Roth IRA Calculator
Project your Roth IRA balance at retirement, check your 2026 limit, and compare Roth vs traditional vs taxable. Free, no sign-up, and it runs in your browser.
Dedicated page: /en/roth-ira-calculator
Tax Year 2026. Estimate only, not tax or investment advice. Limits and phase-outs are the IRS 2026 figures (IRS Notice 2025-67). Check the current IRS figures here.
Your adjusted gross income with a few items added back. The phase-out uses this number.
Wages or self-employment income. You cannot contribute more than you earned.
Enter more than the limit to model maxing it out every year.
Default checked 10 Nov 2026: 7%, the long-run stock market average after inflation is about 7% a year. Returns are not guaranteed. Check the average stock market return here.
Used only for the in-today-dollars figure. Latest CPI was 3.7% year over year in Sep 2026 (BLS).
The $7,500 limit is shared across all your IRAs, so a traditional contribution cuts your Roth room.
Estimate only, not tax or investment advice. Qualified Roth withdrawals are tax-free after age 59 and a half and a five-year holding period. Contributions (not earnings) can be withdrawn any time without tax or penalty. High earners above the phase-out may use a backdoor Roth with a tax professional. This tool models direct contributions only, not conversions.
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Quick answer
A Roth IRA calculator projects your balance at retirement and checks your 2026 contribution limit. Enter your age, retirement age, balance, contribution, filing status and MAGI, and it shows the balance in future and today dollars, the phase-out limit and a Roth vs traditional vs taxable comparison.
About this Roth IRA Calculator
Project your Roth IRA balance at retirement, check your 2026 limit, and compare Roth vs traditional vs taxable. It is one of the Money and Finance on ToolUstad, and like every tool here it runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type, paste or open is uploaded to a server, and there is no sign-up or usage limit.
What is a Roth IRA calculator?
A Roth IRA calculator answers two questions at once: how much can I put in this year, and what will it be worth when I retire? Age 30, retiring at 65, with $10,000 saved and $7,500 a year at 7%: the balance is $1,143,542.40, worth $406,395.98 in today dollars. You put in $272,500 and growth adds $871,042.40.
The 2026 contribution limits and phase-outs
For 2026 the limit is $7,500 under age 50 and $8,600 at 50 and over, set by the IRS in Notice 2025-67. For a single filer or head of household, the limit phases out from $153,000 to $168,000 of MAGI, and there is no direct contribution at $168,000 or above. For married filing jointly it is $242,000 to $252,000. Married filing separately while living with a spouse is $0 to $10,000. Inside the range, the IRS worksheet cuts the limit in proportion to how far into the range you are, rounded up to the next $10, with a $200 floor. A single filer at $160,000 of MAGI gets a $4,000 limit.
Roth vs traditional vs taxable
The same $7,500 a year for 35 years at 7% grows to $1,143,542.40 in either IRA. The difference is the tax. A Roth withdrawal is $0 tax on a qualified withdrawal, so you keep all of it. A traditional IRA is taxed at your retirement rate: at 22% you keep $891,963.07. A taxable account is worse, about $645,844.45, because the yearly gains are taxed as they happen, which slows compounding.
Best practices
- Max it out when you can: the $7,500 limit is a use-it-or-lose-it cap, and unused room does not carry over.
- Check your MAGI before you contribute: an excess contribution is taxed 6% a year until it is removed.
- Keep the money in until 59 and a half: earnings withdrawn earlier are usually taxed plus a 10% penalty, with a few exceptions.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Contributing the full $7,500 while your MAGI is inside the phase-out, which creates an excess contribution.
- Counting the Roth limit separately from a traditional IRA, when the $7,500 is shared across both.
- Withdrawing earnings before 59 and a half and paying tax plus the 10% penalty.
Who is the Roth IRA calculator for?
Anyone saving for retirement in the US: young workers starting their first IRA, high earners near the phase-out who need to know their exact limit, and savers choosing between a Roth and a traditional IRA.
Learn: how to use the Roth IRA Calculator
- Enter your age, the age you plan to retire, and your current Roth balance.
- Enter your filing status, MAGI and earned income so the 2026 limit is checked.
- Enter your annual contribution, or press Max it out to use the full 2026 limit.
- Check the expected return and inflation: the defaults are 7% and 3%.
- Read the balance at retirement, the value in today dollars, and the Roth vs traditional vs taxable comparison.
Features
- Balance at retirement, in future dollars and in today dollars
- 2026 contribution limit: $7,500 under 50, $8,600 at 50 and over
- MAGI phase-out check: single $153,000 to $168,000, joint $242,000 to $252,000
- IRS Worksheet 2-2 style reduced limit, rounded up to the next $10, with a $200 floor
- Max it out button that fills in the highest contribution your MAGI allows
- Roth vs traditional IRA vs taxable account, same contributions
- Balance by return: 5%, 7% and 9%, plus a year-by-year table
- Contribution deadline reminder: 2026 contributions run to 15 April 2027
- CSV download of the year-by-year schedule
Worked example
Age 30, retiring at 65, with $10,000 already saved and $7,500 contributed every year at 7%: the balance at 65 is $1,143,542.40, worth $406,395.98 in today dollars at 3% inflation. You put in $272,500 and growth adds $871,042.40, all of it tax-free on a qualified withdrawal. A single filer with $160,000 of MAGI is inside the phase-out, so the 2026 limit drops to $4,000 a year and the balance at 65 falls to $659,713.33. At a 5% return instead of 7%, the same plan reaches $732,562.46.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 2026 Roth IRA contribution limit?
$7,500 if you are under 50, and $8,600 at age 50 or over, counting the $1,100 catch-up. The limit is shared across all your IRAs, so $7,500 split between a Roth and a traditional IRA is the total. The IRS set the 2026 limits in Notice 2025-67.
What is the Roth IRA income limit for 2026?
For a single filer or head of household, the limit phases out from $153,000 to $168,000 of MAGI, and there is no direct contribution at $168,000 or above. For married filing jointly it is $242,000 to $252,000. Married filing separately while living with a spouse is $0 to $10,000.
How does the phase-out cut my limit?
The IRS worksheet cuts the limit in proportion to how far into the range your MAGI sits, rounded up to the next $10, with a $200 floor. A single filer at $160,000 is about 47% into the $153,000 to $168,000 range, so the $7,500 limit drops by about $3,500, to $4,000.
Should I choose a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA?
If your tax rate in retirement will be higher than now, the Roth usually wins, because the withdrawal is tax-free. If your rate will be lower, the traditional IRA can win, because the upfront deduction is worth more than the tax-free withdrawal.
Can I still contribute to a Roth IRA for 2026?
Yes, until 15 April 2027. Contributions for a tax year can be made until the tax filing deadline of the next year, not counting extensions.
What happens if I contribute too much to a Roth IRA?
The excess is taxed 6% for every year it stays in the account. Remove the excess, plus any earnings on it, before the tax filing deadline to avoid the penalty. The calculator checks your MAGI first so you can avoid this.
Can I withdraw Roth IRA contributions early?
Yes. Contributions, the money you put in, can be withdrawn at any time without tax or penalty. Earnings are different: withdrawing earnings before 59 and a half usually means income tax plus a 10% penalty, with exceptions for a first home, higher education and disability.
Does a Roth IRA have required minimum distributions?
No, for the original owner. The SECURE 2.0 Act removed required minimum distributions from Roth IRAs during the owner lifetime, so the money can keep growing.
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