First IRA Contribution of 2026

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Happy New Year Everyone! I made my first IRA contribution of 2026! I put $1,750 into my traditional IRA and then converted it to a roth contribution.  For 2026, single filers must have a modified adjusted gross income of less than $153,000 to make a full contribution directly to a roth IRA. The ability to contribute directly to a roth phases out at $168,000 for single filers. 

My salary is $175,000 so I expect to exceed the MAGI limits for direct contributions for a Roth in 2026. So, I utilize a back door roth contribution. I contribute to a traditional IRA with after tax dollars and then convert the contribution to a roth contribution. This conversion is tax free. 

The maximum contribution to an IRA this year, for people under 50, is $7,500. Only $5,750 to go! 

Have you started your ira contributions for 2026? How much do you have left to contribute? 

Comments

  1. Debt Free AlphaJanuary 10, 2026 at 8:01 PM

    I just made my first contribution of 2026 as well. Doing Dollar Cost Averaging, 288.46 26 times for the year. Thanks for the reminder about Roth IRA limits. If I get a bonus this year it could put me over gross-wise but all my traditional 401k and HSA contributions will bring that number down below. My employer switched away from Fidelity to another 401k provider (Merrill Lynch) and while the funds themselves are comparable (Vanguard) the interface of their platform feels like switching from college-level to 3rd grade. Hopefully there will be more visibility into contributions / dividends / etc. later on. Also shows me as having 0 vested but that's another problem... -Debt Free Alpha

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