Contribute most of earnings to Traditional 401k AND still contribute to a Roth IRA?

[maddie7777]

Hello community!  

If I made roughly $35,700 in W-2 income last year and contributed roughly $28,000 of that into my company's Traditional 401k, can I still make max Roth IRA contributions for both my husband and me?  Husband did not earn any income in 2025.  ChatGPT makes it sound like I can still do this, but i'm trying to confirm.  Thank you!

[Opus 17 · Accepted solution]

Not the maximum.  You can only contribute to an IRA if you have "compensation from working."  Compensation is your w-2 box 1 wages.  If you contribute to a pre-tax 401k, then I expect based on your facts, your W-2 box 1 would be $7,700 (possibly less, if there are other pre-tax deductions.)

Your and your spouses' combined IRA contributions can't be more than your combined total box 1 wages.