Spousal IRA, Explained Simply
How a working spouse can fund retirement for a spouse with little or no income.
A spousal IRA lets a working spouse contribute to a retirement account on behalf of a spouse who has little or no income of their own.
Normally you need earned income to fund an IRA. The spousal IRA is the exception that keeps a stay-at-home parent or a spouse between jobs from falling behind on retirement. As long as one partner earns enough and you file taxes jointly, you can fund an IRA in the non-working spouse's name.
Why does this matter? A gap in income should not mean a gap in retirement savings. This account keeps both partners building their own nest egg, in their own name, no matter who is bringing home the paycheck this year. It can be a traditional or a Roth IRA, same rules and same limits as any other.
Here is what it looks like in dollars. In 2026 each spouse can contribute up to 7,500 dollars, or 8,600 dollars if age 50 or older. So a married couple where only one works can still put away 15,000 dollars total, 7,500 in each person's IRA. Keep that up for 20 years and the non-working spouse alone could be sitting on well over 200,000 dollars, thanks to steady contributions and compounding.
Bottom line: If one spouse stays home or earns little, a spousal IRA makes sure both of you keep growing retirement savings, and that is money that belongs to each of you.
This is general education, not personal financial advice. Your own numbers and tax situation may point you somewhere different.
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