The single most powerful force in investing is time. The more years your money spends in the market, the better your odds of building real wealth—and there’s no better place to put that time to work than inside a retirement account.
They encourage long-term thinking with penalties for early withdrawals and, more importantly, allow your money to compound without the drag of annual taxes. That combination is hard to beat.
It’s why I provide an annual update on contribution limits for retirement savings accounts. And it’s why I’ve been funding my own retirement accounts since I graduated from college. I have no doubt that older Jeff will be grateful that younger Jeff got started early.
If you’ve been following my work, you already know the case for saving early and often. So, this update gets straight to the point: How much you can contribute to retirement accounts in 2026.
If you—or someone younger in your life—need a refresher on why this matters, I’ve linked to more detail here and here.
I’ve also included a comprehensive financial planning cheat sheet from the College for Financial Planning below. It goes beyond retirement accounts, covering tax brackets, Medicare, health savings accounts and more.
And now, let’s get into the 2026 contribution limits.
2026’s Saving Limits
Each year, the IRS adjusts retirement contribution limits for inflation. And while higher prices have been a headache for consumers, it comes with one small upside for savers: Higher contribution limits.