Rates are set by fiscal year, effective October 1 each year. Find current rates in the continental United States ("CONUS Rates").
The Saver's Credit (formerly called the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit) provides a tax incentive for low and moderate-income earners to save for retirement. A tax credit is available, which can reduce your taxes or add to your refund.
Depending of your adjusted gross income and tax filing status, you can claim the credit for 50%, 20%, or 10% of the first $2,000 you contribute during the year to a retirement account. Therefore, the maximum credit amounts that can be claimed are $1,000, $400 or $200 (the maximum credit is double these amounts if you're married filing jointly). For example, if you contribute $2,000 to your 401(k) and your spouse contributes $2,000 to her 401(k), and you file jointly, the maximum credit would be $2,000 (50% x $4,000).
Keep in mind, the Saver's Credit is a non-refundable credit. This means, it can reduce the tax you owe to zero, but it does not provide you with a tax refund for the amount of the credit that exceeds the amount of tax you owe.
You can claim the Saver's Credit for contributions to a 401(k), 403(b), 457 plan, a Simple IRA or SEP IRA. Note that you cannot claim your employer's contributions to these accounts. You can also claim the Saver's Credit for contributions to your traditional IRA or Roth IRA.
The credit amount is based on the taxpayer's:
Maximum 2016 Adjusted Gross Income for Saver's Credit Eligibility |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Credit Rate | Married Filing Jointly | Head of Household | Single, Married Filing Separately, or Qualifying Widow or Widower |
50% | up to $37,000 | up to $27,750 | up to $18,500 |
20% | $37,001 - $40,000 | $27,751 - $30,000 | $18,501 - $20,000 |
10% | $40,001 - $61,500 | $30,001 - $46,125 | $20,001 - $30,750 |
0% | over $61,500 | over $46,125 | over $30,750 |
Special rules:
Form 8880 is used to claim the saver’s credit, and its instructions have details on figuring the credit correctly.
You can only claim the creidit if you use form 1040, 1040A or 1040NR to file your federal tax return. Although IRS instructions include information about the Saver's Credit in the instructions for 1040EZ, those instructions direct you to a different form. You can't use Form 1040EZ to claim the Saver's Credit.
Begun in 2002 as a temporary provision, the saver’s credit was made a permanent part of the tax code in legislation enacted in 2006. To help preserve the value of the credit, income limits are now adjusted annually to keep pace with inflation.