President Joe Biden has now signed into law the year-end legislation that will fund the government into 2023. That legislation also contained the Secure Act 2.0 law that will increase retirement plan catch-up contribution limits from $7,500 in 2023 to $10,000 for taxpayers aged 60, 61, 62 or 63 for tax years beginning after 2024 (the catch-up contribution limit will be increased to $5,000 for SIMPLE retirement plans).
For IRAs, the $1,000 catch-up contribution limit will also be indexed for inflation beginning in tax years after 2023. Starting in tax years beginning after 2023, however, all catch-up contributions will be treated as Roth contributions.
We asked professors Robert Bloink and William Byrnes, authors of ALM’s Tax Facts with opposing political viewpoints, to share their opinions about the “rothification” of catch-up contributions to retirement plans.
Below is a summary of the debate that ensued between the two professors.
Their Votes:
Their Reasons:
Bloink: This new change is bound to benefit American taxpayers in the long run. Many taxpayers don’t fully understand the benefits of diversifying their retirement savings with a Roth option. Instead, they tend to focus solely on the up-front tax break offered by traditional accounts. Taxpayers who are able to take advantage of the expanded catch-up contribution limits will also benefit by diversifying their overall retirement savings portfolio.