Research report Taxpayer Eligibility for IRAs
Benjamin H. Harris, Christopher Geissler
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The tax code limits the extent to which individuals may take advantage of the tax benefits associated with traditional and Roth IRAs. The only eligibility criteria for contributing to a Roth IRA are income and filing status. In contrast, eligibility for deducting contributions to a traditional IRA depends on those factors as well as on whether the taxpayer and the taxpayers spouse participate in an employer-provided pension. Taxpayers are subject to an assortment of phaseout ranges based on those criteria.