Retirement · Taxes · Seasonal
People google “IRA deadline” in September and hope April was a suggestion. It was not. The 2025 traditional/Roth window closed April 15, 2026. Form 4868 did not reopen it. The clock on this page is the next one: 2026 IRA money through April 15, 2027, a 2025 SEP through October 15 if you actually extended, and 2026 401(k) elective through December 31.
Updated 2026-09-09 · 8 min read · Educational, not tax advice. Run the deadline calculator with your MAGI, age, and what you already put in. Do not rebuild the 1099 cluster here.
| Bucket | Still open (as of Sep 2026)? | Hard stop |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 traditional / Roth IRA | No | April 15, 2026. Extension does nothing. |
| 2026 traditional / Roth IRA | Yes | April 15, 2027. Label the deposit “2026.” |
| 2025 SEP IRA | Only if Form 4868 was in | October 15, 2026 including the extension. |
| 2026 SEP / solo 401(k) employer | Yes | April 15, 2027, or Oct 15, 2027 with a 2026 extension. |
| 2026 401(k) / SIMPLE elective | Yes, via payroll | December 31, 2026. Not April. |
| Roth conversion | This calendar year | December 31. There is no prior-year conversion. |
Custodians ask “which tax year?” in January–April because two IRA years overlap. After April 15 only the current year is open. If you wire $7,500 in March 2027 and forget to say “2026,” it may post as 2027 and you will have accidentally skipped a year.
Worked slice
2026 IRA cap $7,500. Workplace plan: yes. Direct Roth is in the $153k–$168k phase-out: $4,000 Roth room (Pub. 590-A, next $10). Traditional deduction is $0 (covered single band ends at $91k). $3,500 leftover IRA room is still allowed — it is just nondeductible basis, which is the backdoor if the IRA is otherwise empty. 401(k) already $12,000 of $24,500: $12,500 elective left, but payroll has to finish by December 31.
The October leftover
Same $80k the 1099 tool uses: SE tax $11,303.64, half $5,651.82, 20% SEP shortcut ~$14,870 still fundable for 2025 through October 15, 2026. That is not a 2025 IRA. You cannot sneak a Roth IRA through a SEP deadline. Full 1099 math stays on the self-employed calculator.
| 2026 | 2025 (closed IRA) | |
|---|---|---|
| IRA / Roth under 50 | $7,500 | $7,000 |
| IRA catch-up 50+ | $1,100 | $1,000 |
| Roth MAGI phase-out, single | $153,000–$168,000 | $150,000–$165,000 |
| Roth MAGI phase-out, MFJ | $242,000–$252,000 | $236,000–$246,000 |
| Trad. deduction, single, covered | $81,000–$91,000 | $79,000–$89,000 |
| Trad. deduction, MFJ, contributor covered | $129,000–$149,000 | $126,000–$146,000 |
| SEP 415(c) cap | $72,000 | $70,000 |
| 401(k) elective / 50+ / 60–63 | $24,500 / $8,000 / $11,250 | $23,500 / $7,500 / $11,250 |
IRA money cannot exceed taxable compensation. Unemployment, Social Security, and investment income are not compensation. A non-working spouse can still use a spousal IRA on a joint return if the worker earned enough for both deposits. MAGI for Roth is not AGI with a vibes adjustment — Pub. 590-A adds back some deductions. Type a close estimate; do not scrape a live 1040 into this page.
Two different tests, same April postmark:
Nondeductible traditional + conversion is the usual high-MAGI move. It is not an IRA deadline trick. It is a basis and pro-rata trick. A leftover SEP IRA is a traditional IRA for that rule — the 1099 guide already warns you. Catch-up at 50+ is extra room on the same clocks; see catch-up.
It is not the order of operations essay (match, then HSA, then IRA, then more 401(k)). It is not a 1099 rebuild. It is not a promise that April 15, 2027 stays April 15 if Congress or a DC holiday moves tax day — confirm IRS “when to file” that spring. It is definitely not a reason to raid the emergency fund on October 14 to max a SEP you will need as cash in November.
No. April 15, 2026 was the last day. An extension to file is not an extension to fund a traditional or Roth IRA.
April 15, 2027. Mark the deposit for tax year 2026. The 2027 IRA year opens January 1, 2027 and can overlap until that April date.
No. Form 4868 moves the return, not the IRA. SEP employer contributions do follow the extended date.
October 15, 2026. You can still open a SEP for 2025. You cannot make a 2025 solo 401(k) employee deferral after December 31, 2025.
$7,500, or $8,600 if you turn 50 in 2026. Combined across traditional and Roth. Capped at taxable compensation.
Direct Roth phases out $153k–$168k single and $242k–$252k joint in 2026. Above that, use a nondeductible IRA and convert if the pro-rata rule will not wreck it.
December 31. Raise the payroll percent now. April cannot fix a 2026 elective you never deferred.
No. Same April date. MAGI changes eligibility and deductibility, not the postmark. Conversions die on December 31 of the conversion year.
Free tool
Prior-year vs this-year, Roth band, SEP if you extended, 401(k) to Dec 31, shareable URL.
If Roth is shut
Pro-rata tax if a traditional IRA still sits there. Do this before you contribute nondeductible.
Keep reading
Match first. This page is the calendar, not the stack.
1099
The $80k Schedule C check and why a SEP is the “I forgot until March” plan.
Not tax, legal, or investment advice. Confirm Notice 2025-67, Publication 590-A, Publication 560, and IRS “when to file.” Premium restore: /account.