The formulas
- Limit = lesser of $72,000 and 100% of compensation
- Annual additions = deferrals + employer contributions + forfeitures + after-tax contributions
- Room = limit - annual additions
How it works
Section 415(c) caps the total added to a participant's defined contribution accounts in a year. The statute sets the cap at the lesser of a dollar amount and 100 percent of compensation. Notice 2025-67 raises the dollar amount to $72,000 for 2026.
Annual additions include employee deferrals, employer match and profit sharing, forfeitures reallocated to the account and after-tax contributions. Catch-up contributions under section 414(v) are not subject to section 415(c) in the year made and are left out. Section 415 combines plans of the same employer, so enter totals across those plans.
Illustrative figures only. Check the result against your firm's methodology before relying on it.
Common questions
Does the limit include catch-up deferrals?
No. Section 414(v)(3)(A) exempts catch-up contributions from section 415(c) for the year they are made.
What if the participant earns more than $72,000?
Then the dollar amount is the lesser figure, so the limit is $72,000.
What happens to an excess?
The plan must correct it under the IRS correction programs, for example by returning or reallocating the excess.
Sources
- IRS Notice 2025-67, 2026 Amounts Relating to Retirement Plans and IRAs
- 26 U.S.C. 415 Limitations on benefits and contribution under qualified plans, Cornell LII
- 26 U.S.C. 414 Definitions and special rules (catch-up contributions, subsection (v)), Cornell LII
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