AmandaR1
New Member

Retirement tax questions

Yes, for 2017 you would be able to contribute to a Traditional or Roth IRA for the $5,500 personal retirement contribution. 

Since you are both covered by employer plans, the deduction amount is limited based on income thresholds. For married filing joint (MFJ) filers, the deduction amount phases out over Modified AGI of $99,000 - $119,000

See this info at the IRS here: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/2017-ira-deduction-limits-effect-of-modified-agi-on-deduction-i...

Note: You can contribute to a Traditional IRA plan, regardless of your income, it just may or may not be deductible. These rules are not the same for Roth IRA. Contributing to a Roth is an alternative, but there is no tax deduction and there are income limitations to contribute (however they are much higher than the traditional limits). 

The benefit of the Roth, unlike Traditional IRAs, is that withdrawals aren't taxable (including earnings). See income limitations at the IRS here: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/amount-of-roth-ira-contributions-that...