The IRS has not published the 2027 contribution limits for 401(k) plans and other retirement accounts, and the last paychecks of 2026 are about two months away. The agency’s newsroom lists releases through Oct. 29, and none of them carries the 2027 limits or the yearly inflation adjustments that set them. Workers deciding how much more to put away this year are still working from the 2026 numbers.
What the IRS newsroom shows so far
The most recent items on the IRS newsroom are a fiscal year 2026 performance report released Oct. 29 and a year-round tax planning reminder from Oct. 23. The agency’s October retirement news, release IR-2026-126 on Oct. 22, covers updates to the correction program for employee retirement plans and a new one for individual retirement accounts. It does not set any 2027 dollar limits.
The IRS has not said when the 2027 notice is coming. Last year, the agency announced the 2026 limits on Nov. 13, 2025, in a release numbered IR-2025-111. Until a 2027 notice appears, the 2026 figures are the only official numbers on the books.
Can a worker still add to a 401(k) this year?
Yes, and the window is shorter than the calendar suggests. Money a worker puts into a 401(k) comes out of each paycheck, so the practical cutoff is the last pay run of December, not Dec. 31 and not the April tax filing date. Anyone who wants to put in more before January needs to ask the payroll or benefits office to raise the percentage on the remaining checks, and to do it early enough for the change to take effect.
The math is simple. A worker takes the 2026 limit, subtracts what has been deferred so far this year, and divides what is left by the paychecks that remain. People paid every two weeks or twice a month have only a few left. Anyone who changed jobs this year should add up deferrals from both employers, since the limit applies to the person and not to each plan.
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The 2026 limits still in force
The IRS page on 401(k) contribution limits gives the 2026 elective deferral limit as $24,500, subject to cost-of-living adjustments. The November 2025 release put that figure up from $23,500 for 2025. Workers who are 50 or older can add a catch-up amount of $8,000 in 2026, up from $7,500.
Catch-up contributions start at age 50. For a 52-year-old in a traditional 401(k), that puts the 2026 ceiling at $32,500, the $24,500 limit plus the $8,000 catch-up. For a worker aged 60 to 63, the ceiling reaches $35,750 once the higher catch-up is added. Those totals are simple sums of the IRS figures, and plans can set their own lower caps, so the payroll portal or plan administrator has the final word on what a given worker can defer.
A higher catch-up applies to workers aged 60 to 63. For 2026 it is $11,250 in a traditional or safe harbor 401(k). In a SIMPLE 401(k), the catch-up for workers 50 and older is $4,000, and the higher amount for ages 60 to 63 is $5,250.
The IRS page also lists a separate cap on total additions to an account, which includes employer money. It is $72,000 for 2026, or $80,000 with catch-up contributions and up to $83,250 for workers aged 60 to 63.
For individual retirement accounts, the same November 2025 release set the 2026 contribution limit at $7,500, up from $7,000, with a catch-up of $1,100 for people 50 and older. IRAs run on a different clock. Contributions for 2026 can generally be made into the next spring, so the payroll cutoff applies to workplace plans.
What stays uncertain until January
When the IRS does post the 2027 numbers, they will replace the 2026 figures for contributions made starting Jan. 1. Nobody outside the agency knows yet whether the deferral limit, the catch-up amounts or the IRA limit will rise, or by how much. Any dollar figure for 2027 that circulates before the IRS notice is a guess.
That is why the 2026 deadline carries the weight. A worker who stops short of the limit this year cannot make it up in January, because the 2026 room closes with the last paycheck of the year. A worker who goes over it has a different problem. The IRS page tells anyone with excess deferrals to notify the plan administrator before April 15 of the following year.
Workers should also keep the paycheck math in line with their tax picture. Money deferred into a traditional 401(k) lowers wages reported for income tax, and the IRS lays out the deductions and credits individuals can claim on its newsroom pages. How much a deferral saves depends on the bracket, which is why the retirement tax numbers belong on one page next to the contribution limits.
Want one more contribution in before January?
The 2026 room in a 401(k) closes with the last pay run of the year, and the 2027 limits are not out yet. A worker who waits for the new notice before acting can leave an unused contribution on the table.
Cut Your Retirement Tax Bill: 12 Moves is a 14-page guide that lays out the 2026 numbers on one page, then walks through the tax lines a retiree or near-retiree has to watch, including how much of Social Security is taxed, worked out on one worksheet.
Get the 2026 retirement limits and tax-line guide before the last paycheck →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
