IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples

21norman02 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:00:03 GMT

What is the limit on contributions to IRA account (for possible deduction) if over age 72, married, but neither spouse is working?

Re: IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples

Hal_Al — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 13:59:23 GMT

Q. What is the limit on contributions to IRA account (for possible deduction) if over age 72, married, but neither spouse is working?

A. $0.

For anyone over age 50, the normal limit is $7000. But, the actual wording is:

For 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the total contributions you make each year to all of your traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs can't be more than:

$6,000 ($7,000 if you're age 50 or older), or
your taxable compensation for the year*

To contribute to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA, you, and/or your spouse if you file a joint return, must have taxable compensation, such as wages, salaries, commissions, tips, bonuses, or net income from self-employment.

*If you file a joint return, you may be able to contribute to an IRA even if you didn’t have taxable compensation as long as your spouse did. Each spouse can make a contribution up to the current limit; however, the total of your combined contributions can’t be more than the taxable compensation reported on your joint return.

References:

https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-ira-contribution-limits#:~:text=IRA%20contributions%20after%20age%2070%C2%BD,to%20traditional%20or%20Roth%20IRAs.

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc451#:~:text=To%20contribute%20to%20a%20traditional,net%20income%20from%20self%2Demployment.

Re: IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples

21norman02 — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 14:46:44 GMT

Thanks!

Re: IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples

Opus 17 — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 15:25:41 GMT

In other words, the old age limit has been removed, but you must still have income that is considered "compensation" from working. This is usually W-2 wages or self-employment income, although there are a few minor exceptions.

topic IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples in Deductions & credits

IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples

Re: IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples

Re: IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples

Re: IRA contributions allowed over age 72 for married retired couples