FAQ, sources and method

The IRS hasn't announced it yet. Milliman and Marsh both project $25,500 for 2027, up from $24,500 in 2026, with a $8,500 catch-up at 50+ and $11,750 at ages 60 to 63. If the September 2026 inflation reading comes in very low, the deferral limit could be $500 lower ($25,000). This calculator uses $25,500 and will switch to the official figure the day it is published.

The last input, the September 2026 CPI, comes out on October 14, 2026. The IRS usually publishes the new limits a few weeks later: the 2026 limits came out on November 13, 2025 and the 2025 limits on November 1, 2024. Expect the 2027 notice roughly between October 15 to November 20, 2026.

Since 2025, people who turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 during the year get a bigger catch-up instead of the regular one: $11,250 in 2026 and a projected $11,750 in 2027 (regular catch-up: $8,500). For 2027 that means you were born from 1964 through 1967. The year you turn 64, you go back to the regular catch-up. Your plan has to offer it; most large plans do.

Under SECURE 2.0, if your Social Security wages (W-2 box 3) from the employer sponsoring your plan were over the threshold in the prior year, your catch-up contributions must go in as Roth (after-tax). For 2026 the threshold is $150,000 of 2025 wages; for 2027 it is a projected $155,000 of 2026 wages. Plans must follow the rule from 2026 using a good-faith reading; the final regulations generally apply from 2027. Your regular $25,500 can still be pre-tax. If your plan has no Roth option, you may not be able to make catch-up contributions at all, so check with HR.

Putting in a high % early in the year reaches the limit sooner, but many employers match each paycheck. Once you hit the limit, your contributions stop and so does the match for the rest of the year, unless your plan does a year-end “true-up” that pays the missed match. If you're not sure your plan trues up, spread contributions over every paycheck. Enter your match in the calculator to see how much a % election could cost you.

Use whichever your plan allows. A dollar amount hits the limit almost exactly: we round up to the next whole dollar, so the last paycheck is a little smaller and most plans stop automatically at the limit. A percentage has to be rounded up to your plan's step (often a whole %), so you may reach the limit a paycheck or two early, and a raise changes the amount. Some plans also cap the % you can elect.

No. The $25,500 limit (and the catch-up) is only what you contribute from your paycheck. There's a separate total cap on you plus your employer (not counting catch-up) of $72,000 in 2026 and a projected $75,000 in 2027. Most people never reach it.

HSA limits for 2027 are official: $4,500 for self-only and $9,000 for family coverage, plus $1,000 if you're 55 or older (2026: $4,400 and $8,750). The 2027 IRA limit isn't out yet; forecasts disagree between $7,500 and $8,000. We use $7,500 (plus $1,100 at 50+) until the IRS announces, so you never plan to put in too much.