I am 62 not employed. I did consultancy work as an independent contractor, received a 1099, with earning of $15,000. Can I make a tax deductable contribution to an IRA?

[Coleen3 · Accepted solution]

Yes, assuming you have a sufficient profit on your Schedule C. Since at most, you probably only have $3,000 of Federally taxable income, you may not have a large benefit. It will not reduce Self-employment tax.

Traditional IRA: For a Traditional IRA, once you reach the year in which you turn age 70 ½ you are no longer eligible to make a Traditional IRA contribution.

If you haven't made your contribution yet, you have until 4/15/19 do so.

Here's how you report the contribution:

• Federal Taxes tab (Personal in the Self-Employed/Home& Business version)
• Deductions and Credits 
• Continue or I'll Choose What I Work On (if they show up)
• Scroll to Retirement and Investments
• then, Traditional and Roth IRA Contributions

[dmertz]

If the deduction would result in only a small amount of tax savings on your 2018 tax return, your modified AGI would likely permit you to make a Roth IRA contribution.  It would be better to forgo the small immediate tax savings and contribute to a Roth IRA instead for the opportunity of tax free growth.