Maxing Out 457(b) Alongside Employer + Employee 401(k)

The $72,000 limit has a few other important features.

The $72,000 us not just your contributions it is also the matching and other contributions from the employer.

Overall limit on contributions

Total annual contributions (annual additions) to all of your accounts in plans maintained by one employer (and any related employer) are limited. The limit applies to the total of:

• elective deferrals (but not catch-up contributions)
• employer matching contributions
• employer nonelective contributions
• allocations of forfeitures

The annual additions paid to a participant’s account cannot exceed the lesser of:

• 100% of the participant's compensation, or
• $72,000 in 2026 ($80,000 including catch-up contributions or up to $83,250 for those age 60 to 63), subject to cost-of-living adjustments.

That last bullet is important because if you are over age 50 the limit could be $80,000 or $83,250.

In addition the recent tax law changes require that for high earners the catch-up money has to be Roth:

Roth Catch-up Contributions for High Earners: Starting in 2026, if you earned over $150,000 in FICA wages in the prior year, your age 50+ or age 60 to 63 catch-up contributions to your employer sponsored retirement plan must be Roth Contributions, which are made with after-tax dollars.

Yes. Because, as you correctly stated:

457(b) contributions are treated as a separate entity from 401(k) contributions