IRS Form 8880: Who Qualifies for the Retirement Saver's Credit

Rebecca Lake is a journalist with 10+ years of experience reporting on personal finance. She also assists with content strategy for several brands.

Lea Uradu, J.D. is a Maryland State Registered Tax Preparer, State Certified Notary Public, Certified VITA Tax Preparer, IRS Annual Filing Season Program Participant, and Tax Writer.

What Is IRS Form 8880?

IRS Form 8880 reports contributions made to qualified retirement savings accounts. This form determines whether you qualify for the retirement saver's credit and how much money you can claim.

The saver's credit is a tax credit that's available to individuals who make contributions to eligible retirement plans, including:

• Individual retirement accounts (IRAs), both traditional and Roth
• Employer-sponsored plans, such as 401(k)s
• Achieving a Better Life (ABLE) accounts

If you add to any of these accounts, complete Form 8880 and submit it with your Form 1040 when filing your tax return.

Key Takeaways

• IRS Form 8880 calculates how much of a tax credit you may qualify for if you contribute to an eligible retirement savings plan.
• Eligible plans to which you can make contributions and claim the credit include traditional and Roth IRAs and 401(k), 457(b), and 403(b) plans.
• To be eligible for the credit, you must be at least 18 years old, not a student, and not claimed as a dependent on another person's return.
• Calculate your adjusted gross income (AGI) for the year and add your total retirement savings contributions to complete Form 8880.
• Form 8880 can be printed out and filed with a paper return or completed electronically if you plan to file your taxes online.

Who Can File IRS Form 8880?

Anyone who plans to claim the saver's credit on their taxes will complete Form 8880 and file it with their tax return.

To be eligible for the saver's credit, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Not a student
• Not claimed as a dependent on another person's tax return

If you meet those criteria, complete Form 8880 to determine the tax credit you may claim for your retirement plan contributions.

For IRS purposes, you're considered a student if you were enrolled full-time at a school or took a full-time, non-farm training course given by a school or a state, county, or local government agency for any part of five calendar months of the tax year.

How to File IRS Form 8880

You can file Form 8880 by printing out a copy of the form and completing it, then mailing it to the IRS. If you prefer to file your taxes electronically, you can complete Form 8880 online. If you're using online tax filing software, you can follow the prompts to enter the correct information and calculate the credit.

It's helpful to understand how these calculations work, especially if you're completing the form by hand. The one-page form is simple, but it does require that you enter specific information.

You must include total contributions to traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and ABLE accounts for the year (not including rollover amounts). You must also include total elective deferrals to a 401(k) or another qualified employer plan

You also need to know your adjusted gross income (AGI), because this determines the percentage of the credit you can claim. The saver's credit is worth 10%, 20%, or 50% of your:

• Traditional or Roth IRA contributions
• Elective salary deferral contributions to a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), SARSEP, or SIMPLE plan
• Voluntary after-tax employee contributions made to a qualified retirement plan (including the federal Thrift Savings Plan) or 403(b) plan
• 501(c)(18)(D) plan contributions
• ABLE account contributions

$1,000

The maximum credit you may qualify for if you're a single filer. The maximum credit is $2,000 if you're married and file a joint return.

Saver's Credit Amounts (2023 and 2024)

The following table illustrates the saver's credit you may be able to claim for 2023, based on your income.

If you plan to file your return electronically, you can complete Form 8880 online. This may be the simpler option, as your tax filing software program can carry over your adjusted gross income amounts for you to help when calculating the credit.

All you'll need to do is enter the amount you contributed to any eligible retirement plans along with any amounts that were distributed from those accounts prior to the tax filing deadline.

Filing a tax extension gives you extra time to file, but not extra time to pay. If you owe taxes, penalties and interest can accrue as long as your taxes remain unpaid.

Form 8880 is due at the same time as your regular tax return each year. For 2023 taxes, the tax filing deadline is April 15, 2024. If you need more time to complete your return, you can request a six-month extension by completing Form 4868.

Who Has to File Form 8880?

Anyone who intends to claim the saver's credit on their taxes will need to file Form 8880; however, not everyone is eligible to receive the saver's credit. That is determined by an individual's income.

Who Is Eligible for the Saver's Credit?

You are eligible for the saver's credit if you are 18 or older, not claimed as a dependent on another person’s return, and not a student. If you meet these criteria, then the amount of your credit is determined by your adjusted gross income (AGI).

What Is the Contribution Limit for a 401(k) Plan?

The contribution limit for a 401(k) plan is $22,500 in 2023. If you are aged 50 or older, you can contribute an additional $7,500—$6,500 plus a $1,000 catch-up contribution—to an IRA. In 2024, individuals are allowed to contribute up to $23,000 to their 401(k) and $7,000 to their IRA, plus the additional $1,000 catch-up contribution for those aged 50 and above (for a total IRA contribution of $8,000).

The Bottom Line

Form 8880 reports your contributions to qualified retirement accounts. It is primarily used to determine whether you qualify for the retirement saver's credit and, if you do, how much money you can claim.

The saver's credit applies to individual retirement accounts (IRAs), employer-sponsored plans, such as 401(k)s, and Achieving a Better Life (ABLE) accounts.

1. Internal Revenue Service. "Retirement Savings Contributions Credit (Saver's Credit)."
2. Internal Revenue Service. "2023 Form 8880."
3. Internal Revenue Service. "2024 Limitations Adjusted as Provided in Section 415(d), etc.,” Page 3.
4. Internal Revenue Service. “Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return,” Page 2.
5. Internal Revenue Service. "401(k) Limit Increases to $23,000 for 2024, IRA Limit Rises to $7,000."

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