Shelter $47.5K With Stacking
If your hospital offers both a 403(b) and a 457(b), the IRS treats them as separate buckets — you can double your tax shelter up to $47,000 before catch-up contributions.
Think your hospital-employed Nurse Practitioner salary is maxed out on tax savings? Think again.
Most NPs pick one retirement plan and completely ignore the other, leaving serious money on the table.
The Stacking Strategy
If your hospital offers both a 403(b) and a 457(b), the IRS treats them as completely separate buckets. That means you can double your tax shelter — up to $47,000 before you even touch catch-up contributions.
This is what's known as "stacking" — using multiple tax-advantaged accounts simultaneously to shelter more income than any single plan allows on its own.
Why Most NPs Miss This
The problem isn't that these plans are secret — it's that most clinicians don't have the time or guidance to coordinate them. A hospital benefits enrollment page lists options; it doesn't build a strategy.
Stop guessing on your financial planning. Let's make sure you aren't overpaying Uncle Sam this year.
