Form 8880

Department of the Treasury 

Internal Revenue Service

Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions

▶ Attach to Form 1040, Form 1040A, or Form 1040NR.

▶ Information about Form 8880 and its instructions is at www.irs.gov/form8880.

OMB No. 1545-0074

2012

Attachment 

Sequence No. 54

Name(s) shown on return Your social security number

▲!

CAUTION

You cannot take this credit if either of the following applies.

• The amount on Form 1040, line 38; Form 1040A, line 22; or Form 1040NR, line 37 is more than $28,750 ($43,125 if head of 

household; $57,500 if married filing jointly).

• The person(s) who made the qualified contribution or elective deferral (a) was born after January 1, 1995, (b) is claimed as a 

dependent on someone else’s 2012 tax return, or (c) was a student (see instructions).

 (a) You (b) Your spouse 

1 Traditional and Roth IRA contributions for 2012. Do not include rollover 

contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

2 Elective deferrals to a 401(k) or other qualified employer plan, voluntary 

employee contributions, and 501(c)(18)(D) plan contributions for 2012 

(see instructions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

3 Add lines 1 and 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

4 Certain distributions received after 2009 and before the due date 

(including extensions) of your 2012 tax return (see instructions). If 

married filing jointly, include both spouses’ amounts in both columns. 

See instructions for an exception . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

5 Subtract line 4 from line 3. If zero or less, enter -0- . . . . . . . 5 

6 In each column, enter the smaller of line 5 or $2,000 . . . . . . 6 

7 Add the amounts on line 6. If zero, stop; you cannot take this credit . . . . . . . . . . 7 

8 Enter the amount from Form 1040, line 38*; Form 1040A, line 22; or 

Form 1040NR, line 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

9 Enter the applicable decimal amount shown below:

If line 8 is— 

Over— But not 

over—

And your filing status is—

Married 

filing jointly

Head of 

household

Single, Married filing 

separately, or 

Enter on line 9— Qualifying widow(er) 

--- $17,250 .5 .5 .5

$17,250 $18,750 .5 .5 .2

$18,750 $25,875 .5 .5 .1

$25,875 $28,125 .5 .2 .1

$28,125 $28,750 .5 .1 .1

$28,750 $34,500 .5 .1 .0

$34,500 $37,500 .2 .1 .0

$37,500 $43,125 .1 .1 .0

$43,125 $57,500 .1 .0 .0

$57,500 --- .0 .0 .0

Note: If line 9 is zero, stop; you cannot take this credit.

9 X .

10 Multiply line 7 by line 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

11 Enter the amount from Form 1040, line 46; Form 1040A, line 28; or 

Form 1040NR, line 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 

12 1040 filers: Enter the total of your credits from lines 47 through 49, 

and Schedule R, line 22.

1040A filers: Enter the total of your credits from lines 29 through 31.

1040NR filers: Enter the total of your credits from lines 45 and 46.

} 12 

13 Subtract line 12 from line 11. If zero, stop; you cannot take this credit . . . . . . . . . . 13 

14 Credit for qualified retirement savings contributions. Enter the smaller of line 10 or line 13 

here and on Form 1040, line 50; Form 1040A, line 32; or Form 1040NR, line 47 . . . . . . . 14 

*See Pub. 590 for the amount to enter if you are filing Form 2555, 2555-EZ, or 4563 or you are excluding income from Puerto Rico.

For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see your tax return instructions. Cat. No. 33394D Form 8880 (2012)
Form 8880 (2012) Page 2

General Instructions

Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code.

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 Form 1040, line 32; Form 

1040A, line 17; or Form 1040NR, 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, 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), or 

(d) contributions to a 501(c)(18)(D) plan.

However, you cannot take the credit if either of the following 

applies:

• The amount on Form 1040, line 38; Form 1040A, line 22; or 

Form 1040NR, line 37, is more than $28,750 ($43,125 if head of 

household; $57,500 if married filing jointly).

• The person(s) who made the qualified contribution or elective 

deferral (a) was born after January 1, 1995, (b) is claimed as a 

dependent on someone else’s 2012 tax return, or (c) was a 

student.

▲!

CAUTION

You will need to refigure the amount on Form 1040, 

line 38, if you are filing Form 2555, 2555-EZ, or 4563 

or you are excluding income from Puerto Rico. See 

Pub. 590 for details.

You were a student if during any part of 5 calendar months of 

2012 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 does not 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 are 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, 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 2012.

Note. Contributions designated under section 414(h)(2) are

treated as employer contributions and as such they are not

voluntary contributions made by the employee. They do not

qualify for the credit and should not be included on line 2.

Line 4

Enter the total amount of distributions you, and your spouse if filing 

jointly, received after 2009 and before the due date of your 2012 

return (including extensions) from any of the following types of 

plans.

• Traditional or Roth IRAs.

• 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457, 501(c)(18)(D), SEP, or SIMPLE 

plans.

• Qualified retirement plans as defined in section 4974(c) (including 

the federal Thrift Savings Plan).

Do not include any:

• Distributions not taxable as the result of a rollover or a trustee-totrustee 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.

• Distributions from an inherited IRA by a nonspousal beneficiary.

If you are filing a joint return, include both spouses’ amounts in 

both columns.

Exception. Do not include your spouse’s distributions with yours

when entering an amount on line 4 if you and your spouse did not 

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 2012. Your spouse received a distribution of

$2,000 from a Roth IRA in 2010. You and your spouse file a joint

return in 2012, but did not file a joint return in 2010. 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 12

Before you complete line 12, figure the amount of any credit for the 

elderly or the disabled you are claiming on Form 1040, line 53. See 

Schedule R (Form 1040A or 1040) to figure the credit.