Should You Double Up With a Spousal IRA?

Posted on 3-21-2023

This week, Craig Siminski, of CMS Retirement Income Planning, shares with us an article discussing IRS rules that can help couples build retirement savings based on joint income:

If you and your spouse are looking for a way to build your retirement savings but one of you is not working, you might consider funding a spousal IRA. This could be the same IRA that the spouse contributed to while working or it could be a new account.

In either case, IRS rules allow a married couple to fund separate IRA accounts for each spouse based on the couple’s joint income. The total of both IRA contributions cannot exceed the total taxable income reported on the couple’s joint tax return.

You can make contributions for 2022 up to the April 2023 tax filing deadline. You might also get a head start for 2023 and contribute for both years.  For tax year 2022, an individual with earned income from wages or self-employment can contribute up to $6,000 annually to his or her own IRA and up to $6,000 more to a spouse’s IRA. An additional $1,000 catch-up contribution can be made for each spouse who is 50 or older. For tax year 2023, the contribution limit increases to $6,500, but the $1,000 catch-up contribution remains the same.

Traditional IRA Deductibility

If neither spouse is an active participant in a workplace retirement plan such as a 401(k), contributions to a traditional IRA are fully tax deductible. However, if one or both are active participants, income limits may affect the deductibility of contributions.

Limits are higher for contributions to the IRA of a nonparticipating spouse, so some participants in workplace plans who earn too much to deduct an IRA contribution for themselves may be able to…

To Read the Entire Article, Please Click Here.

Craig Siminski is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, with more than 25 years of experience. His goal is to provide families, business owners, and their employees with assistance in building their financial freedom.

Please let Craig know that the Green Bay News Network Sent You!