The 401(k) limit 2027 is still not announced. The IRS has set almost every 2027 tax number — the brackets, the standard deduction, the credits — but the one retirement savers keep asking about is still missing. As of today, Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the IRS has not published the 2027 limits for 401(k), 403(b), 457 and IRA accounts. That means every 2027 figure you see quoted online right now is a forecast, not a rule you can plan a payroll election on.
That distinction matters. A forecast can be well reasoned and still not be the limit. Until the IRS publishes its Employee Plans cost-of-living notice, the only limits you can rely on are the 2026 ones.
What is official right now
The limits that still govern are the 2026 ones, from IRS Notice 2025-67, announced November 13, 2025. The employee deferral limit for a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 plan or Thrift Savings Plan is $24,500. The IRA limit is $7,500. The age-50 catch-up is $8,000, the ages 60–63 super catch-up is $11,250, and the total limit from all sources into a 401(k) is $72,000. For context on how last year’s limits were set, see our coverage of the 2026 tax brackets and standard deduction.
Do not confuse this with the release the IRS did publish last week. On November 5, 2026, the IRS released the tax-year 2027 inflation adjustments — almost 70 figures — in news release IR-2026-133 and Revenue Procedure 2026-35. The standard deduction rises to $16,600 single and $33,200 joint, and the Child Tax Credit rises to $2,300. But that package deliberately leaves retirement limits alone. They arrive in a separate Employee Plans cost-of-living notice, which the IRS 2026–2027 Priority Guidance Plan lists for November 2026.
The $25,500 projection — and why it is probably right
The most-watched forecast comes from Milliman, whose final estimate was published October 15, 2026. It puts the 2027 employee deferral limit at $25,500, up $1,000 from $24,500, with the age-50 catch-up rising to $8,500 and the ages 60–63 super catch-up to $11,750. The total limit from all sources would rise to $75,000.
There is a good reason this projection carries weight. The formula is fixed by law, and its last input — September CPI-U of 336.940, released October 14, 2026 — cleared the 335.122 threshold needed for $25,500. With all three third-quarter months now published, the arithmetic is settled. Only the IRS notice is outstanding. Even so, a projection is a projection. Until the notice lands, $25,500 is not the limit, and no payroll department should cap 2027 deferrals on it.
The IRA question is genuinely unsettled
The IRA limit is the one place the forecasts actually disagree. Some still say $7,500, unchanged. Others now say $8,000, and the closed third-quarter CPI math leans that way. Finbarrow’s October 24 calculation, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics third-quarter CPI-U average of 335.279, shows the threshold for an $8,000 IRA limit is 333.18 — the indexed figure comes out at $8,050, which rounds down to $8,000 under the tax code. Most of the older forecasts saying $7,500 were built on July and August CPI only, before September closed the quarter.
Treat that as one calculation site’s math, not an IRS figure. Do not headline $8,000 as official, and do not plan an IRA contribution on it yet. The notice will settle it, probably within days.
What to do this week
First, do nothing to your 2027 payroll election yet. The 2026 limits still govern every 2026 paycheck, and a 2027 deferral percentage set against a projected limit is a number you would have to fix anyway. Last year the notice came on November 13, so the wait is likely measured in days, not months.
Second, remember the one retirement change that is already live. From January 1, 2026, workers who earned more than $145,000 in FICA wages in 2025 must make any catch-up contributions as Roth, after-tax contributions, under the SECURE 2.0 Act. That rule is in force now, whatever the 2027 limits turn out to be.
Third, do not mix this notice up with the HSA one. The 2027 HSA limits are already official — $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family — set in Revenue Procedure 2026-24 back in May. The HSA and the 401(k) run on different schedules and different notices, and only the HSA number is final today.
Here is a simple example of the wait in practice. A saver maxing out a 401(k) at $24,500 this year who wants to put in $25,500 next year needs the IRS notice first, then one payroll change. Guessing now and setting the percentage early saves nothing — the money does not move until January, and the official number could still surprise on the IRA side. The sensible move this week is to check the IRS newsroom, not your benefits portal. When the new tax year does arrive, our guide to the 2027 tax filing season, opening day and April 15 refunds will walk through the dates that follow.
FAQ: 401(k) limit 2027
Has the IRS announced the 2027 401(k) limit? — No. As of November 10, 2026, the IRS has not published the 2027 retirement-plan limits. The 2026 limit of $24,500 still applies.
What is the projected 2027 401(k) limit? — Milliman’s final estimate, published October 15, 2026, projects $25,500, with the age-50 catch-up at $8,500 and the ages 60–63 super catch-up at $11,750. It is a projection, not an official figure.
What is the 2027 IRA limit? — Not announced. Forecasts split between $7,500 unchanged and $8,000, with the closed third-quarter CPI math pointing toward $8,000. Neither is official until the IRS notice.
When will the IRS announce the 2027 limits? — The IRS has not given a date. The 2026 limits were announced November 13, 2025, and the IRS Priority Guidance Plan lists the 2027 notice for November 2026, so it could land any day.
Can I change my 2027 401(k) contribution now? — Wait for the notice. Your 2026 contributions still count against the 2026 limit of $24,500, and a 2027 election set on a projection may need correcting.
Sources
- IRS news release IR-2026-133 — IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2027
- IRS Notice 2025-67 / IR-2025-111 (2026 limits, Nov 13, 2025)
- Milliman 2027 IRS limits forecast, final estimates, Oct 15, 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U, September 2026
- Finbarrow IRA limit calculation, Oct 24, 2026
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-24 (HSA limits)