I left a job with a 401(k) plan in February. The company I now work fo

[Guest george_g]

I left a job with a 401(k) plan in February. The company I now work for does not have any retirement plan. Am I eligible for a traditional IRA?

Also, my wife changed jobs in September. Her old company had a 401(k) plan. Her new one does also, but they have a waiting period so she is not eligible to contribute yet. Is she eligible for a traditional IRA?

Our combined AGI is over $100,000.

[Erik Read]

Very good questions. When you left in February (2000?) were you activly participating in the 401(k)? If so - your aren't eligible for a deductible contribution to an IRA, but you can open an IRA. If your wife is not an "active" participant in a plan then she is eligible, your deduction is prorated based on compensation and the State you live in. Check with your CPA or use the IRA deduction calculator in your Tax Software to see what you can do.

Hope that helps.

[JAMES PATRICK]

From your post I assume both you and your wife participated in 401 plans during 2000. Accordingly, neither one of you would be eligible to contribute to a deductible IRA for 2000. You both could contribute $2,000 to a Roth IRA, provided your modified AGI is less than $150,000.

If your modified AGI is $160,000 or over, you could only contribute to a traditional IRA, $2,000 each.