Tax Credit for Contributions You may be eligible to receive a tax credit for your IRA contributions. This credit will be allowed in addition to any tax deduction that may apply, and may not exceed $1,000 in a given year. You may be eligible for this tax credit if you are • age 18 or older as of the close of the taxable year, • not a dependent of another taxpayer, and • not a full-time student. The credit is based upon your income (see chart below), and will range from 0 to 50 percent of eligible contributions. In order to determine the amount of your contributions, add all of the contributions made to your IRA and reduce these contributions by any distributions that you have taken during the testing period. The testing period begins two years prior to the year for which the credit is sought and ends on the tax return due date (including extensions) for the year for which the credit is sought. In order to determine your tax credit, multiply the applicable percentage from the chart below by the amount of your contributions that do not exceed $2,000. 2019 Adjusted Gross Income* Applicable Percentage Joint Return Head of a Household All Other Cases $1–38,500 $1–28,875 $1–19,250 50 $38,501–41,500 $28,876–31,125 $19,251–20,750 20 $41,501–64,000 $31,126–48,000 $20,751–32,000 10 Over $64,000 Over $48,000 Over $32,000 0 2020 Adjusted Gross Income* Applicable Percentage Joint Return Head of a Household All Other Cases $1–39,000 $1–29,250 $1–19,500 50 $39,001–42,500 $29,251–31,875 $19,501–21,250 20 $42,501–65,000 $31,876–48,750 $21,251–32,500 10 Over $65,000 Over $48,750 Over $32,500 0 *Adjusted gross income (AGI) includes foreign earned income and income from Guam, America Samoa, North Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. AGI limits are subject to cost-of-living adjustments each year.
Saver’s Credit for IRA Contributions A credit of up to $1,000, or up to $2,000 if married filing jointly, may be available to certain taxpayers having a joint AGI of less than $65,000 in 2020, or $66,000 in 2021. The credit may also be available to certain taxpayers who are heads of household with an AGI of less than $48,750 in 2020, $49,500 in 2021, or married individuals filing separately and singles with an AGI less than $32,500 in 2020, or $33,000 in 2021. Some of the restrictions that apply include: • the individual must be at least 18; • not a full-time student; • not declared as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return; or • any distribution from most retirement plans (qualified and non-qualified) will decrease the eligible contribution.
