Form 8880 (2019)
Page 2
General Instructions
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code.
Reminder
Contributions by a designated beneficiary to an Achieving a Better
Life Experience (ABLE) account. A retirement savings contribution
credit may be claimed for the amount of contributions you, as the
designated beneficiary of an ABLE account, make before January 1,
2026, to the ABLE account. See Pub. 907, Tax Highlights for Persons
With Disabilities, for more information.
Future Developments
For the latest information about developments related to Form 8880 and
its instructions, such as legislation enacted after they were published,
go to www.irs.gov/Form8880.
Purpose of Form
Use Form 8880 to figure the amount, if any, of your retirement savings
contributions credit (also known as the saver’s credit).
TIP
This credit can be claimed in addition to any IRA deduction
claimed on Schedule 1 (Form 1040 or 1040-SR), line 19; or
Form 1040-NR, line 32.
Who Can Take This Credit
You may be able to take this credit if you, or your spouse if filing jointly,
made (a) contributions (other than rollover contributions) to a traditional
or Roth IRA; (b) elective deferrals to a 401(k), 403(b), governmental
457(b), SEP, or SIMPLE plan; (c) voluntary employee contributions to a
qualified retirement plan, as defined in section 4974(c) (including the
federal Thrift Savings Plan); (d) contributions to a 501(c)(18)(D) plan; or
(e) contributions, as a designated beneficiary of an ABLE account, to the
ABLE account, as defined in section 529A.
However, you can’t take the credit if either of the following applies.
• The amount on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 8b; or Form 1040-NR, line
35, is more than $32,000 ($48,000 if head of household; $64,000 if
married filing jointly).
• The person(s) who made the qualified contribution or elective deferral
(a) was born after January 1, 2002; (b) is claimed as a dependent on
someone else’s 2019 tax return; or (c) was a student.
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CAUTION
You’ll need to refigure the amount on Form 1040 or
1040-SR, line 8b, if you’re filing Form 2555 or Form 4563 or
you’re excluding income from Puerto Rico. See Pub. 590-A
at www.irs.gov/Pub590A for details.
You were a student if during any part of 5 calendar months of 2019
you:
• Were enrolled as a full-time student at a school; or
• Took a full-time, on-farm training course given by a school or a state,
county, or local government agency.
A school includes technical, trade, and mechanical schools. It
doesn’t include on-the-job training courses, correspondence schools, or
schools offering courses only through the Internet.
Specific Instructions
Column (b)
Complete column (b) only if you’re filing a joint return.
Line 2
Include on line 2 any of the following amounts.
• Elective deferrals to a 401(k) or 403(b) plan (including designated Roth
contributions under section 402A), or to a governmental 457(b), SEP, or
SIMPLE plan.
• Voluntary employee contributions to a qualified retirement plan, as
defined in section 4974(c) (including the federal Thrift Savings Plan).
• Contributions to a 501(c)(18)(D) plan.
These amounts may be shown in box 12 of your Form(s) W-2 for
2019.
Note: Contributions designated under section 414(h)(2) are treated as
employer contributions and, as such, they aren’t voluntary contributions
made by the employee. They don’t qualify for the credit and shouldn’t
be included on line 2.
Line 4
Enter the total amount of distributions you, and your spouse if filing
jointly, received after 2016 and before the due date of your 2019 return
(including extensions) from any of the following types of plans.
• Traditional or Roth IRAs (including myRAs), or ABLE accounts.
• 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), 501(c)(18)(D), SEP, or SIMPLE
plans.
• Qualified retirement plans, as defined in section 4974(c) (including the
federal Thrift Savings Plan).
Don’t include any of the following.
• Distributions not taxable as the result of a rollover or a trustee-to-
trustee transfer.
• Distributions that are taxable as the result of an in-plan rollover to your
designated Roth account.
• Distributions from your eligible retirement plan (other than a Roth IRA)
rolled over or converted to your Roth IRA.
• Loans from a qualified employer plan treated as a distribution.
• Distributions of excess contributions or deferrals (and income
allocable to such contributions or deferrals).
• Distributions of contributions made to an IRA during a tax year and
returned (with any income allocable to such contributions) on or before
the due date (including extensions) for that tax year.
• Distributions of dividends paid on stock held by an employee stock
ownership plan under section 404(k).
• Distributions from a military retirement plan (other than the federal
Thrift Savings Plan).
• Distributions from an inherited IRA by a nonspousal beneficiary.
If you’re filing a joint return, include both spouses’ amounts in both
columns.
Exception. Don’t include your spouse’s distributions with yours when
entering an amount on line 4 if you and your spouse didn’t file a joint
return for the year the distribution was received.
Example. You received a distribution of $5,000 from a qualified
retirement plan in 2019. Your spouse received a distribution of $2,000
from a Roth IRA in 2017. You and your spouse file a joint return in 2019,
but didn’t file a joint return in 2017. You would include $5,000 in column
(a) and $7,000 in column (b).
Line 7
Add the amounts from line 6, columns (a) and (b), and enter the total.
Line 11
Before you complete the following worksheet, figure the amount of any
credit for the elderly or the disabled you’re claiming on Schedule 3
(Form 1040 or 1040-SR), line 6. See Schedule R (Form 1040 or
1040-SR) to figure the credit.
Credit Limit Worksheet
Complete this worksheet to figure the amount to enter on line 11.
1. Enter the amount from Form 1040 or 1040-SR,
line 12b; or Form 1040-NR, line 45 . . . .
1.
2. Form 1040 or 1040-SR filers: Enter the total of
your credits from Schedule 3, lines 1 through 3,
and Schedule R, line 22.
Form 1040-NR filers: Enter the total of your
credits from lines 46 and 47 . . . . . .
2.
3. Subtract line 2 from line 1. Also enter this amount
on Form 8880, line 11. But if zero or less, stop;
you can’t take the credit—don’t file this form .
3.
