You may have a degree of control over your account in some cases so you can choose how to direct portions of your fund. There’s a wide range of choices with regard to types of holdings, as well as how hands-off or hands-on you want to be.

An Example of an IRA

You must fund your IRA after you open it by contributing money into it. That money is then invested for you into assets that are typically chosen by the custodian of your account. You might determine that you’re not a big fan of the investments your custodian has chosen, and that’s typically alright because you can direct them to change the investments to others that you prefer. What you can’t do is take back the money you contributed, at least not into your own hands and before you reach age 59½, without paying a 10% tax penalty. But you can usually roll your IRA over into another account without penalty if the funds go directly from one custodian to another without ever being in your possession. Assuming you leave your funds in the IRA, your investments will continue to grow for you over the years and can help fund your retirement.

Types of IRAs

The two main types of individual retirement accounts are traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. There are also two other types of IRAs that offer advantages much like the others if you happen to be a small business owner or a sole proprietor. These plans are made to be simple with low fees and bare-bones administration.

Traditional IRAs

Traditional IRAs were first formed by Congress in 1974 under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). This legislation provides special tax treatment for funds placed into IRAs. It also sets standards and rules by which these plans must be run in order to protect the people who invest in them, and to prevent misuse of funds. A traditional IRA is best for people who think they’ll be in a lower tax bracket after they retire, and for those who don’t have access to other retirement plans such as 401(k)s through their employers.

Roth IRAs

Roth IRAs were brought about as a result of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. They differ from traditional IRAs in the way they’re taxed. Your dollars are taxed at the time funds are saved in the account with a Roth IRA. This option makes sense for people who expect to be in a higher tax bracket when they retire. You can withdraw funds from your Roth account at any time without incurring fees in many cases or without being taxed, so a Roth IRA can also serve as an emergency fund for many people.

SEP IRAs

You might be eligible to open a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA if you own a business or work as a self-employed independent contractor. The SEP IRA offers tax perks to an employer who puts money into this type of account on behalf of an employee. You can contribute up to 25% of a worker’s annual salary as the account holder of a SEP IRA, but your employees can’t add money to their own accounts. You also get the added bonus of being able to adjust the amount you choose to add to the account each year. This can differ based on how much profit your business makes that year. Each employee must receive the same amount in a given year. You might be able to add more money to a SEP IRA than you could to a traditional or Roth IRA. You can contribute the lesser of $66,000 in 2023 with this type of account, up from $61,000 in 2022, or 25% of your annual wages, whichever is less.

SIMPLE IRAs

The Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRA is a type of plan for companies with 100 or fewer workers, all of whom must earn at least $5,000 per year. The SIMPLE IRA works much like a standard 401(k) plan, but the annual contribution limit is lower than the limit for 401(k) plans. This type of IRA works on a match system. Employers must match the employee’s contributions at 3% or put in 2% of the employee’s salary, even if the employee doesn’t add any money to the account on their own. Employees must be on track to make at least $5,000 in the current year in order to use a SIMPLE IRA. Like the SEP IRA, a SIMPLE IRA may allow you to add more money to the account than you could with other IRAs. The 2023 limit for a SIMPLE IRA is $15,500, up from $14,000 in 2022, with a catch-up contribution maximum of $3,000 per year for employees who are age 50 or older in 2022, increasing to $3,500 in 2023. The SIMPLE IRA imposes a 25% fee for any money taken out within the first two years by account holders who have not yet retired.

Traditional vs. Roth IRAs

The basic features and rules that apply to this type of account include:

The funds inside the account grow tax deferred. You don’t have to pay income tax on any gains until you take money out. That could be years down the road, maybe at a time when your tax bracket will be much lower. A tax penalty is imposed on any money you take out before you reach age 59½. You’ll be charged a 10% fee if you do so, and you’ll pay income tax on that money. You must begin taking required minimum distributions by age 72, or age 70½ if you reached 70½ before Jan. 1, 2020.

Roth IRAs in Detail

Contributions to a Roth IRA aren’t tax deductible, but the funds inside the account grow tax free. You’ll never pay income tax on interest, dividends, or capital gains on funds that grow inside of a Roth IRA as long as you follow the Roth IRA withdrawal rules.​ Roth IRAs have other advantages as well:

You pay tax on the money at the time you contribute it to a Roth IRA but not when you use it later in retirement. This can be a major help later in life if you think your tax bracket might be higher then.You can withdraw your contributions from a Roth IRA at any time with no tax owed, so a Roth IRA can double as an emergency savings fund.There is no mandate that you must withdraw funds at any age.

Requirements for IRAs

The IRS sets a cap on how much you can add to your accounts each year. It’s a collective limit. It applies to all IRA accounts you might hold. The annual limit is $6,500 for tax year 2023, up from $6,000 in 2022. The IRS adjusts this figure periodically to keep pace with inflation. You can add an additional $1,000 as a “catch-up” contribution if you’re age 50 or older by the last day of the tax year. Your taxable income must be equal to these limits or more in order to qualify. Otherwise, your contributions are limited to your taxable income. You must have some earned income to contribute to any type of IRA, with one exception: You can add money to a spousal IRA for your spouse even if they have no earned income, as long as you have enough income to cover both.

Exceptions to Early Withdrawal Penalties

The IRS offers exceptions to the 10% penalty fee for early withdrawal in certain cases:

Health care: You can use some of your account balance to pay unreimbursed medical expenses that are over and above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. You can also withdraw funds to pay health insurance premiums if you’re between jobs.Education: You may be able to use the funds to cover the cost of higher education or vocational school.Buying a home: You can withdraw up to $10,000 from your account to aid in the purchase if you’re a first-time homebuyer.Disability: You can take an early withdrawal without penalty if you’re “totally and permanently” disabled and if you can prove that you can no longer perform enough work to earn a living. You must have your doctor attest in writing that your condition is expected to result in death or to last continuously for a long and indefinite period.