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system
what is the contribution limit for a sep-ira?
user
both are saying essentially the same thing.  the forbes articles says "as much as 20% [...] up to a maximum of $50,000".  this means the same as what the irs page when it says the lesser of a percentage of your income or a total of $53,000.  in other words, the $53k is a cap: you can contribute a percentage of your earnings, but you can never contribute more than $53k, even if you make so much money that 20% of your earnings would be more than that. (the difference between 20% and 25% in the two sources appears to reflect a difference in contribution limits depending on whether you are making contributions for employees, or for yourself as a self-employed individual; see publication 560.  the difference between $50k and $53k is due to the two pages being written in different years; the limits increase each year.)
assistant