The limits that are already official
Employee money fills the $24,500 cap. Traditional and Roth are one bucket. The government match is a different bucket.
| Limit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Elective deferral | $24,500. Your traditional and Roth contributions combined. |
| Catch-up, age 50 and older | $8,000. Automatic spillover after the deferral cap. |
| Catch-up at ages 60–63 | $11,250 in the year you turn 60, 61, 62, or 63. TSP's 2026 chart puts that on birth years 1963 through 1966. |
| Annual additions | $72,000. Employee contributions plus the 1% automatic contribution and the match. |
Source: TSP Bulletin 25-3 and tsp.gov contribution limits.
If your 2025 Social Security wages were over $150,000, 2026 catch-up contributions have to be Roth. Basic Allowance for Housing and Basic Allowance for Subsistence are not Social Security wages. Check the wage line, not your rank.
The match is attached to each payday
On the Blended Retirement System (BRS), you receive an automatic 1% of basic pay after 60 days, whether or not you contribute. After two years of service, DoD matches the first 3% of basic pay dollar for dollar and the next 2% at 50 cents on the dollar. Contribute 5% and the government puts in 5%: 1% automatic plus 4% match.
That match follows the contribution on that payday. If you hit $24,500 in November, later paydays have no employee deferral to match. The 1% automatic can continue. The match does not. Members who stayed on the legacy High-3 retirement system do not get a match, so this penalty does not apply to them.
Active duty is paid twice a month. A percentage change in myPay has to be in before the cutoff for the payday you want to change. You cannot add a 2026 TSP contribution in January.
Guard and Reserve members who also contribute to a civilian 401(k) share one $24,500 cap across both plans. Add them yourself. TSP cannot see the civilian plan. Tax-exempt pay from a combat zone follows different limit rules. Read the TSP limits page before you raise the percentage.
A remaining-room check
Say you have put in $20,000 of employee money and you are under 50. You have $4,500 left. If four paydays remain and you want a match on all four, aim for about $1,125 of employee deferral on each payday. Putting all $4,500 on the next payday leaves the later ones with nothing to match. A percentage that lands close is the real tool. A bonus or special-pay election can hit the cap by accident. Ask finance whether that election is on.
What to do this week
- Add up employee contributions. In your TSP account, total 2026 traditional and Roth employee deferrals. Leave agency automatic and matching dollars out of that number.
- Subtract from the right cap. The elective deferral cap is $24,500. Add $8,000 of catch-up if you turn 50 or older in 2026, or $11,250 if you turn 60, 61, 62, or 63.
- Spread the rest across remaining paydays. Raise the percentage enough to finish the cap, and leave a contribution on each later payday if you are in BRS and still want the match.
- Set a 2027 percentage you can change. Official 2027 limits were not published as of November 1, 2026. Keep at least 5% in January if you are in BRS, then adjust when tsp.gov posts the new cap.
If the contribution and a move are competing for the same dollars, compare this with PCS costs reimbursements miss and housing decisions before 2027 BAH is published.
