Claude on Question 49, Sep 29

For 2025, here are the numbers:

Contribution limit (age 50+)

• •Base limit: $7,000
• •Catch-up contribution (age 50 or older by Dec. 31, 2025): $1,000
• •Total: $8,000

Note that this $8,000 is a combined cap across all your IRAs (traditional + Roth), and it's also limited by your taxable compensation for the year — you can't contribute more than you earned.

Income phase-out for single filers (MAGI)

• •Under $150,000: full $8,000 allowed
• •$150,000 – $165,000: reduced amount
• •$165,000 or more: no direct Roth contribution

The reduction is roughly proportional across that $15,000 band. For example, if your MAGI is $157,500 (halfway through the range), you could contribute about $4,000. The IRS rounds the result to the nearest $10, and if you're eligible for anything at all, you can contribute at least $200.

For reference, married filing jointly phases out from $236,000 to $246,000.

A couple of practical points

• •You have until the tax filing deadline (April 15, 2026) to make 2025 contributions.
• •If you're above the limit, the "backdoor Roth" — a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution followed by a conversion — is a common workaround, but the pro-rata rule can create an unexpected tax bill if you hold other pre-tax IRA money (including SEP or SIMPLE IRAs). Worth running past a tax professional before you do it.