How to Use Your Tax Refund to Boost Your Retirement Savings in 2026
Key Points
If you're getting a tax refund this year, it pays to put it toward long-term savings.
You can open an IRA and make a direct contribution.
You could also ask your employer to up your 401(k) contribution and pay yourself back.
- The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook ›
At this point, a lot of people have submitted their tax returns, and refunds have started to roll in. As of March 13, the average refund issued by the IRS was $3,623. That's an almost 11% increase from the same timeframe a year before.
If you have a large tax refund coming your way, it's important to put that money to good use. And your first priority should be to make sure you have a solid emergency fund.
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But as long as you're all set on near-term savings, you should consider using your tax refund for long-term savings. Here's how you can use the money to boost your retirement savings this year.
Fund an IRA
The nice thing about IRAs is that anyone with earned income can open one. So even if you're a gig worker without a steady employer, you can start your own IRA and contribute your tax refund as seed money.
You can also choose between a traditional and Roth IRA. Traditional IRAs give you a tax break on your contributions, and gains are tax-deferred until retirement. As a trade-off, you're taxed on withdrawals and eventually forced to take them in the form of required minimum distributions (RMDs).
Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax dollars. But investments gains are tax-free and so are withdrawals. And there are no RMDs to worry about.
Contribute more to your 401(k)
If you have a 401(k) plan through work, you can use your tax refund to boost your savings rate. You may have already told your employer before the start of the year how much you wanted to contribute to your 401(k) in 2026. But you're allowed to increase (or decrease) your 401(k) contributions mid-year.
All you need to do is tell your HR department how much more of your paychecks to allocate to your 401(k). And then, what you can do is hang onto your refund and use the money to make up for the larger deductions in your pay.
For example, let's say you got a $3,600 refund, so you tell your employer to deduct an extra $400 a month from your paychecks from April through December. You can then stick your refund in a savings account and dip in to the tune of $400 a month as needed to ensure that you're able to cover your expenses.
Although a tax refund is a temporary windfall, using yours wisely could set you up for a more secure future. So it pays to use your tax refund to boost your retirement savings if you don't have a more pressing need for that money.
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