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Published by J9 Systems. What's new in business tech, and what it means for yours.

From the brief of Thursday, November 5, 2026 · No. 21

From the daily brief

IRS 2027 retirement limits not out yet; last year's came Nov. 13, and the 2026 401(k) cap is $24,500

A dated watch item. Nothing to change until the IRS posts the numbers.

By Carter Josephson · · 1 min read

What happened

The IRS has not yet released its 2027 retirement plan limits; its latest newsroom posting is dated Nov. 4. For 2026 it published the limits on Nov. 13, 2025, setting the 401(k) deferral cap at $24,500 and the SIMPLE IRA cap at $17,000, per Notice 2025-67.

What it means for a 10-to-50-person business

Payroll providers set each employee's deferral cap from these numbers. Say a 20-person landscaping firm runs a SIMPLE IRA: staff can defer up to $17,000 in 2026, and the 2027 figure will set what they can defer from January. The IRS has not said when the 2027 numbers will post, so the mid-November timing is a pattern, not a promise. The effect is small: it changes a payroll setting once a year.

What to do
Wait

Wait for the IRS notice, then ask your payroll or plan provider to confirm the 2027 caps are loaded before the first January payroll.

What it costs
What it costs
Checking the new caps in payroll
0.5 hrs
Telling staff the new limit
0.5 hrs
Doing nothing
Staff may hit the old cap early if payroll is not updated, and miss higher savings room
Sources
irs.gov (primary)

Three to five of these, every weekday morning.

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