Catch-Up Contribution

Catch-Up Contribution

Contributions to an IRA or a 401(k) over and above the maximum allowed otherwise. Account holders are allowed to make catch-up contributions if they are over 50 years of age. They were first allowed under the Economic Growth And Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and are designed to let persons save more for retirement as they near retirement without being taxed.

---

Catch-up contribution. You are entitled to make an annual catch-up contribution to your employer sponsored retirement savings plan and individual retirement account (IRA) if you're 50 or older.

The catch-up amounts, which are larger for employer plans than for IRAs, increase from time to time based on the rate of inflation.

You are eligible to make catch-up contributions whether or not you have contributed the maximum amount you were eligible for in the past. And if you participate in an employer plan and also put money in an IRA, you are entitled to use both catch-up options.

Earnings on catch-up contributions accumulate tax deferred, just as other earnings in your account do. And when your primary contributions are tax deferred, so are your catch-up contributions.

Health savings accounts (HSAs), which you're eligible to open if you have a high deductible health plan (HDHP), allow catch-up contributions if you're at least 55. Your eligibility to make any contributions to an HSA ends when you turn 65.