Spousal IRA: What It Is, How to Open One
A spousal IRA lets couples save for retirement even if only one spouse has earned income.
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.
What is a spousal IRA?
A spousal IRA is a tax-advantaged retirement account that allows a married individual with little or no earned income to save for retirement in an IRA.
The IRA itself isn't different — it still comes in a traditional or Roth IRA type — but is referred to as "spousal" because contributions come from the working spouse's income, even though the account is in the nonworking spouse's name.
Spousal IRAs are an exception to the rule that people must have their own earned income to contribute to their IRA.
» Need help deciding? How to choose between a traditional and Roth IRA
NerdWallet rating 4.8 /5 | NerdWallet rating 4.6 /5 | NerdWallet rating 4.5 /5 |
Fees $0 per online equity trade | Fees $0 | Fees $0 per trade |
Account minimum $0 | Account minimum $0 | Account minimum $0 |
Promotion None no promotion available at this time | Promotion Earn up to $10,000 when you transfer your investment portfolio to Public. | Promotion Get up to $700 when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money. |
How spousal IRAs work
To contribute to a spousal IRA, the couple must file as married filing jointly. The working spouse must also earn at least as much money as is contributed to all of the couple's IRAs.
For example, say one spouse works and makes $100,000 a year, while their spouse does not work. Because their annual income exceeds the maximum annual contribution limit for IRAs, they can contribute $7,000 to their own IRAs and $7,000 to their partner's IRAs (if both are under age 50).
The maximum annual contribution to all of an individual's IRA accounts is $7,000 in 2025 ($8,000 if age 50 and older). This means that, depending on the working spouse's annual income and their ages, married couples can contribute up to $14,000 or $16,000 towards their IRA accounts.
» On track for retirement? Check out our retirement calculator
Spousal IRA rules
In addition to the requirement that at least one spouse has enough earned income to cover the contributions for both, there are some other rules to consider:
Income and other limits for both types of IRAs
The spousal IRA is not co-owned. It’s in the name of, and owned by, the nonworking spouse.
There is no age restriction on contributing to either traditional or Roth IRAs.
» Need to double-check your eligibility? IRA income limits for 2025
on Capitalize's website
How to open a spousal IRA
Because a spousal IRA is just a normal IRA account, it can be opened at any IRA broker or robo-advisor. You’ll have to provide the same personal information, such as birth date and Social Security number, to open the account.
After it's open, you can start funding the account and choosing your investments. From there, the savings could pay off. For example, if you put $500 every month into an IRA and earn a 6% investment return, you could end up with more than $330,000 after 25 years.
