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Do Catch-Up Contributions Increase 401(k) Saving?

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Listed:
  • Qi Guan
  • Matthew S. Rutledge
  • April Yanyuan Wu
  • Francis M. Vitagliano

Abstract

Changes in the retirement landscape – rising life ex­pectancy, declining Social Security replacement rates, and vanishing traditional pensions – increase the need for individuals to save. The tax code encourages individuals to save in 401(k) plans by allowing tax-advantaged contributions up to specified limits. In 2001, policymakers increased these limits for all ages and established a new catch-up provision for work­ers age 50 or older, which allows them to contribute much more. This brief, which summarizes a recent study, assesses the extent to which the catch-up provision has increased 401(k) contributions. The discussion is structured as follows. The first section introduces the catch-up provision. The second section defines the data and the sample used in the analysis. The third section examines the characteristics of the group most likely to take advantage of the provision: the small percentage of workers who previously contributed near the maximum level. The fourth section analyzes how contributions changed after the adoption of the catch-up provision. The final section concludes that only those near the maximum respond to increased tax incentives to save in 401(k)s, which is consistent with previous research.

Suggested Citation

  • Qi Guan & Matthew S. Rutledge & April Yanyuan Wu & Francis M. Vitagliano, 2015. "Do Catch-Up Contributions Increase 401(k) Saving?," Issues in Brief ib2015-10, Center for Retirement Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:crr:issbrf:ib2015-10
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    File URL: http://crr.bc.edu/briefs/do-catch-up-contributions-increase-401k-saving/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrew Smith, 2005. "Making the paper," Nature, Nature, vol. 438(7066), pages 1-1, November.
    2. Matthew S. Rutledge & April Yanyuan Wu & Francis M. Vitagliano, "undated". "Do Tax Incentives Increase 401 (K) Retirement Saving? Evidence from the Adoption of Catch-Up Contributions," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 9e3f2369237e4d798025ac66e, Mathematica Policy Research.
    3. Raj Chetty & John N. Friedman & Søren Leth-Petersen & Torben Heien Nielsen & Tore Olsen, 2014. "Active vs. Passive Decisions and Crowd-Out in Retirement Savings Accounts: Evidence from Denmark," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(3), pages 1141-1219.
    4. Janette Kawachi & Karen E. Smith & Eric J. Toder, 2006. "Making Maximum Use Of Tax-Deferred Retirement Accounts," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2005-19, Center for Retirement Research.
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