If you've been maxing out a Roth IRA every year, the 2025 numbers just dropped, and they might change how much you can stash away.
The IRS bumped the income limits that decide who's allowed to contribute to a Roth at all.
Depending on your filing status, that ceiling moved up by a few thousand dollars.
Single filers can now make a full Roth contribution if their modified adjusted gross income lands under $150,000, up from $146,000 last year.
Married couples filing jointly get a full-contribution window up to $236,000, up from $230,000.
Above those marks, the amount you can put in starts shrinking until it phases out completely.
For single filers, the phase-out ends at $165,000.
For married couples filing jointly, it ends at $246,000.
Cross those lines and the IRS says no direct Roth contributions for you this year.
The contribution cap itself didn't budge.
You can still put in up to $7,000, or $8,000 if you're 50 or older.
So while inflation nudged the income thresholds, the actual dollar amount you can contribute stayed flat.
If your raise this year pushed you just over a limit, that's the frustrating part—you earned more but lost access to a popular retirement tool.
It's called a backdoor Roth, and it's legal.
You contribute to a traditional IRA—which has no income cap—then convert that money into a Roth.
The catch: if you already hold pre-tax money in a traditional IRA, the conversion can trigger a tax bill on part of it.
Also worth noting: the IRS adjusts these numbers most years, usually in the fall, based on inflation.
So the limits you memorize today may shift again next year.
Set a calendar reminder to check the updated figures before you file your taxes, not after.
One more thing people miss—the income limits apply to your modified adjusted gross income, not your salary on its own.
Deductions, certain contributions, and other adjustments can pull your MAGI below the cutoff even if your gross pay looks too high.
Run the actual number before you assume you're locked out.
If you're anywhere near these thresholds, a few hundred dollars of planning can be the difference between funding a Roth and missing out for the year.
Check your MAGI now, not in April when it's too late to adjust.
The takeaway: retirement rules reward people who pay attention.
The limits moved, but the strategy didn't.
Final Thoughts
Know your number, know your deadline, and don't let a small income bump quietly cost you a tax-free retirement bucket.