The Retirement Numbers
What are the 2026 limits, thresholds, premiums, and deductions, and where does each come from? Every piece below can be linked to, so it opens in a window on your reader's screen, current as of the record. No form to fill in.
2026 law · Reviewed September 5, 2026 · The full page, with methodology and sources · the terms · All tools
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The facts and all six 2026 tables in one window, a tab for each, every figure with the release that set it. A link can open on one tab (#medicare). Nothing typed, nothing tracked; the year and review date sit at the top. In a frame it carries no cookies, no tracking, and a visible link back to the methodology. Your site has to allow frames; most do. The link that opens it in a small window is on the professionals page.
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- In plain words.
- Every year the government publishes new limits and thresholds: how much you can put in a 401(k) or an IRA, the Social Security cost-of-living increase, the Medicare premiums and income tiers, the standard deduction, the gift limit. This tool collects them in one page, sorted by topic, with a link to the notice each came from.
- Why it matters.
- These are the numbers that decisions get made against all year: how much to save, whether a withdrawal will raise Medicare premiums, how much to give. Having them sourced means you can cite them, not just remember them.
- An example.
- This year the 401(k) contribution limit is $24,500, with an extra $8,000 for people 50 and older and $11,250 instead for people 60 through 63.
- Where it stops.
- It states the figures. It does not apply them to your return, and a figure that indexes with inflation will change next year.
The facts
Eight of the 2026 figures people ask for most, one sentence each, from the releases that set them.
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- The 2026 401(k), 403(b), and 457 deferral limit is $24,500. The catch-up for people 50 and over is $8,000; for people who are 60 through 63 during the year it is $11,250 instead.
- The 2026 IRA limit is $7,500, with a $1,100 catch-up from age 50. A qualified charitable distribution from an IRA is capped at $111,000 for the year.
- The 2026 HSA limits are $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage, plus $1,000 from age 55.
- Social Security benefits rose 2.8% for 2026. Wages are taxed for Social Security up to $184,500. Before full retirement age, $24,480 of earnings is exempt from the earnings test.
- The thresholds that make Social Security benefits taxable, $25,000 single and $32,000 joint, have not changed since the 1980s and 1990s and are not indexed.
- The standard Medicare Part B premium is $202.90 a month in 2026. Income-related surcharges begin above $109,000 of 2024 income on an individual return and $218,000 on a joint return.
- The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 single and $32,200 joint, with $1,650 more per spouse over 65 ($2,050 if unmarried), and a further $6,000 per person over 65 for 2025 through 2028, phasing out above $75,000 single and $150,000 joint.
- The 2026 annual gift exclusion is $19,000 per recipient. The federal estate and gift exclusion is $15,000,000 per person; Illinois taxes estates above $4,000,000.
Retirement plans and IRAs
Every 2026 plan and IRA figure from the IRS notice, in one table.
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| Limit | 2026 | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 401(k), 403(b), 457, TSP elective deferral | $24,500 | |
| Catch-up, age 50 and over | $8,000 | Roth-only for prior-year wages over $150,000 |
| Catch-up, ages 60 through 63 | $11,250 | Instead of the age-50 amount, in the years you are 60, 61, 62, or 63 |
| Defined contribution total (employee + employer) | $72,000 | § 415(c) |
| Defined benefit annual limit | $290,000 | § 415(b) |
| Compensation counted | $360,000 | § 401(a)(17) |
| Highly compensated employee | $160,000 | Unchanged |
| SIMPLE deferral | $17,000 | Catch-up $4,000; ages 60–63 $5,250 |
| IRA contribution | $7,500 | Catch-up $1,100 from age 50 |
| Traditional IRA deduction phase-out, covered by a plan | $81,000 to $91,000 single | $129,000 to $149,000 joint; $242,000 to $252,000 if only the spouse is covered |
| Roth IRA contribution phase-out | $153,000 to $168,000 single | $242,000 to $252,000 joint |
| Qualified charitable distribution | $111,000 | From age 70½; $55,000 one-time to a split-interest entity |
| Qualified longevity annuity contract premium | $210,000 | Unchanged |
Health savings accounts
The HSA contribution limits and the plan definitions they depend on.
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| Figure | Self-only | Family |
|---|---|---|
| HSA contribution limit | $4,400 | $8,750 |
| Catch-up from age 55 (per account holder) | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Minimum deductible to qualify | $1,700 | $3,400 |
| Maximum out-of-pocket to qualify | $8,500 | $17,000 |
Medicare
The standard premium and deductibles, and each income tier with its monthly Part B and Part D surcharges.
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| Figure | 2026 | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Part B standard premium, monthly | $202.90 | |
| Part B deductible, annual | $283 | |
| Part A inpatient hospital deductible | $1,736 | Per benefit period |
| Income up to $109,000 single / $218,000 joint | Part B $202.90 | Part D surcharge $0.00 |
| Income over $109,000 to $137,000 single / over $218,000 to $274,000 joint | Part B $284.10 | Part D surcharge $14.50 |
| Income over $137,000 to $171,000 single / over $274,000 to $342,000 joint | Part B $405.80 | Part D surcharge $37.50 |
| Income over $171,000 to $205,000 single / over $342,000 to $410,000 joint | Part B $527.50 | Part D surcharge $60.40 |
| Income over $205,000 to $500,000 single / over $410,000 to $750,000 joint | Part B $649.20 | Part D surcharge $83.30 |
| Income $500,000+ single / $750,000+ joint | Part B $689.90 | Part D surcharge $91.00 |
Deductions, exclusions, and brackets
The figures on the tax return itself.
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| Figure | 2026 | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Standard deduction | $16,100 single · $32,200 joint · $24,150 head of household | |
| Additional standard deduction, 65 or older or blind | $1,650 per condition | $2,050 if unmarried and not a surviving spouse |
| Deduction for seniors (OBBBA) | $6,000 per person 65+ | 2025 through 2028; phases out above $75,000 single / $150,000 joint MAGI; itemizers too |
| 37% bracket begins | $640,600 single · $768,700 joint | $16,000 for a trust |
| Long-term capital gains, 0% up to | $49,450 single · $98,900 joint | 15% up to $545,500 / $613,700 |
| Net investment income tax threshold | $200,000 single · $250,000 joint | 3.8%; not indexed |
| Annual gift exclusion | $19,000 | $194,000 to a non-citizen spouse |
| Federal estate and gift exclusion | $15,000,000 | Per person; portable between spouses |
| Illinois estate tax exclusion | $4,000,000 | Not portable |
The ages
The ages that unlock or require something, with the figure attached where there is one.
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| Age | What happens | 2026 figure |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Catch-up contributions begin | $8,000 plan · $1,100 IRA |
| 55 | HSA catch-up; rule of 55 for a 401(k) after leaving that employer | $1,000 |
| 59½ | Early-withdrawal penalty on retirement accounts ends | |
| 60 to 63 | The larger catch-up replaces the age-50 amount | $11,250 |
| 62 | Earliest Social Security claiming age, reduced | Earnings test $24,480 |
| 63 | The Medicare lookback year begins: this year's income sets the premium at 65 | |
| 65 | Medicare; the additional standard deduction; the senior deduction | $1,650 + $6,000 |
| 66 to 67 | Full retirement age, by birth year | |
| 70 | Delayed retirement credits stop | |
| 70½ | Qualified charitable distributions from an IRA | $111,000 |
| 73 or 75 | Required minimum distributions begin (born before 1960: 73; from 1960: 75) |
Cite and link.
The clean address, a citation generated from the record so it can never carry a stale review date, and an address for every section so you can point a reader at the exact table or method.
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- Link
- https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers
- Citation
- Considerate Capital, "The Retirement Numbers," reviewed September 5, 2026, https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers.
Link to a section
- The facts https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#facts
- Retirement plans and IRAs https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#plans
- Health savings accounts https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#hsa
- Social Security https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#social-security
- Medicare https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#medicare
- Deductions, exclusions, brackets https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#deductions
- The ages https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#ages
- Methodology https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#methodology
- Sources https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#sources
- Revision history https://consideratecapital.com/tools/retirement-numbers#revision-history
Everything here reads from one reviewed record, so a copied piece carries its year and its review date. When the law moves, the embed updates by itself; a copied table or chart keeps the year in its caption. Corrections are welcome through the contact page.