Roth IRA income limits for married couples filing jointly in 2026
A married couple is tested on one household income but contributes to two separate Roth IRAs. The calculator takes your joint modified AGI and shows what each spouse may still deposit.
You can put in a Roth IRA for 2026
$3,750
Worksheet 2-2: reduction rounded up to $10, never under $200.
| Phase-out range | $242,000 to $252,000 |
| Share of the range used | 50.0 % |
| Limit before the reduction | $7,500 |
| Reduced Roth contribution | $3,750 |
| MAGI | Roth IRA |
|---|---|
| $242,000 | $7,500 |
| $244,000 | $6,000 |
| $246,000 | $4,500 |
| $248,000 | $3,000 |
| $250,000 | $1,500 |
| $252,000 | $0 |
Worked out by Radif Partners · How we calculate · limits read on irs.gov · not personal financial advice
On a 2026 joint return, each spouse can put the full Roth IRA amount, $7,500 or $8,600 from age 50, as long as the couple's modified AGI stays under $242,000. Between $242,000 and $252,000 the amount shrinks, and at $252,000 it is gone (Notice 2025-67). The band is only $10,000 wide, so every $1,000 of extra income removes about $750 from each spouse under 50, which is $1,500 for the couple. The test uses one MAGI, but the limits stay personal: a couple aged 44 and 52 with $247,000 of joint MAGI can deposit $3,750 and $4,300, so $8,050 in all. Filing separately after living together uses a $0 to $10,000 band instead, which blocks almost everyone; spouses who lived apart all year are tested like single filers.
The joint band in 2026
The range applies to married couples filing jointly and to a qualifying surviving spouse. It moved up from $236,000 to $246,000 in 2025. A household that earned the same in both years therefore has a little more room in 2026, and one that got a raise of more than $6,000 may have lost some.
| Joint MAGI | Each spouse under 50 | Each spouse 50 or over | Couple, both under 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $242,000 | $7,500 | $8,600 | $15,000 |
| $244,000 | $6,000 | $6,880 | $12,000 |
| $246,000 | $4,500 | $5,160 | $9,000 |
| $248,000 | $3,000 | $3,440 | $6,000 |
| $250,000 | $1,500 | $1,720 | $3,000 |
| $251,900 | $200 | $200 | $400 |
The last line is the floor at work: at $251,900 the formula gives almost nothing, and each spouse may still deposit $200. One dollar past $252,000 and both are at zero. The method itself is explained step by step on the Roth IRA income limits page; this page deals with what changes for a couple.
One income test, two separate limits
There is no such thing as a joint Roth IRA. Each account belongs to one spouse, and each spouse has an individual limit that depends on his or her own age on December 31, 2026. What the couple shares is the income figure: the MAGI from the joint Form 1040, which adds both salaries, investment income and any other income of either spouse.
Ages can differ, and so can the reduced amounts. In the case above, the spouse who is 52 starts from $8,600 and keeps $4,300, while the 44-year-old starts from $7,500 and keeps $3,750. Each figure is computed separately; the older spouse cannot hand unused room to the other, and neither can put the couple's total into a single account.
What each spouse keeps at your joint income
You can put in a Roth IRA for 2026
$4,300
| Phase-out range | $242,000 to $252,000 |
| Share of the range used | 50.0 % |
| Limit before the reduction | $8,600 |
| Reduced Roth contribution | $4,300 |
Compensation is pooled on a joint return. A spouse who earns little or nothing can still fund a Roth IRA on the other's pay, as long as the two contributions together do not exceed the couple's combined taxable compensation. That rule, and how it combines with the age 50 catch-up, is on the spousal IRA page.
Why the joint band is so steep
For a single filer the band is $15,000 wide; for a couple it is $10,000, although it has to cover two people's income. A single person loses about $500 of Roth room per $1,000 of income; a married spouse loses $750, and the couple $1,500. Near the top of the range a year-end bonus of $5,000 can wipe out half the household's Roth contribution, and the couple at $250,500 is already down to $1,130 each.
Two income earners can also cross the band in a way a single earner never would. Two salaries of $125,000 each make $250,000 of joint MAGI, deep in the reduction, while each spouse alone would sit far below the single range. Married couples sometimes ask whether they should file separately to escape that; the next section shows why that usually makes things worse.
Married filing separately: the $0 to $10,000 trap
If you are married, file a separate return and lived with your spouse at any time during 2026, your Roth phase-out runs from $0 to $10,000. Any separate filer with ordinary pay is above it. A spouse with only $6,000 of MAGI keeps $2,400, and from $10,000 the direct contribution is closed. This range is not indexed and has not moved in years, which is why it catches people who changed filing status for an unrelated reason, such as income-driven student loan payments.
The exception is in Publication 590-A: a married person filing separately who did not live with the spouse at any time during the year is treated as single for this test (Publication 590-A, chapter 2). With $120,000 of MAGI that person has the full $7,500. "At any time" is strict: one night under the same roof in January is enough to fall back into the narrow range.
| Situation in 2026 | Phase-out range used | Roth room at the MAGI shown |
|---|---|---|
| Joint return, MAGI $247,000 | $242,000 to $252,000 | $3,750 |
| Separate return, lived together, MAGI $6,000 | $0 to $10,000 | $2,400 |
| Separate return, apart all year, MAGI $120,000 | $153,000 to $168,000 | $7,500 |
Planning moves for a couple near the band
Because both incomes feed one MAGI, either spouse's pre-tax savings lower it. Pre-tax deferrals into a 401(k) or 403(b), HSA contributions through payroll and a deductible traditional IRA (if the deduction is allowed) all reduce the joint figure. Contributing early in the year is fine, but a couple whose income is uncertain may prefer to wait for the final pay stubs of December, since an excess has to be removed or recharacterized before the return is due. When both spouses are clearly above $252,000, a nondeductible traditional contribution followed by a conversion remains possible, and the traditional IRA deduction calculator shows how much of a traditional contribution each spouse could deduct.
The joint range for 2027 is not announced yet; the 2027 IRA page adds it the day the IRS releases its notice. This page is general information; a tax professional can look at your full return.