Roth IRA Calculator

Because Roth IRA contributions are made with money you've already paid income tax on, the IRS lets both your contributions and every dollar of investment growth come out completely tax-free in retirement, as long as you meet the qualified-distribution rules (generally age 59½ and the account open at least five years). That's the opposite of a Traditional IRA or 401(k), where contributions reduce your taxable income today but withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income.

The 2026 IRS limit is $7,500 per year for savers under 50, or $8,600 for those 50 and older using the age-50-plus catch-up contribution. This calculator's Annual Contribution input is capped at that combined limit, since the IRS caps how much can go into a Roth IRA in any single year regardless of your income or how much you'd like to save.

Yes, though this calculator doesn't model it directly — the IRS phases out your ability to contribute directly to a Roth IRA as your modified adjusted gross income rises, and for 2026 that phase-out runs from $153,000 to $168,000 for single filers and $242,000 to $252,000 for married couples filing jointly. Above the upper threshold, direct Roth contributions aren't allowed at all, though a backdoor Roth conversion may still be an option.

Because Roth IRA growth compounds monthly in this projection — every month's return is calculated on the full balance including all prior growth, not just your original contributions — so extending the horizon by even a few years gives compounding meaningfully more time to work on an already-larger balance. That's why pushing your Retirement Age out tends to move Total at Retirement by more than a simple proportional increase would suggest.

This calculator projects growth for whatever Annual Contribution you enter, so it can still show you the growth trajectory for a backdoor Roth IRA strategy (contributing to a Traditional IRA then converting to Roth) if that's how you're funding the account. It does not itself calculate the tax consequences of a Roth conversion or check your eligibility — it simply assumes the contribution amount you enter successfully lands in the Roth IRA each year.