About the Saver's Credit Calculator
This saver's credit calculator estimates the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit (Form 8880) for tax year 2026. Enter your filing status, adjusted gross income, what you and your spouse contributed to IRAs, workplace plans or an ABLE account, and any recent retirement distributions, and it shows your credit rate, eligible contributions and the credit you can actually use.
The credit is worth 50%, 20% or 10% of up to $2,000 of contributions per person ($4,000 for a married couple), depending on AGI. For 2026 the AGI limits from IRS Notice 2025-67 are $48,500 / $52,500 / $80,500 for joint filers, $36,375 / $39,375 / $60,375 for heads of household and $24,250 / $26,250 / $40,250 for everyone else. You must be 18 or older, not a full-time student and not claimed as someone else’s dependent.
The saver's credit is nonrefundable, so it can only reduce your income tax to zero. The calculator estimates your federal income tax using the 2026 standard deduction and brackets and caps the credit at that amount; other credits you claim first (such as education or dependent care credits) can reduce the room further. 2026 is one of the last years of the credit: from 2027 it is replaced by the government Saver's Match deposited into your retirement account.
With the default inputs, the saver's credit you can use is $600.00. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the saver's credit calculator
- 1Choose your filing status and enter your adjusted gross income.
- 2Enter your (and your spouse’s) retirement or ABLE contributions for 2026.
- 3Enter any taxable retirement distributions received since 2024.
- 4Confirm the eligibility toggle and read the credit you can use.
Formula and method
Each person’s eligible contributions are their qualifying contributions minus taxable distributions received during the testing period (the two prior years, the current year and the period before the return due date), capped at $2,000. On a joint return, distributions of either spouse reduce both spouses’ contributions. The credit rate is 50%, 20% or 10% depending on AGI and filing status, or zero above the top limit.
Because the credit is nonrefundable it cannot exceed your income tax. The calculator estimates that tax as the 2026 federal bracket tax on AGI minus the standard deduction ($16,100 single or separate, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household). If you itemize or claim other nonrefundable credits first, the limit will differ.
- Rate(AGI)
- 50%, 20%, 10% or 0% from the 2026 AGI table
- contributions
- IRA, elective deferral, voluntary after-tax and ABLE contributions
- distributions
- Taxable retirement plan distributions in the testing period
Worked examples
Married couple, $50,000 AGI
At $50,000 AGI a joint return falls in the 20% tier ($48,501–$52,500). Eligible contributions are $2,000 (capped) plus $1,000 = $3,000, so the credit is $600. Estimated tax on $17,800 of taxable income is $1,780, enough to use the full credit.
Single, $22,000 AGI, $2,500 to a Roth IRA
AGI under $24,250 earns the 50% rate on the first $2,000, a $1,000 credit. But taxable income is only $5,900, so income tax is $590 and the nonrefundable credit is limited to $590.
Head of household with a prior withdrawal
The $500 distribution reduces the $1,500 contribution to $1,000 of eligible contributions. AGI of $38,000 is in the 20% head-of-household tier, so the credit is $200.
Married couple above the limit
Joint AGI of $81,000 is above the $80,500 limit for 2026, so no saver’s credit is available even though the couple saved $4,000.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 2026 saver's credit income limits?+
For 2026 the credit is 50% up to $48,500 AGI for joint filers ($36,375 head of household, $24,250 others), 20% up to $52,500 ($39,375 / $26,250), 10% up to $80,500 ($60,375 / $40,250), and zero above that.
Is the saver's credit refundable?+
No. It can reduce your federal income tax to zero but any excess is lost. Many lower-income savers have little tax after the standard deduction, so the usable credit is often smaller than the headline amount.
Which contributions qualify?+
Traditional and Roth IRA contributions, elective deferrals to 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), SIMPLE and SARSEP plans, voluntary after-tax contributions to qualified plans, 501(c)(18)(D) plans and contributions to your own ABLE account qualify. Rollovers do not.
Who can't claim the saver's credit?+
You cannot claim it if you are under 18, were a full-time student during any part of five calendar months of the year, or can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return.
How do distributions affect the credit?+
Taxable distributions you received in the two years before, during the tax year and before the return due date reduce your eligible contributions. On a joint return, both spouses’ distributions reduce each spouse’s contributions.
What replaces the saver's credit?+
Under SECURE 2.0, starting with 2027 tax years the credit becomes the Saver's Match: a federal matching contribution of up to $1,000 deposited directly into your IRA or retirement plan instead of a tax credit.
Tax results are estimates based on published rules and simplified assumptions. They are not tax advice — check official guidance or a tax professional for your situation.