Britannica Money

SIMPLE IRA

finance
Also known as: Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees IRA
Written by
Timothy Lake
Timothy Lake was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopædia Britannica.
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SIMPLE IRA
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Small business employees need to prepare for retirement, too.
© Vitalii Vodolazskyi/stock.adobe.com

A “Savings Incentive Match PLan for Employees” (SIMPLE) IRA is a tax-deferred, employer-sponsored retirement savings plan designed for small businesses (usually with 100 or fewer employees) to provide a retirement plan to their employees. Employees with SIMPLE plans can make contributions, and their employers can contribute as well. The employer can choose to match up to 3% of employees’ contributions dollar for dollar, or make nonelective contributions of up to 2% of the employees’ income without the requirement that employees also contribute.

For employees, it’s important to note that if they make contributions to multiple employer-sponsored retirement accounts, including 401(k) plans, the total contribution across all accounts is limited to $23,000 in 2024. Employee salary contributions are limited to $15,500, or $19,000 for those older than 50.

SIMPLE plan holders must take required minimum distributions (RMDs) starting at age 73. Roth contributions are available for SIMPLE IRAs thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act.

Learn more about SIMPLE IRAs and other small business retirement plans.

Timothy Lake