Still Haven't Made Your 2025 IRA Contribution? You Have Until April 15.

You kept meaning to make a 2025 IRA contribution, maybe after you got your year-end bonus. But then you got busy, and the next thing you knew, you were celebrating the new year. Now, you feel like you missed your shot.

That would be true if you were talking about a 401(k) contribution. The deadline for 2025 contributions to those accounts was Dec. 31, but the rules are more flexible for IRAs.

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You have a few more weeks to make 2025 IRA contributions

You have until the tax filing deadline for the year – April 15, 2026, for the 2025 tax year – to make IRA contributions. So you still have time if you want to do this for last year.

There are a few reasons you may want to. First, if you contribute to a traditional IRA, you get a tax break when you file your 2025 return. This could reduce your taxable income by thousands of dollars, and it may even be enough to drop you into a lower tax bracket for the year. That could lead to a larger refund, which you can use to jump-start your 2026 IRA contributions.

Making a prior-year contribution could also be a smart idea if you plan to save a lot in your IRA throughout 2026. If you make a current-year contribution, you’ll be eating up your annual contribution limit of $7,500 if you’re under 50, or $8,600 if you’re 50 or older. By making a prior-year contribution, you won’t be using any of your 2026 limit yet.

How to make a 2025 prior-year IRA contribution

Making a prior-year contribution is pretty similar to making a current-year contribution. First, know how much of your 2025 IRA contribution limit you have used up already. If you didn’t make any 2025 IRA contributions, you could contribute up to $7,000 in 2025 if you were under 50, or $8,000 if you were 50 or older. This limit applies to all your traditional and Roth IRA contributions, not to each account individually.

If you made some 2025 IRA contributions, subtract those from the annual limits above to see how much you’re still able to contribute for 2025. Then, you can choose how much you want to add to your IRA now.

Reach out to your IRA plan administrator to learn how to make a prior-year contribution. It’s best to talk to the company first, since some IRA plans default to a current-year contribution unless you specify otherwise. This can create problems when you try to claim the contribution as a tax break on your 2025 return.

It’s important to do this before you file your tax return. If you have already submitted your taxes, you will need to pay to file an amended return with the IRS. This means more time and hassle for you, although it could lead to a slightly larger tax refund for some.

What if you can’t make a prior-year contribution?

If you don’t want to amend your tax return or you don’t think you can come up with the cash you need by the tax filing deadline, skip a 2025 contribution and make it for 2026 instead as you have the cash available.

Your tax refund, if you qualify for one, could get you off to a good start. The average tax refund is $3,571 as of March 20, 2026. That could grow to be worth tens of thousands of dollars by the time you retire.

If possible, set up automatic contributions on a regular schedule to keep your momentum going. Your IRA provider may let you link a bank account to transfer funds from. Even if you only manage to set aside a few dollars each month, it builds a strong habit, and it will help improve your financial security in retirement.