How Married Couples Can Max Out Their Retirement Accounts

How Married Couples Can Max Out Their Retirement Accounts

Married couples can often claim twice the retirement savings tax breaks of single people. Couples can also strategically save in their respective workplace retirement accounts to get the best possible employer contributions and investment options. Here's how to maximize the value of retirement accounts as a couple.

401(k) plans. If you and your spouse both have 401(k) accounts through your jobs, you can each defer paying taxes on $18,000 in 2016, or as much as $36,000 as a couple. And once you turn age 50 or older, you can each contribute an additional $6,000 to a 401(k). A married couple, both over 50 and with a 401(k) account at work, could potentially defer paying income tax on as much as $48,000 in a single year.

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