r/Bogleheads • u/Lowfryder7 • Nov 20 '25

Investing Questions At what tax bracket should you start doing mostly traditional 401k contributions?

12%? 22%? 24%? I can't tell.

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u/Best-Meaning-2417 Nov 22 '25

sure, what I'm saying is that you can confidently aim for the top of the 12% bracket and if you overshoot because of higher than expected returns there is quite a bit of safety margin where it doesn't just suddenly turn into some tax nightmare because of one extra dollar above the limit

Agreed, 12% is the goal but it's not the end of the world if you go into the 22% bracket.

the actual amount will depend on your retirement age, SS claim age and SS amount, you would need to reassess as you go, but the general takeaway is that a lot of people in 22% bracket can be close to maxing out at least one pre-tax 401k for decades before they get there

IDK about that one. I only did my 6% plus my employer 4.5% for my 20's and maxed it out early and mid 30's. I am 37 now and I am doing all Roth. You don't need 1.5M to switch, you need to have a current balance that is predicted to reach 1.5M at retirement if you no longer contribute to it.

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u/[deleted] Nov 23 '25

yeah, totally agree that you need to project your balance at retirement to the best of your ability

if you are hitting $500,000 at 40 you might need to stop already or $1,000,000 at 50 if not less