Individual Retirement Account (IRA)

An individual retirement account (IRA) is a tax-advantaged investing tool that individuals use to earmark funds for retirement savings. There are several types of IRAs as of 2019: traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, and SEP IRAs. Sometimes referred to as individual retirement arrangements, investments held in IRAs can encompass a range of financial products, including stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds. A self-directed IRA is a type of traditional or Roth IRA that allows investors to make all of the investment decisions for their account and affords access to a broader range of investments, such as real estate, private placements, and tax liens.

Individual taxpayers establish traditional and Roth IRAs, while small-business owners and self-employed individuals establish SEP and SIMPLE IRAs. An IRA must be established with an institution that has received IRS approval to offer these accounts. Choices include banks, brokerage companies, federally insured credit unions, and savings and loan associations. Generally, individuals open IRAs with brokers.

In most cases, contributions to traditional IRAs are tax-deductible. If someone contributes $6,000 to their IRA, for example, they can claim that amount as a deduction on their income-tax return and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not apply income tax to those earnings. However, when that individual withdraws money from the account during retirement, those withdrawals are taxed at their ordinary income tax rate. As of 2019, annual individual contributions to traditional IRAs cannot exceed $6,000 in most cases. If you’re 50 or older, you can contribute up to $7,000 per year using catch-up contributions.

How deductible your traditional IRA contributions are can depend on whether your employer offers a retirement plan. As of 2019, if you’re a single person or file as head of household with a retirement plan available through work and a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $64,000 or less, your IRA contributions are fully deductible. If you're married filing jointly, the limit is $103,000 or less. If you earn more, you begin to lose deductions. Use this chart to figure out where you fit:

Source: IRS Website

It's also worth noting that, beginning at age 70½, holders of traditional IRAs are required to start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs), based on their account size and life expectancy. Failure to do so may result in a tax penalty equal to 50% of the amount of the required distribution. 

Roth IRA contributions are not tax-deductible, but qualified distributions are tax-free. This means that you contribute to a Roth IRA using after-tax dollars, but as the account grows, you do not face any taxes on investment gains. When you retire, you can withdraw from the account without incurring any income taxes on your withdrawals. Roths also do not have RMDs: If you don't need the money, you don't have to take it out of your account and worry about penalties for failing to do so.

Roth IRA contributions for 2019 are the same as for traditional IRAs: $6,000 unless you are 50 or older and can qualify for the catch-up contribution that raises the limit to $7,000. The catch: Not everyone qualifies to contribute to a Roth IRA. There are income limitations. As of 2019, tax filers who are married and file jointly, for example, can contribute up to the annual contribution limit if their combined MAGI is less than $193,000; the figure for those filing as single or head of household is $122,000. The details are below:

Source: IRS Website

Note: For both types of IRAs, if your tax status is married filing separately and you have not lived with your spouse for any portion of the entire tax year, you qualify for the deduction/income limits of a single person.

Self-employed individuals, such as independent contractors, freelancers and small-business owners, can set up SEP IRAs. A SEP IRA adheres to the same taxation rules for withdrawals as a traditional IRA. For 2019, SEP IRA contributions are limited to 25% of compensation or $56,000, whichever is less. 

Business owners who set up a SEP IRA for the company's employees can deduct the contributions from their reported business income and potentially secure a lower tax rate on that income. However, company employees are not allowed to contribute to their accounts, and the IRS taxes their withdrawals as income.

The SIMPLE IRA (Savings Inventive Match Plan for Employees) is also intended for small businesses and self-employed individuals. It, too, follows the same taxation rules for withdrawals as a traditional IRA. Unlike SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs allow employees to make contributions to their accounts, and the employer is required to make contributions, too. All the contributions are tax-deductible, potentially pushing the business or employee into a lower tax bracket, which can reduce one's tax bill. The SIMPLE IRA employee contribution limit for 2019 is $13,000, with a $3,000 catch-up contribution allowed for savers age 50 and older.

Use this chart to get a better sense of how the different IRAs work. Note that traditional and Roth IRAs require employment income, but the individual taxpayer chooses whether to open one, if they qualify. SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs require your employer to set up the plan; unless you are self-employed, you can't establish one on your own.