While the markets might fluctuate over the short term, your long-term goals don’t have to. Explore how the updated 403(b) contribution and catch-up limits for 2026 can support your retirement dream. Whether you are a single professional, or have a family of your own, this article is for investors who want to make smart decisions with their 403(b) in 2026.

403(b) Contribution and Catch-Up Limits (2026)

#1 Under Age 50: Maximum contribution limit is $24,500 in 2026. No catch-up contributions allowed.

#2 Age 50 and Over: Eligible for catch-up contributions up to $8,000.

#3 Age 60 to 63: Higher catch-up contribution up to $11,250.

Learning Points

Putting Your 2026 403(b) Limits into Perspective

If your retirement planning conversations and actions are centered on a financial product or a specific strategy, you might be missing out.

Instead, you can start your retirement planning with what matters to you, or to you and your family, when you think about all your financial priorities.

Too often, specific solutions – do invest in this thing here, or don’t spend money on those things over there – lead the conversation.

Your goals and values should guide you in how you save and invest for your future.

If one of your goals is to save for retirement, knowing how much you can contribute to your 403(b) each year is essential.

With that in mind, once you’re clear about what important things you are saving for, it’s worth your time to consider these annual adjustments to 403(b) contribution limits.

Are you on track for your short-term goals, like making memories with your family by going on vacations together? How confidently are you approaching saving and investing for your long-term aspirations, like retiring?

When retirement investors like you can ignore the day-to-day market fluctuations, and stick to your long-term investment strategy and goals, you are well-positioned to capture market returns and manage the related risks over the course of your lifetime.

However, that doesn’t mean you want to ignore changes to your personal situation. For example, are you getting married, do you plan to have another child in 2026, or earn a significant compensation adjustment for 2026?

Your life events can influence your savings priorities and personal tax situation.

Do the increased 403(b) limits in 2026 help move you closer to your savings priorities? Does it mean you need to make some tradeoffs? If so, what are the right mix of solutions for you or your family?

When you’re comfortable that you’re minimizing your taxes, your living expenses are dialed in and aligned with your values, it becomes easier to save the right amounts toward your future goals and financial priorities.

With this as your backdrop, let’s review the cost-of-living adjustments for 403(b) contribution limits for 2026.

403(b) Contribution Limit for 2026

The IRS released Notice 2025-67 on November 13, 2025, detailing the cost-of-living adjustments relating to retirement plans and IRAs.[i]

In 2026, the maximum you can contribute to your 403(b) as an employee is $24,500.

403(b) Catch-Up Contribution Limit for 2026

“Catch-up contributions” allow retirement savers who are age 50 or older to contribute additional amounts into a 403(b).

In 2026, the catch-up contribution limit is $8,000.

This special provision is driven, at least in part, to make it even more appealing for retirement savers to increase retirement account contributions during “peak” earning years.

And so, applying the regular and catch-up two limits together in practice, a catch-up eligible retirement saver can contribute up to $32,500 ($24,500 + $8,000) in 2026.

403(b) Higher Catch-Up Contribution Limit for 2026

On Sept. 16, 2025 the IRS and the Department of the Treasury published final regulations for higher catch-ups.

In 2026, the higher catch-up contribution limit is $11,250 for 403(b) accounts.

Meaning, eligible retirement savers in most 403(b) plans can contribute up to $35,750 ($24,500 + $11,250) in 2026.

To be eligible for these enhanced catch-up contributions, you need to “attain age 60, 61 ,62, or 63 during the taxable year”.[ii]

Roth 403(b) Catch-Up Contribution Requirement

So, what’s the “catch” with these catch-up contributions?

If you’re considering eligible catch-up contributions, you’ll want to pay specific attention to how much you made the year before.

Specifically, if you are a catch-up eligible participant AND your FICA wages for the preceding calendar year from the employer sponsoring the plan exceed $150,000, your catch-up contributions must be designated Roth contributions in 2026.

This is commonly referred to as the Roth catch-up requirement.

As a reminder, your Roth 403(b) contributions consist of after-tax dollars – money you’ve already paid income tax on.

This allows your contributions to grow tax-free. It also means when you spend the assets in these accounts during your retirement, the contributions and growth can be tax-exempt.

15-Year Service Catch Up Contributions

There is a special 403(b) catch-up contribution allowed for employees of qualified organizations who have completed at least 15 years of service with the same eligible organization.

The following is meant to highlight some of the basics of this catch-up contribution. It’s a dense enough niche topic to warrant its own separate piece. But I digress.

The formula 403(b) savers follow to determine the maximum annual amount they can contribute is the lesser of:

$3,000,
$15,000, reduced by the amount of additional elective deferrals made in prior years because of this rule, or
$5,000 times the number of the employee’s years of service for the organization, minus the total elective deferrals made for earlier years.

Rewind to that second point above. Yeah, that one. That’s an interesting way to say that the maximum lifetime amount of the 15-year catch-up contributions is $15,000.

Of note, this 15-year catch-up contribution does not follow the mandatory Roth catch-up requirement detailed above. It does, however, require coordination with other catch-up rules.

Total Contribution Limits for Your 403(b) in 2026

The total of all employee and employer contributions, per employer, ticks up to $72,000 in 2026. This is an update to section 415(c)(1)(A) of the code for 2026.

Notably, the catch-up contributions and higher catch-up contributions push the 2026 total annual limit to $80,000 and $83,250, respectively. This is shown in the illustration below:

A Long-Term Approach to Your Family’s Goals

Hopefully you found this summary of 403(b) contribution and catch-up limits helpful and educational as you think about your savings priorities in the year ahead.

Long-term investors like you can evaluate multiple financial priorities.

In addition to evaluating how much to contribute to retirement accounts like your 403(b), we help professional and families like you understand gifting the maximum annual exclusion amount to fund your child’s 529, contributing to your dependent care FSA, reviewing your homeowners insurance, or increasing your emergency fund for example. We help you balance and align your savings priorities with your goals and values.

Taking a Strategic View of Your Finances

We help busy parents and professionals like you develop financial plans to address questions like:

How can we save for a fulfilling retirement beyond our 403(b) plans?

What does it take to save for the kids’ education and make a lifetime of memories along the way?

These causes are close to our hearts – what are our options to give even more meaningful support?

As your financial planner in Saint Louis, we can help you get organized and start feeling more confident that you are making progress towards your savings priorities.

Working with your financial planner can provide you with the right mix of accountability, collaboration, and long-term thinking.

When you know who and what are truly important, we can help you create incredible clarity about your spending and savings priorities. Clarity to confidently save for and spend on what matters.

If you’re ready to take the next step together, let’s talk.

Disclosure

This commentary is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, tax, or legal advice. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and may become outdated or otherwise superseded without notice. Investors are advised to consult with their investment professional about their specific financial needs and goals before making any investment decision.

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[i] IRS Notice 2025-67, Internal Revenue Service (November 13, 2025). 2026 Amounts Relating to Retirement Plans and IRAs, as Adjusted for Changes in Cost-of-Living. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-67.pdf

[ii] 90 FR 44527 Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service. (2025, September 16). Catch-Up Contributions. Federal Register. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/16/2025-17865/catch-up-contributions