The landscape · Own accounts
The spousal IRA
A spouse without earned income can still have an IRA funded each year, traditional or Roth, as long as the couple files jointly and the working spouse's earnings cover both contributions.
Who this exists for. This exists for a married couple filing jointly where one spouse has little or no earned income and the other spouse earns enough to cover both contributions. Ticks that show it: I am married; I work for an employer; I earn money on my own (freelance, gig, side work).
How it works
The usual rule is that IRA contributions cannot exceed a person's own earned income for the year. For a married couple filing a joint return, the law lets the nonworking spouse borrow the working spouse's earnings for this test, so each spouse can contribute up to $7,500 (2026, verified on the official page), plus the catch up from age 50, as long as the couple's combined earned income is at least the total contributed. The account is in the nonworking spouse's name alone, and the usual deduction and Roth phase outs apply based on the couple's joint income, with a separate, higher phase out line for the nonworking spouse's deduction when only the other spouse is covered by a plan at work. The contribution can be made until the April filing deadline.
What it gives
A stay at home parent or a spouse between jobs keeps building retirement savings in their own name.
The account belongs to that spouse, which matters in a divorce or at death.
The couple doubles the household IRA room each year.
What it costs, or where the catch is
The couple has to file jointly; married filing separately loses this door.
The deduction phase out for the nonworking spouse still applies when the other spouse has a plan at work.
Combined earned income has to cover both contributions, so a low earning year can shrink the room.
A worked example
Elena works and earns $85,000 while her husband Kwame stays home with their toddler and earns $0. They file jointly. Elena contributes $5,000 to her Roth IRA and $5,000 to a Roth IRA in Kwame's name, which is $10,000 total, well under her $85,000 of earnings. Over twenty years at 6 percent, Kwame's $5,000 a year grows to roughly $184,000 in an account that is his.
Where it goes wrong
The common miss is assuming the nonworking spouse cannot have an IRA at all, and letting a decade of room go unused.
Who confirms it for you
For your own numbers, a CPA or enrolled agent. This page explains how the rule works for people in general; it does not know your situation and does not tell you what to do.
The official source
IRS Publication 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements. Every figure that changes by year comes from the site's rules table, which the watcher checks against the official page on a schedule; where a figure is not yet verified, this page says so instead of printing a number.
Ask about The spousal IRA
A model reads this page and answers from it. It will say when the answer is not on the page. Education, not personalized advice.
Nearby doors
- The employer match
This exists for anyone whose job offers a retirement plan with matching contributions.
- Traditional 401(k) contributions from pay
This exists for anyone whose employer offers a 401(k) plan and who wants to know what happens when part of a paycheck goes into it.
- The Roth 401(k) option inside the plan
This exists for a worker whose 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) plan offers a designated Roth account alongside the traditional one.
- The 403(b) for schools and nonprofits
This exists for people who work at public schools, colleges, hospitals, churches, and other nonprofit employers that offer a 403(b) plan.
- The 457(b) and its separate limit
This exists for state and local government workers and some nonprofit employees whose employer offers a 457(b) deferred compensation plan.
- Vesting schedules
This applies when an employer puts money into a worker's retirement plan and the plan document says that money becomes the worker's over time.
Education, not advice. Wealthy Habitat explains how rules work and never recommends what to do with your money. The No Advice Disclosure.