You can have both a 401(k) and a Roth IRA at the same time. Contributing to both is not only allowed but can be an effective savings strategy for retirement. There are, however, some income and contribution limits that determine your eligibility to contribute to both types of accounts.
Making your 401(k) and IRA work together
If your 401(k) has limited investment options consider opening either a traditional or a Roth IRA and contribute the annual maximum. Next, if you can, put more money in your company plan until you max it out.
You can contribute up to $20,500 in 2022 to a 401(k) plan. If you're 50 or older, the annual contribution maximum jumps to $27,000. You can also contribute up to $6,000 to a Roth IRA in 2022. That jumps to $7,000 if you're 50 or older.
Contributing to both types of accounts in the same year can allow you to defer income tax on as much as $25,500 if you are 49 or younger and $33,000 at age 50 or older. The tax benefits of maxing out both a 401(k) and IRA can be significant.
If your employer offers a Roth 401(k) as an option in their plan, you can contribute to it and contribute to a Roth IRA. You can contribute to both accounts if you stay below the $19,500 limit for a Roth 401(k) and the $6,000 limit for a Roth IRA.
You can contribute to a Roth 401(k) as well as a traditional 401(k), and your employer can contribute to both if they offer matching. However, employer matches to your traditional 401(k) go directly into your account, whereas with a Roth 401(k), matched funds are deposited into a separate tax-deferred account.
(Note: If you invest in both a Roth 401(k) and a traditional 401(k), the total amount of money you can contribute to both plans can't exceed the annual maximum for your age, either $19,500 or $26,000 for 2021. If you do exceed it, the IRS might hit you with a 6% excessive-contribution penalty.)
Ages 35-44
Fidelity says by age 40, aim to have a multiple of three times your salary saved up. That means if you're earning $75,000, your retirement account balance should be around $225,000 when you turn 40.
The maximum salary deferral amount that you can contribute in 2019 to a 401(k) is the lesser of 100% of pay or $19,000. However, some 401(k) plans may limit your contributions to a lesser amount, and in such cases, IRS rules may limit the contribution for highly compensated employees.
If you participate in an employer's retirement plan, such as a 401(k), and your adjusted gross income (AGI) is equal to or less than the number in the first column for your tax filing status, you are able to make and deduct a traditional IRA contribution up to the maximum of $6,000, or $7,000 if you're 50 or older, in ...
By age 30, you should have saved an amount equal to your annual salary for retirement, as both Fidelity and Ally Bank recommend. If your salary is $75,000, you should have $75,000 put away. How do you do that? “When starting your career, commit to automatic savings of 20% per year into your 401(k).
The Bottom Line
As long as you meet eligibility requirements, such as having earned income, you can contribute to both a Roth and a traditional IRA. How much you contribute to each is up to you, as long as you don't exceed the combined annual contribution limit of $6,000, or $7,000 if you're age 50 or older.
Key Takeaways
Contributing as much as you can—at least 15% of your pre-tax income—is recommended by financial planners. The rule of thumb for retirement savings says you should first meet your employer's match for your 401(k), then max out a Roth 401(k) or Roth IRA, then go back to your 401(k).
Most financial planning studies suggest that the ideal contribution percentage to save for retirement is between 15% and 20% of gross income. These contributions could be made into a 401(k) plan, 401(k) match received from an employer, IRA, Roth IRA, and/or taxable accounts.
If you are earning $50,000 by age 30, you should have $50,000 banked for retirement. By age 40, you should have three times your annual salary. By age 50, six times your salary; by age 60, eight times; and by age 67, 10 times. 8 If you reach 67 years old and are earning $75,000 per year, you should have $750,000 saved.
So, to answer the question, we believe having one to one-and-a-half times your income saved for retirement by age 35 is a reasonable target. It's an attainable goal for someone who starts saving at age 25. For example, a 35-year-old earning $60,000 would be on track if she's saved about $60,000 to $90,000.
The short answer is yes, you can have multiple 401(k) accounts at a time. In fact, it's rather common for people to have an old 401(k) account (or several) from their previous employer(s), in addition to their current one.
By age 50, retirement-plan provider Fidelity recommends having at least six times your salary in savings in order to retire comfortably at age 67. By age 55, it recommends having seven times your salary.
This is a difficult question because it depends on many things, such as your pre-retirement annual income, expenses, and retirement goals. However, in general, $150,000 is a good retirement income.
Retirement experts have offered various rules of thumb about how much you need to save: somewhere near $1 million, 80% to 90% of your annual pre-retirement income, 12 times your pre-retirement salary.
But if you can supplement your retirement income with other savings or sources of income, then $6,000 a month could be a good starting point for a comfortable retirement.
You can have more than one Roth IRA, and you can open more than one Roth IRA at any time. There is no limit to the number of Roth IRA accounts you can have. However, no matter how many Roth IRAs you have, your total contributions cannot exceed the limits set by the government.
In most cases, your tax situation should dictate which type of 401(k) to choose. If you're in a low tax bracket now and anticipate being in a higher one after you retire, a Roth 401(k) makes the most sense. If you're in a high tax bracket now, the traditional 401(k) might be the better option.
Keep in mind that the maximum contribution is an aggregate limit across all of your 401(k) plans; you cannot save $19,500 in a traditional 401(k) and another $19,500 in a Roth 401(k).