The 2026 elective deferral limit is $24,500. Employees 50+ can contribute $32,500. Ages 60–63 qualify for the super catch-up: up to $35,750 total. Here's how to maximize the agency match and whether Traditional or Roth TSP makes more sense.
The Thrift Savings Plan is one of the best retirement accounts available to anyone in the United States — low fees, a generous government match under FERS, and the same investment vehicles as the largest institutional funds. Knowing exactly how much you can contribute in 2026, and making sure you're capturing every dollar of agency match, is one of the most direct levers you have on your retirement readiness.
| Situation | Annual Limit |
|---|---|
| Under age 50 | $24,500 |
| Age 50–59 or 64+ | $32,500 ($24,500 + $8,000 catch-up) |
| Age 60–63 (super catch-up) | $35,750 ($24,500 + $11,250) |
The super catch-up was created by SECURE 2.0 and takes effect for ages 60, 61, 62, and 63 only. At 64 and beyond, you revert to the standard $8,000 catch-up. This window is specifically designed to help employees accelerate savings in the decade before retirement.
These limits apply to the employee's elective deferrals — the amount you contribute from your own paycheck. The agency match (described below) does not count toward these limits.
Under FERS, the government contributes to your TSP in two ways:
Put together, contributing 5% of your salary gets you the full 4% employer match plus the 1% automatic, for a combined government contribution of 5% on top of your own 5% — effectively doubling your first 5%.
| Your contribution (% of salary) | Agency match | Total going into TSP |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | 1% | 1% |
| 1% | 2% | 3% |
| 2% | 3% | 5% |
| 3% | 4% | 7% |
| 4% | 4.5% | 8.5% |
| 5% | 5% | 10% |
Not contributing at least 5% means you are leaving agency-matched dollars on the table. If your salary is $80,000, that's up to $3,200/year in unearned compensation — compounding over a career.
CSRS employees: There is no agency match. You can still contribute to the TSP, but there's no government matching.
Your contributions can go into a Traditional (pre-tax) account or a Roth (after-tax) account, or a split of both.
Traditional TSP reduces your taxable income today. If you're in the 22% bracket and contribute $10,000, you save $2,200 in taxes this year. You'll pay ordinary income tax on withdrawals in retirement.
Roth TSP uses after-tax dollars now. No immediate tax break, but qualified withdrawals in retirement — including all the growth — are completely tax-free.
The decision comes down to where you think tax rates are headed and where your income will land in retirement:
One important note: if your prior-year wages from Social Security-covered employment exceed $150,000, the IRS requires that catch-up contributions go to Roth TSP only. High-3 Retirement Planner flags this automatically.
The easiest way to calculate your required contribution percentage:
Target % = Annual Limit ÷ Annual Salary × 100
To hit $24,500 on an $80,000 salary, you'd need to contribute 30.6%. That's aggressive, but if you can get close and you're under 50, you're in excellent shape. For most people, maximizing the agency match (5%) first, then increasing incrementally, is the practical path.
Open Season runs every November — that's the easiest time to adjust your FEHB, FSA, and it's a natural moment to revisit your TSP contribution percentage too.
High-3 Retirement Planner shows your current TSP contributions against the 2026 limits, calculates exactly how much agency match you're leaving behind (if any), and projects your balance to your target retirement age at your expected return rate.
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