

Has anyone mentioned the Solo 401k option? If your Job 2 contractor position could be considered self-employment income, you might be able to open a Solo 401k for that income stream. The employee contribution limit would still be $22,500 TOTAL across all plans, but you could make employer contributions as the "employer" of your contracting business.

One thing that might help clarify your backdoor Roth situation - since you're at $160k MAGI, you'll want to check if you have any existing Traditional IRA balances before doing a backdoor Roth. The pro-rata rule can create unexpected tax consequences if you have pre-tax IRA money sitting around. Also, for your Job 2 situation, even though you can't contribute more to a 401k (since you've maxed the $22,500 limit), if they offer a 401k plan, you might want to enroll anyway just to keep your options open. Sometimes employers add benefits or matching later, and you'd already be set up. Quick question - is your Job 1 employer contribution the full $5,300 or could there be room for more if you had additional income? Some plans calculate matching based on total compensation across the year.

The key thing everyone's mentioned is correct - your $22,500 contribution limit is across ALL employers, so you can't contribute more to Job 2's 401k if you've already maxed out at Job 1. However, I'd strongly recommend checking a few things with Job 2: 1. **Even if no matching now**, enroll anyway if they offer a plan. Employers sometimes add matching mid-year or during annual reviews. 2. **Ask about after-tax contributions** - this is separate from your $22,500 limit and could open up mega backdoor Roth opportunities. 3. **Verify the employer contribution calculation** at Job 1 - some plans calculate matching based on total annual compensation, so your additional income from Job 2 might actually increase your Job 1 matching if they use that method. For the backdoor Roth at your $160k income level, definitely check for existing Traditional IRA balances first due to the pro-rata rule mentioned by others. You'll want to clean those up before proceeding. Since you're already maxing traditional retirement accounts, also consider maxing your HSA if you have one (another $4,300 for 2025) - it's essentially a stealth retirement account with triple tax advantages after age 65.

Just to add another perspective on the IRS contribution limits - it's worth noting that while your employee deferrals are capped at $22,500 total across all plans, if you end up with excess contributions due to payroll timing issues (like if Job 1's payroll doesn't know about Job 2), you'll need to request a return of excess contributions before the tax deadline to avoid penalties. I'd also suggest looking into SEP-IRA or SIMPLE IRA options if Job 2 is flexible about retirement benefits - sometimes smaller employers find these easier to administer than traditional 401k plans, and they might be willing to set something up if you approach them about it. While you still couldn't contribute more employee deferrals, they could potentially make employer contributions that don't count against your $22,500 limit. One more thing on the backdoor Roth strategy - given your $160k MAGI, make sure you're not missing out on any other tax-advantaged accounts first. If you have dependents, a 529 plan might make sense. Also, if either employer offers a dependent care FSA, that's another $5,000 of tax savings you could capture before moving to taxable accounts.

This thread has covered the main points really well, but I wanted to add one practical tip that saved me a lot of headache when I was in a similar situation with multiple W2 jobs. Since you're already maxing out at Job 1, I'd recommend reaching out to Job 1's payroll/HR and letting them know you have a second job where you might want to make 401k contributions. Some payroll systems can actually track your year-to-date contributions across multiple employers if you provide them with your other job's contribution information. This helps prevent the over-contribution issue that @ebd0c4c51e33 mentioned. Also, even though Job 2 doesn't offer matching now, I'd still enroll in their 401k plan if available and set contributions to $0. This way you're already in the system if they add matching later or if your income situation changes and you need to rebalance contributions between jobs. One last thing on the backdoor Roth - with your $160k MAGI, you're in that sweet spot where it definitely makes sense. Just make sure to do it early in the year after cleaning up any existing Traditional IRA balances, and consider doing it as a single large contribution rather than monthly to minimize the time your money sits in the Traditional IRA earning gains (which would complicate the conversion taxes).