- 1). Determine your modified adjusted gross income. To calculate your MAGI, start with your adjusted gross income and add any deductions you took for a contribution to a traditional IRA, student loan interest or educational expenses, foreign earned income and foreign housing.
- 2). Determine the MAGI limits for your filing status using the IRS website or IRS Publication 590. These limits are adjusted each year for inflation. For example, the limits for singles in 2009 are $105,000 for a full contribution and $120,000 for a partial contribution.
- 3). Subtract the full contribution limit from your MAGI. For example, if you are single and your MAGI is $110,000, you would subtract $110,000 from $105,000 and get $5,000.
- 4). Divide by the difference between the partial contribution limit and the full contribution limit. For singles, this difference is $15,000.
- 5). Divide the amount you found in step 2 by the amount from step 3. Include at least three decimal places. For example, $5,000 divided by $15,000 would be 0.333.
- 6). Multiply the decimal found in step 5 by your maximum contribution. For 2009, the maximum contribution is $5,000 unless you are 50 or older, in which case the limit is $6,000. For example, if you were 44 years old, you would multiply 0.333 by $5,000 and get $1,665.
- 7). Subtract the amount found in step 6 from your maximum contribution. For example, you would subtract $1,665 from $5,000 and get $3,335.
- 8). Round the amount found in step 7 to the nearest $10 to find your reduced contribution. For example, $3,335 would be rounded to $3,340. This is your reduced contribution. If the amount is lower than $200, $200 is your reduced contribution.
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