Claude on Question 49, Oct 2

2025 Roth IRA Contribution Limit (Age 50)

$8,000 total — that's the $7,000 standard limit plus the $1,000 catch-up contribution for those age 50 or older.

A couple of caveats:

• •This is the combined limit across all your traditional and Roth IRAs — not $8,000 each.
• •You can't contribute more than your taxable compensation for the year (earned income, not investment income). Spousal IRAs are an exception if you file jointly.
• •The deadline for 2025 contributions is April 15, 2026.

Income Phase-Out for Single Filers (2025)

Based on modified adjusted gross income (MAGI):

For reference, married filing jointly phases out from $236,000 to $246,000, and married filing separately (if you lived with your spouse) is a tight $0 to $10,000.

How the Reduction Works

Within the phase-out range, you multiply your contribution limit by the fraction of the range you have left. For example, at a MAGI of $157,500 (halfway through the $15,000 range), you'd be able to contribute roughly $4,000. The IRS lets you round up to the nearest $10, and if the formula produces anything above $0 but under $200, you may still contribute $200.

If You're Over the Limit

Being phased out of direct contributions doesn't necessarily close the door — a "backdoor Roth" (contributing to a traditional IRA, then converting) is a common workaround. Just be aware of the pro-rata rule: if you hold pre-tax money in any traditional, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA, the conversion becomes partly taxable, which can make this strategy messier than it first appears.

Worth confirming the details with a tax professional before executing a backdoor conversion, since the pro-rata math depends on your specific IRA balances as of December 31.