SaversMatchGuide

The Saver's Match adds 50¢to every retirement dollar.

Up to $1,000 a year, deposited straight into your retirement account. Your exact number is below — it takes a minute.

Check my matchCheck eligibility first

Live estimate · 2027

How the match works

First, you save in 2027.

Contributions from January 1, 2027 count: elective deferrals to a 401(k), 403(b), or governmental 457(b), plus traditional and Roth IRA contributions (which you can make as late as April 15, 2028, designated for 2027). The first $2,000 is the amount that matters.

Roth IRA contribution · March 2027

$2,000

counts in full toward the $2,000 cap

Then the government matches it, 50¢ on the dollar.

Half of what you saved, up to $1,000, reduced by whole percentage points only if your MAGI climbs through the phase-out range (above $41,000 on a joint return, $30,750 head of household, $20,500 single).

Your match

$1,000

50¢ per $1 saved · at or below your full-match line

In 2028, you claim it and it lands in your account.

File the new Form 8880-A with your 2027 return. The Treasury deposits the match directly into a non-Roth vehicle (a traditional IRA or the non-Roth part of your 401(k)-type plan), where it grows like any other contribution. Roth savings still count toward earning it; the deposit itself just can't land in a Roth.
The United States Treasury building in Washington, DC — the department that pays the Saver's Match deposits
The match is paid by the U.S. Treasury, not by your bank or employer. “United States Treasury building 2023” by Wisneyykarin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The four numbers that decide it

$1,000
Maximum match per person, per year. On a joint return each spouse earns a separate match, so a couple can collect $2,000.
$2,000
The contribution cap. Only your first $2,000 of 2027 contributions earns the match — saving beyond that adds nothing.
50¢
Match rate for every $1 saved. In the phase-out range the rate drops in whole percentage points, never mid-point.
$41,000
Joint-return MAGI for the full 50% match. Single and married-filing-separately: $20,500. Head of household: $30,750.
2028
When you claim: Form 8880-A filed with your 2027 return, with the deposit made by the Treasury into your retirement account.

The phase-out, checked at real incomes: single filer, $2,000 saved

MAGI $20,500

50%

$1,000 match

MAGI $24,000

39%

$780 match

MAGI $30,000

19%

$380 match

MAGI $35,500

0%

no match

Worked check at $30,000: 50 × (30,000 − 20,500) ÷ 15,000 = 31.67, floored to 31 points → 50 − 31 = 19% → 19% × $2,000 = $380.

A World War II era poster: a hand drops a coin into a coin bank shaped like the map of the United States, reading Buy a Share in America
Washington has rewarded American savers before — war savings stamps and bonds paid interest on small, regular saving a century ago. The Saver's Match is that idea, aimed at retirement. “Buy a Share in America,” U.S. Treasury, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Your 2027 match, calculated

Estimates use the exact rules in IRC §6433 and IRS Notice 2026-48: the phase-out floors to whole percentage points, withdrawals are tested over the statutory period, and joint filers are calculated per spouse.

Want a second opinion on your eligibility? Use the step-by-step eligibility checker.

The 2027 income limits

2027 figures · MAGI limits by filing status — after 2027 the full-match line adjusts for inflation in $1,000 steps; the phase-out range width does not.
Filing statusFull 50% match, MAGI up toReduced match, MAGI up toNo match, MAGI at or above
Single$20,500$35,499$35,500
Married filing jointly$41,000$70,999$71,000
Surviving spouse$41,000$70,999$71,000
Head of household$30,750$53,249$53,250
Married filing separately$20,500$35,499$35,500

Within the middle column the match rate falls in whole percentage points: points removed = 50 × (MAGI − full-match line) ÷ range width, floored. Source: IRC §6433; IRS Notice 2026-48 (Q&A C-2, B-4).

Full explanation, the phase-out math, and the 2026 Saver's Credit comparison sit on the income limits page.

Questions, answered precisely

When does the Saver's Match start?

It applies to contributions made for tax year 2027, starting January 1, 2027. You claim it on your 2027 return, which you file in 2028. Contributions made in 2026 still fall under the old Saver's Credit.

How much do I have to save to get the full $1,000?

Contribute $2,000 during 2027 to a qualifying account and keep your MAGI at or below the full-match line for your filing status — for example $41,000 if you are married filing jointly, or $20,500 if single. The government then deposits $1,000 into your retirement account.

Can my spouse and I each get the match?

Yes. On a joint return each spouse is calculated separately: each can qualify for up to $1,000, so a married couple can receive up to $2,000 combined. Your incomes are added together for the MAGI test, but each spouse needs their own qualifying contributions and their own retirement account to receive the deposit.

When does the money actually arrive?

The match is claimed with your 2027 tax return on the new Form 8880-A and deposited into your retirement account by the Treasury after the IRS processes the return — so in practice during 2028. The IRS has not yet finalized every detail of how the deposit is directed to your account; proposed regulations are pending.

How is MAGI calculated for the Saver's Match?

Start with adjusted gross income, then add back your own pre-tax retirement contributions (401(k)-type salary deferrals and deductible traditional IRA contributions) and any excluded foreign earned income. Pre-tax retirement savings do not reduce your MAGI; that is the most common misunderstanding. Joint filers combine both spouses' income.

What if I withdraw money from my retirement account?

Distributions during the testing period reduce your qualifying contributions. The testing period covers the current year, the two preceding years, and the stretch after year-end through your filing deadline including extensions. Certain distributions such as plan loans, returned excess contributions, and rollovers do not count.

Can I get both the Saver's Match and the Saver's Credit?

Generally no. Starting in 2027 the Saver's Match replaces the Saver's Credit for retirement plan and IRA contributions; you cannot receive both for the same contribution. The one exception: ABLE account contributions do not earn the match, and they can still earn the Saver's Credit.

Can the match go into my Roth IRA?

No. Your Roth contributions count toward earning the match, but the matched dollars themselves can only be deposited into a non-Roth vehicle: a traditional IRA or the non-Roth part of a 401(k), 403(b), or governmental 457(b) that accepts the deposit.

What if my match comes out to less than $100?

You can elect to receive it as a refundable credit paid with your refund instead of having it deposited into a retirement account. This election is made per person, so on a joint return one spouse could take the cash and the other take the deposit.

Set your 2027 contribution with your real number, not a guess.

Check my matchHow it compares with the old credit