Retirement Savings Contribution Credit (Saver's Credit)

Low to middle income taxpayers may be able to claim the retirement savings contribution credit, sometimes known as the saver's credit, for taxpayers who make eligible contributions to certain tax-advantaged retirement plans. The saver's credit was enacted as a temporary provision in 2002, then became a permanent part of the tax code in 2006. The credit may be up to $1,000 for a contribution of $2,000, although because the credit is nonrefundable, the maximum amount will be limited by the taxpayer's ordinary income tax liability. The credit may be 10%, 20%, or even 50%, of contributions of up to $2,000, depending on the taxpayer's filing status, and modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), which is adjusted gross income (AGI) increased by any exclusion for foreign earned income or income from Puerto Rico or American Samoa, or by any foreign housing exclusion or deduction. For most Americans, MAGI = AGI.

Upper MAGI Limits for Each Saver's Credit Percentage
Credit % Single,
Married Filing
Separately,
Qualifying
Widower
Head
of
Household
Married
Filing
Jointly
2023
50% $21,750 $32,625 $43,500
20% $23,750 $35,625 $47,500
10% $36,500 $54,750 $73,000
2022
50% $20,500 $30,750 $41,000
20% $22,000 $33,000 $44,000
10% $34,000 $51,000 $68,000
2021
50% $19,750 $29,625 $39,500
20% $21,500 $32,250 $43,000
10% $33,000 $49,500 $66,000
2020
50% $19,500 $29,250 $39,000
20% $21,250 $31,875 $42,500
10% $32,500 $48,750 $65,000
Source: Retirement Savings Contributions Savers Credit

A married couple filing jointly can each claim the credit for eligible contributions of up to $2,000 each. Contributions can be made by the due date of the return, not including extensions. The saver's credit is in addition to any other tax benefit to the retirement contribution.

Example 1: Calculating the Saver's Credit for a Married Couple Filing Jointly

Starting in 2027, taxpayers may receive a federal matching contribution on their retirement contribution that must be deposited in their IRA or retirement plan and cannot be withdrawn without penalty. This benefit replaces the saver's credit, but unlike the savers credit, it is not limited by tax liability.

Although you can receive this government match by contributing either to a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA, the government match must be placed in a traditional IRA or other tax-deferred account. The government giveth, but then it wants to taketh some of that away later.

Like the saver's credit, the match phases out based on income, which will be adjusted annually for inflation:

A designated beneficiary of an ABLE (A Better Life Experience) account may also claim the savers credit for contributions.

To be eligible for the credit, you must be at least 18 years of age by the end of the tax year, and cannot be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer, nor can you be a full-time student during 5 or more months during the tax year.

Eligible retirement accounts include:

To prevent taxpayers from receiving a distribution and then making a subsequent contribution to claim the saver's credit, tax rules reduce the eligible contribution by any distributions within the testing period, which covers the time beginning 2 years previous to the tax year until the due date of the current return, including extensions. So any distributions from retirement plans in 2018 and 2019 will reduce or eliminate any retirement credit that can be claimed for 2020, up until the due date of the 2020 return in 2021, including extensions. Any distributions during that time period must be subtracted from the contributions that the taxpayer made during the tax year. However, trustee-to-trustee transfers to other eligible retirement accounts, such as rollover distributions or a conversion of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, or distributions of excess contributions, are not counted.

Example 2: Calculating the Saver's Credit after Withdrawing a Retirement Contribution in a Previous Year

The saver's credit is figured on Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Contributions. Because the saver's credit is limited to ordinary income tax liability, not employment tax liability, and because other credits come before the saver's credit on Form 1040, those credits listed prior to the retirement savings contribution credit, such as the child tax credit, dependent care credit, American opportunity credit, and the lifetime learning credit, will limit the credit available. As a result, the average credit is less than $250.

Example: How Larger Retirement Contributions Can Greatly Increase Tax Savings

Although the saver's credit is limited to 50% of a $2000 contribution, the following example shows how a higher contribution can, nonetheless, significantly increase the allowable credit by decreasing AGI. Note from the 1st table at the top of this article that there is only a $1750 difference between the maximum AGI for the 50% credit and the minimum AGI for the 10% credit for the 2021 tax year. Note also that any distributions received for the current tax year, up to the due filing date, or the excess of distributions over contributions in the 2 previous years, must be subtracted from the current year contribution amount. However, if the difference between the contribution amount and the distributions is at least $2000, then it will not decrease the credit. This excess distribution provision is to prevent taxpayers from gaming the system, by claiming the saver's credit, then withdrawing the money later.

In the example below, different contribution rates and different excess distributions are compared for the same income to provide several examples of how the saver's credit affects taxable income and the tax. The 1st column shows a contribution great enough to qualify for the 50% credit and no excess distribution, while the next 2 columns show a different contribution rate of 20% and 10%, and a different excess distribution rate.

Example: Comparing the Saver's Credit at Different AGIs Resulting from Different Contribution Amounts
Given: 2021 tax year, single filing status, 40 years old 50% Credit 20% Credit 10% Credit
On Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
Wages $25,000 $25,000 $25,000
IRA Contribution (increasing the contribution decreases AGI, thereby increasing the credit %) $6,000 $3,000 $2,000
Adjusted Gross Income (Determines credit %) $19,000 $22,000 $23,000
Standard Deduction $12,550 $12,550 $12,550
Taxable Income $6,450 $9,450 $10,450
Tax Liability $645 $945 $1,055
On Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Contributions
IRA Contribution $6,000 $3,000 $2,000
Excess of Distributions Over Contributions in Prior 2 Years and Current Year, Up to Due Date
 (2018 to 2020)
$0 $1,000 $1,500
Qualified Contribution = IRA Contribution - Distributions = $6,000 $2,000 $500
Credit Base = Greater of Qualified Contribution or $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $500
On Form 8880: AGI Limits, Credit % 0.5 0.2 0.1
Maximum Credit = Credit Base × Credit % $1,000 $400 $50
Allowable Credit = Lesser of Maximum Credit or Tax Liability $645 $400 $50
Tax After Applying Credit $0 $545 $1,005
Investment Return
Additional Tax Savings from the Contribution $650 $350 $240
Total Savings = Additional Tax Savings from the Contribution + Allowable Credit $1,295 $750 $290
Instant, Risk-Free Return on Contribution = Total Savings/Contribution 21.58% 25.00% 14.50%

As you can see, contributing to an IRA or other tax-deferred retirement account can yield an instant double-digit return without any risk whatsoever!

Both the saver's credit and the healthcare premium tax credit depend on AGI: the lower the AGI, the greater the credit, within limits. So making a larger retirement contribution can offer significantly greater tax savings than just saving on the marginal tax percentage of the contribution. For example, for tax year 2019, a self-employed taxpayer who is at least 50 can contribute up to $25,000 to a solo 401(k) plan as an employee and up to $7000 to a traditional IRA, thereby lowering AGI by $32,000. Hence, it is possible for a taxpayer to earn $51,000 and still qualify for the 50% saver's tax credit and for a near maximum premium tax credit! Here is another example:
An example showing how making larger retirement contributions can increase both the saver's credit and the Premium Tax Credit to yield an instant, risk-free return of almost 40%.

Historical Information about the Saver's Credit

Upper MAGI Limits for Each Saver's Credit Percentage
Credit % Single,
Married Filing
Separately,
Qualifying
Widower
Head
of
Household
Married
Filing
Jointly
2021
50% $19,750 $29,625 $39,500
20% $21,500 $32,250 $43,000
10% $33,000 $49,500 $66,000
2020
50% $19,500 $29,250 $39,000
20% $21,250 $31,875 $42,500
10% $32,500 $48,750 $65,000
2019
50% $19,250 $28,875 $38,500
20% $20,750 $31,125 $41,500
10% $32,000 $48,000 $64,000
2018
50% $19,000 $28,500 $38,000
20% $20,500 $30,750 $41,000
10% $31,500 $47,250 $63,000
2017
50% $18,500 $27,750 $37,000
20% $20,000 $30,000 $40,000
10% $31,000 $46,500 $62,000
2016
50% $18,500 $27,750 $37,000
20% $20,000 $30,000 $40,000
10% $30,750 $46,125 $61,500
2015
50% $18,250 $27,375 $36,500
20% $19,750 $29,625 $39,000
10% $30,500 $45,750 $61,000
Source: Retirement Savings Contributions Savers Credit
Upper MAGI Limits for Each Saver's Credit Percentage
Credit % Single,
Married Filing
Separately,
Qualifying
Widower
Head
of
Household
Married
Filing
Jointly
2014
50% $18,000 $27,000 $36,000
20% $19,500 $29,250 $39,000
10% $30,000 $45,000 $60,000
2013
50% $17,750 $26,625 $35,500
20% $19,250 $28,875 $38,500
10% $29,500 $44,250 $59,000
2012
50% $17,000 $25,500 $34,000
20% $18,250 $27,375 $36,500
10% $28,250 $42,375 $56,500