Roth IRA Calculator: Tax-Free Growth to Retirement
Project what your Roth IRA could be worth at retirement, and see how much of it is growth you will never owe taxes on. Adjust your ages, contribution, and expected return to watch the tax-free share compound.
Qualified Roth withdrawals begin at 59½
The 2026 IRA limit is $7,500; it rises to $8,600 at 50+
7% is a common long-run stock market assumption
Balance at age 65
$1,143,542
35 years of compounding, all inside the Roth
Total contributions
$272,500
money you already paid income tax on
Tax-free growth
$871,042
with a qualified withdrawal, you never pay tax on this
Educational estimate for the 2026 tax year, not tax advice. Federal figures follow IRS inflation adjustments; state estimates use statewide rates and standard deductions only and exclude local income taxes (city, county, school district), State Disability Insurance, and credits. Where a state publishes separate married tables, married thresholds may be approximated. Verify your exact withholding with a tax professional or your payroll provider.
After-tax going in, untouchable coming out
A Roth IRA flips the usual retirement deal. You contribute money you already paid income tax on, so there is no deduction today. In exchange, everything the account earns from that point on is yours: qualified withdrawals in retirement are completely tax-free, and unlike pre-tax accounts, a Roth IRA never forces you to take money out during your lifetime. The IRS gets paid once, on the seed, and never on the harvest.
The math under the curve
The calculator runs plain compound growth: each year the balance grows by your expected return, then the year's contribution is added. The interesting output is not the final balance but the gap between it and what you put in, because that gap is the part a taxable account would keep getting taxed on and a traditional IRA would tax on the way out.
A worked example: someone who is 30 contributes $500 a month ($6,000 a year) until 65 and earns 7% a year. They put in $210,000 of their own money over 35 years, and the account ends around $829,000. Roughly $619,000 of that is growth that never shows up on a tax return again. The Roth vs. traditional calculator runs the same projection against the pre-tax alternative if you want to see the two side by side.
Who gets the most out of a Roth
The Roth trade is best when the tax you prepay is small. That makes it a natural fit early in a career, during residency or grad school, in a low-income year between jobs, or any season when your bracket is temporarily below where it will settle. Our Roth vs. traditional guide walks through the bracket logic. Income limits do exist: above certain earnings the direct door closes, and high earners may need the backdoor route through a traditional IRA instead.
The five-year rule, without the panic
One calm paragraph is all it needs. Your contributions are always yours: you can withdraw them at any age without tax or penalty. The five-year rule applies to earnings, and it says tax-free treatment of growth requires both reaching 59½ and having had a Roth IRA open for five tax years. The practical takeaway is simply to open the account early, even with a small amount, because the clock starts with the first funded year and only ever works in your favor.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I contribute to a Roth IRA?
For 2026, the IRA limit is $7,500, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older. The limit is shared across all your traditional and Roth IRAs combined, and you need earned income of at least what you contribute.
What is the Roth IRA 5-year rule?
Earnings come out tax-free once you are 59 and a half and your first Roth IRA has been open for at least five tax years. Your own contributions can come out at any time, at any age, without tax or penalty; the five-year clock only gates the growth.
Is a Roth IRA better than a traditional IRA?
It depends on your tax rate now versus in retirement. Roth tends to win when your current bracket is low (early career, gap years, part-time seasons) because you pay tax once at today's low rate and never again. Traditional tends to win in peak earning years. Many people end up holding both.
What if I earn too much for a Roth IRA?
The IRS phases out direct Roth IRA contributions above certain income levels, which change most years. High earners often use the backdoor route instead: contribute to a traditional IRA, then convert. It has its own rules, so read up or ask a tax professional before trying it.
How accurate is this calculator?
It projects a steady annual return with contributions added at the end of each year, and it pulls the current IRS contribution limits rather than hardcoding them. Markets do not move in straight lines, so treat the result as a planning estimate. Educational estimate for the 2026 tax year, not tax advice. Federal figures follow IRS inflation adjustments; state estimates use statewide rates and standard deductions only and exclude local income taxes (city, county, school district), State Disability Insurance, and credits. Where a state publishes separate married tables, married thresholds may be approximated. Verify your exact withholding with a tax professional or your payroll provider.
Does this calculator save my numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
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