2011 retirement adjustments

IRS provided the TY11 cost of living adjustments for pension plans and other retirement-related programs. The limits for the most part remain the same as in TY10 or increase modestly. Of most interest to EAs are:

• The contribution limit remains $16,500 for employees participating in § 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) plans (as well as the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan).
• The age 50-plus catch-up contribution limit under those plans remains at $5,500.
• The deduction for taxpayers making contributions to a traditional IRA is phased out for singles and heads of household who are active participants in an employer-sponsored retirement plan and have modified adjusted gross incomes (AGI) between $56,000 and $66,000 (same as 2010). For married couples filing jointly, in which the spouse who makes the IRA contribution is an active participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, the income phase-out range is $90,000 to $110,000 (up from $89,000 to $109,000). For an IRA contributor who is not an active participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan and is married to someone who is an active participant, the deduction is phased out if the couple's income is between $169,000 and $179,000 (up from $167,000 and $177,000).
• The AGI phase-out range for Roth IRA contributions is $169,000 to 179,000 for married couples filing jointly (up from $167,000 to $177,000 in 2010). For singles and heads of household, the income phase-out range is $107,000 to $122,000 (up from $105,000 to $120,000). For a married individual filing a separate return who is an active participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, the phase-out range remains $0 to $10,000.