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.