An IRA, or Individual Retirement Account, is intended to assist you in saving for retirement.
As the name implies, the account is for an individual. It cannot be held jointly with your spouse or another person.
An IRA offers significant advantages, including:
Tax advantages include tax-free growth on Roth IRA accounts and tax-deferred growth on traditional IRAs. You may also be able to deduct contributions on traditional IRAs.
IRA accounts offer a wide array of investment options, which include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, money markets, and CDs.
You have plenty of flexibility to develop a strategy to help you achieve your retirement goals.
Tax-deferred accounts allow you to take full advantage of compounded growth over a long period of time.
IRA accounts provide you with financial support in retirement that goes above what you will receive from a pension or Social Security.
Although various rules and account types offer flexibility and choices that cater to your needs, they also introduce complexity.
Before we go on, our review provides insights into different retirement accounts, but it is not all-encompassing. If you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to one of our team members, or you may consult with your tax advisor with specific tax questions.
That said, let’s review the traditional IRA, the Roth IRA and the SEP-IRA.
1. Traditional IRAs
- Contributions may be tax deductible.
- Funds in the account grow tax-deferred.
- Withdrawals after 59½ years old are taxed as ordinary income.
- Withdrawals prior to 59½ may be subject to a 10% penalty, and
- Required minimum distributions (RMDs) begin at age 73.
Contributions
Beginning in 2024, the IRA contribution limit increased by $500 to $7,000; the annual limit is $8,000 if you are 50 years of age or older. These limits remain in effect for 2025.
The total contributions for all your IRAs (Roth and traditional) max out at the prescribed limits or your earned income, whichever is lower.
However, a non-working spouse may contribute to a spousal IRA as long as the other spouse is working and you file a joint tax return.
There is no age limit on regular contributions into traditional or Roth IRAs after 70½.
Does a retirement plan at work cover you or your spouse?
For 2024, if you are covered by a retirement plan at work, your deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA is phased out if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is
- More than $123,000 ($126,000—2025) but less than $143,000 ($146,000—2025) for a married couple filing a joint return or a qualifying surviving spouse,
- More than $77,000 ($79,000—2025) but less than $87,000 ($89,000—2025) for a single individual or head of household, or
- Less than $10,000 for a married individual filing a separate return (no change in 2025), there is a partial deduction.
If you are married and your spouse is covered by a retirement plan at work and you are not, AND you live with your spouse or file a joint return, your deduction is phased out if your MAGI is:
- More than $230,000 ($236,000—2025) but less than $240,000 ($246,000—2025).
Withdrawals
After 59½, you will pay ordinary income tax if you withdraw funds from your traditional IRA account. There is no penalty.
What if you are under 59½?
You can avoid a 10% penalty in some situations, including these in Table 1. You will pay income taxes.
| Table 1: Exceptions to the 10% Penalty for Early Withdrawal of Traditional IRA (under 59½) | ||
| Exception | NOT subject to 10% penalty in these circumstances | Traditional IRA |
| Birth or adoption | Up to $5,000 per child | Yes |
| Disability | Total or permanent | Yes |
| Death | Death of IRA owner | Yes |
| Survivor of domestic abuse | Up to the lesser of $10,000 or 50% of the account | Yes |
| Federally qualified disaster | Up to $22,000 | Yes |
| Education | Qualified expenses | Yes |
| Emergency personal expenses | Up to the lesser of $1,000 or account balance over $1,000 | Yes |
| Qualified first-time homebuyers | Up to $10,000 lifetime | Yes |
| Medical | Amount of unreimbursed medical expenses (>7.5% of AGI) | Yes |
| Medical | Health insurance premiums paid while unemployed | Yes |
| Levy | IRS levy of the plan | Yes |
Data Source: IRS
Additionally, you can take substantially equal periodic payments using a method approved by the IRS and avoid the penalty. Withdrawals from the account must occur for at least five years or until you reach age 59½, whichever is longer.
2. Roth IRAs
Roth IRAs are similar to traditional IRAs, with some important exceptions.
- Contributions are not tax deductible.
- If you satisfy the requirements, qualified distributions are tax-free.
- You can leave funds in your Roth IRA as long as you live (there is no RMD).
Contributions
Contribution limits remain the same as those of a traditional IRA.
If you are filing jointly or as a qualifying surviving spouse, your contribution is phased out if your MAGI is
If you are single, head of household, or married and filing separately, your contribution is phased out if MAGI is
- More than $146,000 but less than $161,000 (2024)
- More than $150,000 but less than $165,000 (2025)
Above the respective limits, you may not contribute to a Roth IRA. If you are married filing separately and lived with your spouse during the year, no contributions are allowed if your MAGI is above $10,000.
Does a retirement plan at work cover you or your spouse? This has no impact on your contribution to a Roth.
Withdrawals
You may withdraw contributions at any time, tax-free and penalty-free, as you have already paid income taxes on the contribution. But what about earnings?
Let’s review four scenarios:
1. Over 59½ AND the Roth is held more than five years
- You’ve met the five-year holding requirement. Withdrawals are tax- and penalty-free.
2. Over 59½ AND the Roth is held less than five years
- If you haven’t met the five-year holding requirement, earnings are subject to taxes but not penalties.
3. Under 59½ AND the Roth is held less than five years
- The earnings may be subject to taxes and penalties. Some of the exceptions to penalties are illustrated in Table 2.
| Table 2: Exceptions to the 10% Penalty for Early Withdrawal of Roth (under 59½) | |||
| Exception | NOT subject to 10% penalty in these circumstances | Roth held over 5 years | Roth held less than 5 years |
| Birth or adoption | Up to $5,000 per child | Yes | Yes |
| Disability | Total or permanent | Yes/Yes* | Yes |
| Death | Death of IRA owner | Yes/Yes* | Yes |
| Survivor of domestic abuse | Up to the lesser of $10,000 or 50% of the account | Yes | Yes |
| Federally qualified disaster | Up to $22,000 | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Qualified expenses | Yes | Yes |
| Emergency personal expenses | Up to the lesser of $1,000 or account balance over $1,000 | Yes | Yes |
| Qualified first-time homebuyers | Up to $10,000 lifetime | Yes/Yes* | Yes |
| Medical | Amount of unreimbursed medical expenses (>7.5% of AGI) | Yes | Yes |
| Medical | Health insurance premiums paid while unemployed | Yes | Yes |
| Levy | IRS levy of the plan | Yes | Yes |
*Not subject to taxes or a penalty on earnings
Data Source: IRS, Charles Schwab
4. Under 59½ AND the Roth is held more than five years
Your earnings will not be subject to taxes/penalties if you meet one of the following conditions: See Table 2.
- You use the withdrawal (up to a $10,000 lifetime maximum) for a first-time home purchase.
- You become totally disabled or pass away.
The exception for substantially equal payments also applies to Roth IRAs.
3. The SEP-IRA
A SEP-IRA plan is designed for small businesses and self-employed individuals. Contribution limits are tax deductible to the employer, growth is tax-deferred, and withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income.
The SEP-IRA contribution limit for 2024 is 25% of an employee’s total compensation, up to $69,000.
The SEP-IRA contribution limit for 2025 is 25% of an employee’s total compensation, up to $70,000.
Contributions must be made by the employer and can vary each year between 0% and 25% of compensation (up to the year’s limit). Each eligible employee must receive the same percentage.
Self-employed individuals may make employer contributions on their own behalf.
Summary
Retirement accounts provide numerous benefits. We believe that they are essential for a secure retirement. As we’ve highlighted, they offer flexibility but also introduce a certain level of complexity. We want to emphasize that we are here to assist you with questions you may have.