Saver's Match Calculator

Saver's Match calculator

Enter filing status, MAGI, and each eligible person's contributions and applicable distributions. The estimate uses the 2027 statutory tables in 26 U.S.C. §6433. It is not a filing position and does not guarantee a Treasury deposit.

For the rules, tables, and worked examples behind these numbers, read the Saver's Match guide.

What this calculator estimates

The Saver's Match replaces the Saver's Credit for tax years beginning after 2026. Instead of a nonrefundable credit that only reduces tax on Form 1040, the statute directs Treasury to deposit a matching contribution into an eligible retirement vehicle after you file. The match is 50% of qualified retirement savings contributions up to $2,000 per eligible individual, reduced by MAGI phase-outs and by certain distributions.

This tool does three jobs:

1. Apply the 2027 applicable-percentage table to the MAGI you enter.
2. Net each person's contributions against applicable testing-period distributions, then cap the remainder at $2,000.
3. Flag people who are not eligible individuals — under 18 at year-end, dependents, full-time students, and disqualified nonresident aliens.

It does not file a claim, choose an account for you, or promise that a plan will accept the deposit. Custodians and plan sponsors still need IRS guidance on reporting and timing.

2027 statutory configuration

Inflation adjustments under §6433(h) begin only after 2027. For 2027 the calculator uses:

Other 2027 constants:

• Maximum eligible contribution per individual: $2,000
• Maximum match rate: 50%
• Maximum match per individual: $1,000

Head-of-household amounts are three-quarters of the joint figures. Single and MFS amounts are one-half. That is how the statute writes the table, not a rounded guess.

How the math works

The applicable percentage starts at 50%. If MAGI is at or below the threshold, it stays 50%. Otherwise:

rawReduction = 50 × (MAGI − threshold) / phase-out range
reduction = floor(rawReduction)
rate = max(0, 50 − reduction)

The rate is never below 0% and never above 50%. Fractional reductions round down to the next whole percentage point.

For each eligible person:

netContribution = max(0, contribution − applicableDistributions)
cappedContribution = min(netContribution, 2000)
match = cappedContribution × rate / 100

Joint filers share one MAGI and therefore one rate. Each spouse still has a separate $2,000 contribution cap and a separate eligibility test. The combined match is the sum of the two individual matches.

Example A. Single, MAGI $20,500, $2,000 contribution, no applicable distributions. Rate 50%. Match $1,000.

Example B. Single, MAGI $28,000, $2,000 contribution. Excess MAGI is $7,500. rawReduction is 25. Rate 25%. Match $500.

Example C. Single, MAGI $35,500, $2,000 contribution. The phase-out is complete. Rate 0%. Match $0.

Example D. Married filing jointly, MAGI $41,000, each spouse contributes $2,000. Rate 50%. Combined match $2,000.

Example E. $2,000 contribution, $600 of applicable distributions, full 50% rate. Net $1,400. Match $700.

Contributions that count

Qualified retirement savings contributions, in plain language, are:

• Deductible and nondeductible traditional IRA contributions (section 219)
• Elective deferrals to a 401(k), 403(b), SIMPLE, SARSEP, or Thrift Savings Plan
• Elective deferrals to a governmental 457(b)
• Voluntary employee contributions to a qualified plan

Employer matching contributions, profit-sharing allocations, and a prior Saver's Match deposit do not count. Roth elective deferrals can still be qualified contributions for this purpose even though the match itself cannot be deposited into a Roth account. If that distinction feels backwards, it is the statute, not a calculator quirk.

Self-employed people using a Solo 401(k) can include employee deferrals. Employer-profit-sharing pieces of a Solo 401(k) are not elective deferrals. Model the deferral first, then bring that number here.

The distribution lookback

Congress did not want people to pull money out of retirement accounts, recontribute a slice, and collect a match on the recycle. §6433(d)(2) reduces qualified contributions by applicable distributions received during the testing period:

• the tax year
• the two preceding taxable years
• the period after year-end and before the due date, including extensions, for that year's return

Not every withdrawal counts. Do not enter:

• Rollovers to another eligible retirement plan or IRA
• Timely returned IRA contributions under §408(d)(4)
• Excess-deferral and similar corrective distributions listed in §6433(d)(2)(C)
• Plan-loan offsets treated as the listed exceptions
• A portion that is paid as a rollover contribution

If you took a cash distribution that you spent, that amount usually reduces the contribution that can be matched. If you are unsure, leave the field at zero and read the IRA withdrawal tax guide before you treat a 1099-R as automatic reduction.

On a joint return, a spouse's testing-period distribution can be treated as received by the other spouse when both years are joint. The calculator lets you enter each person separately so you can apply that attribution only when it actually applies. Do not double-count the same 1099-R on both spouses unless the statute treats it that way.

Who is an eligible individual

Age 18 by December 31 of the tax year is required. Age 17 at year-end is not enough, even if the birthday is in January.

The statute also excludes:

• Anyone who is a dependent of another taxpayer for a year beginning in that calendar year
• A student as defined in section 152(f)(2) — generally a full-time student for some part of each of five calendar months
• A nonresident alien for any portion of the year, unless a §6013(g) or (h) election treats the person as a U.S. resident for chapter 1

Those tests are individual. One spouse can be eligible while the other is not. The ineligible spouse's contribution does not generate a match, and it does not raise the eligible spouse's $2,000 cap.

Where the money goes — and where it cannot go

The default is not a check. After you file a return that claims the match, Treasury is supposed to contribute it to an applicable retirement savings vehicle you designate: a traditional IRA, or the non-Roth portion of a 401(k), 403(b), or governmental 457(b) that accepts the contribution.

A Roth IRA and a designated Roth account are excluded by name. If your only IRA is a Roth, you will need a traditional IRA (or a workplace plan that can receive the match) before a deposit can land. That is why this calculator warns on every positive result. It is also why a backdoor Roth plan for the same year should be sequenced carefully: the match is a traditional-side deposit, not Roth seed money.

If the estimated match is greater than $0 and less than $100, §6433(a)(2)(B) lets you elect credit treatment instead of a deposit. Use that election when you do not have a vehicle that can accept a tiny contribution, or when a credit is simply more useful. The calculator flags the election; it does not file it.

MAGI for this provision

Saver's Match MAGI is not Roth MAGI and not ACA MAGI. §6433(f)(1) starts with AGI, determined without regard to sections 911, 931, and 933, and without regard to any exclusion or deduction allowed for the qualified retirement savings contributions made during the year.

In practice: compute AGI on a draft 1040, add back foreign earned income and possession exclusions if you used them, and add back the retirement contribution deductions that this match is based on so you cannot deduct your way into a higher rate. Use the MAGI calculator and the MAGI guide for the add-back list, then apply this statute's extra instruction. Do not paste Roth phase-out MAGI into this box and assume it is the same number.

How to use the result

Treat the output as a planning range, not a deposit confirmation.

• If the rate is 50%, you are at or below the threshold. Extra MAGI still has other costs (EITC, ACA, IRA deductibility), but it does not cut this match until you cross the line.
• If you are in the phase-out, a deductible IRA contribution has a split personality: it can create matchable contributions while the MAGI definition adds that deduction back. Workplace elective deferrals that never hit AGI are cleaner for staying under the threshold.
• If applicable distributions wipe the net contribution, contributing more this year may still leave you at zero until the testing period rolls off. Time new deferrals after a dry spell, not immediately after a cash-out.
• Unused $2,000 room is the gap between your capped net contribution and the statutory ceiling. Filling it only helps if the rate is still above zero.

For broader retirement contribution planning, start with the retirement planning hub and, if you are self-employed, the Solo 401(k) calculator. Federal brackets and withholding live on the income tax basics hub.

What this tool does not do

It does not apply state income tax, recover match amounts after an early distribution, allocate a deposit among multiple accounts, or implement the possession-payment rules for Puerto Rico and other territories. It does not know whether your 401(k) document has been amended to accept §6433 contributions. If the plan cannot take the money, you still need a traditional IRA that can.

IRS forms, publications, and electronic-filing schemas for this provision are still being written. Recalculate when those procedures are published. Until then, this is a 2027 statutory estimate.

Informational use only

This calculator is for education. It is not tax, legal, or investment advice. Matching contributions, credit elections, and account designations depend on facts, plan documents, and future IRS rules. Confirm with Publication updates, the statute, and a tax professional before you change withholding, IRA types, or workplace elections.

Saver's Match vs the old Saver's Credit

Form 8880 still matters for tax years before 2027. That credit was 10%, 20%, or 50% of contributions, nonrefundable, and it died if you owed no tax. §6433 is a deposit, not a leftover-tax sponge. A filer with zero liability can still receive a match if MAGI, eligibility, and net contributions line up. A filer who used to get a $200 credit might get a $1,000 IRA deposit — or zero, if testing-period distributions or a student status box now apply.

Do not enter a prior Saver's Credit amount as a contribution. The statute excludes any amount attributable to a Saver's Match payment itself, so you also cannot stack last year's deposit into this year's $2,000 cap.

Early distributions after the match arrives

Once Treasury funds an account, §6433(f)(6) can increase tax if you take a specified early distribution and the remaining balance is smaller than the match deposits. That is a recovery rule, not part of this calculator. If you think you will need the money within a year, a match that you immediately cash out can cost more than it is worth. Model ordinary IRA withdrawals on the IRA withdrawal tax calculator and treat Saver's Match recovery as an extra statute to read before you spend the deposit.

Inflation after 2027

§6433(h) indexes the $41,000 joint threshold for years beginning after 2027, using the section 1(f)(3) cost-of-living adjustment with a 2026 substitution year, rounded to the nearest $1,000. Head-of-household and single/MFS amounts move as three-quarters and one-half of that indexed joint figure. The $2,000 contribution cap in subsection (a)(1) is not in the inflation paragraph. Recalculate when IRS annual inflation notices list a Saver's Match line; until then, do not assume 2028 uses 2027 dollars.

Preparation checklist

1. Draft MAGI with the MAGI calculator, then add back this statute's retirement-contribution items. The MAGI guide explains why Roth MAGI is the wrong paste.
2. Inventory 1099-R amounts for the tax year, the two prior years, and post-year-end distributions before you file. Drop rollovers and the listed exceptions.
3. Confirm age 18+, dependent status, student status, and any §6013 election.
4. Open a traditional IRA if you do not have a non-Roth workplace plan that will accept the deposit.
5. If you are self-employed, pull only employee deferrals from the Solo 401(k) calculator.
6. Re-run this tool when IRS claim procedures are published.

Federal brackets and withholding sit on the income tax basics hub. Contribution strategy sits on the retirement planning hub.

Related: Saver's Match guide | MAGI calculator | What is MAGI | Solo 401(k) calculator | IRA withdrawal tax calculator | Retirement planning hub | Income tax basics hub