IRS Announces 2026 Benefit Plan Contribution Limits

On Oct.  9, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced via Revenue Procedure 2025-32   the dollar limitation for 2026 on employee salary reductions for contributions to health flexible spending accounts; the monthly limitation regarding the aggregate fringe benefit exclusion amount for transportation in a commuter highway vehicle and any transit pass; and the maximum amount that can be excluded from an employee’s gross income for the amounts paid for qualified adoption expenses furnished pursuant to an adoption assistance program.

Flexible Spending Accounts

The 2026 maximum employee salary reduction contribution to a health flexible spending account will be $3,400. The limit was $3,300 in 2025.  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) had limited employee salary reductions for contributions to health flexible spending accounts to $2,500 per employee but allowed that limit to be adjusted annually for inflation in increments of $50.

The $3,400 limit applies to both full-purpose and limited-purpose health flexible spending accounts. However, an employer is not required to adopt the maximum amount allowed in its plan design and may choose to allow an amount less than $3,400. The $3,400 limit applies only to employee salary reduction contributions during the benefit plan year and does not impact employer-paid contributions or, if offered, contributions made as a result of the balance carryover option. If an employer provides flex credits that employees may elect to receive either as cash or as a taxable benefit, those flex credits are treated as employee salary reduction contributions and count toward the $3,400 limit.

If a cafeteria plan permits the carryover of unused amounts, the maximum carryover amount is $680 for 2026 as compared to $660 in 2025.

The dependent care spending account maximum is set by statute and is not subject to inflation-related adjustments and has been limited to $5,000 since 1986. However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act significantly increased the limit. Consequently, the 2026 dependent care spending account maximum is now limited to the smallest of the following amounts:

• $7,500 if the employee is married and filing a joint return or if the employee is a single parent ($3,750 if the employee is married but filing separately);
  
  
• The employee's “earned income” for the year; or
  
  
• The spouse’s “earned income,” if the employee is married at the end of the taxable year.

Qualified Transportation/Parking Benefits

Transportation

The monthly limitation regarding the aggregate fringe benefit exclusion amount for transportation in a commuter highway vehicle and any transit pass will increase to $340 in 2026 from $325 in 2025. 

Parking

The monthly limitation regarding the fringe benefit exclusion amount for qualified parking will increase to $340 in 2026 from $325 in 2025. 

Adoption Assistance Programs

The maximum amount that can be excluded from an employee’s gross income for the amounts paid or expenses incurred by an employer for qualified adoption expenses furnished pursuant to an adoption assistance program for adoptions by the employee in 2026 is $17,670. This is an increase of $390 over the 2025 maximum of $17,280.

Summary of Changes to Contribution Limits

Next Steps

Employers who choose to adopt the increased limits should notify employees of the changes at open enrollment and update Summary Plan Description and Plan Documents as required.