Can You Contribute to Both a 403(b) and 457 Plan? Limits and Catch-Ups

Yes. You can contribute to both a 403(b) and 457(b) plan in the same tax year, and the IRS treats their contribution limits as fully independent. For 2026, that means up to $24,500 in each plan, for a combined $49,000 before any catch-up contributions.¹²

Who Has Access to Both Plans

403(b) plans are offered by public schools, colleges, universities, and organizations tax-exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3), including hospitals, charities, and religious institutions.³ 457(b) plans are deferred compensation arrangements offered by state and local governments and certain tax-exempt employers.⁴

Most people who qualify for both work for a single employer that sponsors each plan — public universities, state hospital systems, and larger municipal employers often layer a governmental 457(b) on top of a 403(b) in the same benefits package. You can also qualify by holding two eligible jobs, such as teaching in a public school district while working part-time for a county agency.

How the Two Limits Interact in 2026

The base elective deferral limit for 2026 is $24,500 per plan.¹ The 403(b) and 457(b) ceilings are not aggregated with each other, so a participant under 50 who maxes out both can shelter $49,000 of income in a single year.²

One aggregation rule does apply to the 403(b) side. Your 403(b) deferral limit is shared with any 401(k) contributions you make at another employer, so $10,000 into a 401(k) at a second job leaves only $14,500 of room in your 403(b). The 457(b) limit is not combined with 401(k) or 403(b) deferrals and stands entirely on its own.²

Roth and pre-tax contributions share the same $24,500 ceiling within each plan. Splitting $15,000 pre-tax and $9,500 Roth into your 403(b) still fills that plan’s limit. The independence between the 403(b) and 457(b) totals is unaffected by how you divide each plan’s contributions.²

Catch-Up Contributions That Raise the Ceiling

Several catch-ups can push you above $24,500 in each plan. Some can be stacked; others cannot.

Age 50 Catch-Up

If you turn 50 or older during 2026, you can add $8,000 to your 403(b) and a separate $8,000 to your 457(b), bringing each plan’s ceiling to $32,500 and the combined total to $65,000.¹

Enhanced Catch-Up for Ages 60 Through 63

SECURE 2.0 added a higher catch-up for participants who are 60, 61, 62, or 63 during the tax year. For 2026, the amount is $11,250 per plan, and it replaces rather than adds to the standard $8,000 catch-up.¹ A 62-year-old contributing to both plans can defer $35,750 in each, or $71,500 total.

403(b) 15-Year Service Catch-Up

Employees with at least 15 years of service at the same qualifying employer — a public school system, hospital, or church, for example — may be eligible for an additional 403(b) catch-up of up to $3,000 per year, capped at $15,000 over a lifetime.⁵ The exact figure depends on a formula that compares your total prior deferrals with $5,000 times your years of service.⁶

This catch-up stacks with the age-based catch-ups. A qualifying 62-year-old with 15-plus years of service could contribute $24,500 + $11,250 + $3,000 = $38,750 to the 403(b), and $35,750 to the 457(b), for a combined $74,500. Contributions above the base limit are applied to the 15-year catch-up first, then to the age-based catch-up.⁷

457(b) Three-Year Pre-Retirement Catch-Up

In each of the three years before you reach the normal retirement age defined in the plan, a governmental 457(b) may allow deferrals up to twice the standard limit — as much as $49,000 in 2026. The amount is capped at the lesser of that doubled figure or the base limit plus the room you were eligible for but did not use in earlier years.⁸ Participants who always maxed out have nothing to catch up on.

You cannot combine the three-year catch-up with an age-based catch-up in the same year within a 457(b). Pick whichever produces the larger contribution for that year.⁹

How Employer Contributions Affect Your Room

Employer matches interact with each plan very differently. In a 403(b), employer contributions do not eat into your $24,500 elective deferral limit. Combined employee and employer contributions are instead capped by the Section 415(c) limit, which is $72,000 for 2026.¹⁰

In a governmental 457(b), the $24,500 ceiling covers employee and employer contributions combined. A $5,000 employer contribution leaves you only $19,500 of your own salary to defer that year. Section 415(c) does not apply to 457(b) plans.²

Governmental vs. Non-Governmental 457(b) Plans

Which kind of 457(b) you have changes the calculation for whether aggressive contributions make sense. A governmental 457(b), offered by a state, county, city, or other public entity, holds assets in trust and allows rollovers to an IRA or 401(k) after you leave the employer.

A non-governmental 457(b), offered by private nonprofits to select highly compensated employees, is different in a way that matters. The assets legally remain the employer’s property and are reachable by the employer’s creditors in bankruptcy or litigation.¹¹ You also cannot roll a non-governmental 457(b) into an IRA or other retirement account when you leave. Weigh the tax deferral against that creditor exposure before maxing one out.

Watch for Excess Contributions Across Employers

Because each employer tracks only its own plan, the responsibility for staying under the aggregate 403(b)/401(k) limit falls on you. If you contribute more than the annual limit, the excess deferrals and their earnings must be withdrawn from a 403(b) by April 15 of the following year. A timely correction avoids the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty, though the excess is taxed in the year contributed and the earnings in the year distributed.¹²

Miss April 15 and the outcome is worse. The excess is taxed once in the year contributed and again when eventually withdrawn, and the late distribution can trigger the 10 percent penalty and mandatory withholding.¹² Track year-to-date deferrals across every plan you participate in well before December, and flag any mismatch to your benefits coordinator so payroll can adjust.

One change coming into view: under SECURE 2.0, catch-up contributions for participants who earned more than $145,000 in FICA wages the prior year will need to be designated as Roth. The IRS has set the mandatory effective date for tax years beginning after December 31, 2026, though plans may adopt the rule earlier.¹³

1
Internal Revenue Service. 401(k) Limit Increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA Limit Increases to $7,500
2
Internal Revenue Service. How Much Salary Can You Defer if You’re Eligible for More Than One Retirement Plan
3
Internal Revenue Service. IRC 403(b) Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plans
4
Internal Revenue Service. IRC 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plans
5
Internal Revenue Service. 403(b) Plans – Catch-Up Contributions
6
Internal Revenue Service. 403(b) Plan Fix-It Guide – 15-Years of Service Catch-Up Contribution
7
Internal Revenue Service. Coordination of the 15-Year Rule and Age 50 Catch-Ups
8
Internal Revenue Service. Issue Snapshot – Section 457(b) Plan Catch-Up Contributions
9
Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics – 457(b) Contribution Limits
10
Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Amounts Relating to Retirement Plans and IRAs
11
Internal Revenue Service. Non-Governmental 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plans
12
Internal Revenue Service. 403(b) Plan Fix-It Guide – Elective Deferrals Exceeding Limits
13
Internal Revenue Service. Treasury, IRS Issue Final Regulations on New Roth Catch-Up Rule, Other SECURE 2.0 Act Provisions