Roth IRA Calculator — 2026 IRS rules
Roth IRA Calculator 2026
Projected Roth IRA at age 65
$0
Backdoor Roth mode
You exceed the direct contribution limits, but you can still execute a Backdoor Roth conversion: contribute after-tax dollars to a traditional IRA, then convert to Roth. The projection assumes you use this strategy every year.
⚠️ Pro-rata rule tax trap (IRS Form 8606)
Because you hold pre-tax IRA money, the IRS taxes your conversion proportionally:
- Tax-free portion
- —
- Taxed as ordinary income
- —
- Estimated tax hit / year
- —
The Backdoor Roth is inefficient for you unless you first roll your pre-tax IRA into a 401(k), which removes it from the pro-rata calculation.
Tax-free growth vs. a taxable account
Your boosters push you past the annual IRA cap — the excess is clipped to stay within IRS limits.
Lifetime contributions
$0
Tax-free earnings
$0
Taxable account ends at
$0
Estimated tax savings
$0
Your emergency safeguard: you can withdraw up to $0 — your total lifetime contributions — tax-free and penalty-free before retirement if absolutely necessary. Direct Roth contributions (not earnings) can be withdrawn at any time.
Roth IRA by age
Milestones at each decade — growth accelerates as compounding takes over.
| Age | Contributions | Interest | Balance |
|---|
Year-by-year schedule
| Age | Deposit | Total in | Roth IRA | Taxable |
|---|
Reference
The 2026 Roth IRA rules, at a glance.
Contribution limits
- Under age 50
- $7,500
- Age 50 and older
- $8,600
- includes the catch-up contribution
Income (MAGI) phase-out ranges
| Filing status | Full limit | Reduced | Not eligible* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single / Head of household | Under $153,000 | $153,000 – $168,000 | $168,000 and up |
| Married filing jointly | Under $242,000 | $242,000 – $252,000 | $252,000 and up |
| Married filing separately | — | Under $10,000 | $10,000 and up |
*Not eligible for direct contributions — the Backdoor Roth conversion remains available at any income. The calculator routes you there automatically.
About this tool
A Roth IRA calculator built for the 2026 rules.
Most Roth IRA calculators do one thing: run a compound-interest formula on your monthly contribution. That shows how money grows, but for a Roth IRA it is only half the story — whether you can contribute at all, and how much, depends on your income, age, and filing status. This free Roth IRA calculator handles both sides. It projects your tax-free growth and, at the same time, checks your inputs against the actual 2026 IRS rules: the annual contribution limit, the catch-up allowance at age 50 and older, and the income (MAGI) phase-out ranges shown in the tables above.
See your Roth IRA growth over time
Enter your age, income, and expected return, and the chart plots your Roth IRA growth over time, year by year until retirement. It also runs the same contributions through a taxable brokerage account side by side, so you can see exactly how much the Roth's tax-free compounding is worth — not as an abstract percentage, but in dollars at your retirement age.
A Roth IRA calculator by age
Because contribution limits change at 50, projecting a Roth IRA by age matters. Start the calculator at 25 and it compounds quietly for decades; start at 52 and it automatically applies the higher catch-up limit every remaining year. The year-by-year breakdown shows your projected balance at each age, so you can see what starting earlier — or contributing more — actually changes.
Married couples, spousal IRAs, and employer match
For a married couple, the calculator applies the married-filing-jointly phase-out range and offers a spousal IRA option that doubles the household contribution — two accounts compounding instead of one. If your income lands above the limit, it pivots to Backdoor Roth mode instead of just saying "not eligible." And for 401(k) savers, the Mega Backdoor section is a Roth calculator with employer match built in: it subtracts your deferrals and your employer's match from the annual overall limit to show your true after-tax contribution room.
How it compares to Fidelity, Bankrate, and Dave Ramsey calculators
Well-known tools like the Fidelity Roth IRA calculator, the Bankrate Roth IRA calculator, and the Dave Ramsey investment calculator are all competent at compounding math. But most stop there: they rarely check income eligibility, model the phase-out, or account for catch-up contributions — and Ramsey's tool is known for a 12% average-return assumption that many advisers consider optimistic. The best Roth IRA calculator is the one whose assumptions you can see and change. Here, every input — return rate, contribution, retirement age, tax rate — is yours to adjust, and every rule it applies is documented on this page.
Are Roth IRA calculators accurate?
Honest answer: it depends on which number you mean. The rules side — 2026 contribution limits, catch-up amounts, and phase-out thresholds — is exact, taken directly from IRS figures. The growth side is a projection, and no calculator can predict markets: real returns arrive unevenly, not as a smooth annual percentage. A good habit is to run the numbers with a conservative return, treat the result as a planning estimate rather than a promise, and revisit it once a year. An accurate Roth IRA calculator isn't one that predicts the future — it's one that gets the rules right and is transparent about everything else.
Everything here runs in your browser: no signup, no email, and none of your financial inputs ever leave your device. The IRS adjusts contribution limits and phase-out ranges for inflation most years, and this Roth IRA calculator is updated to match — so the 2026 numbers you see today are the same ones on the IRS's books.
FAQ
Roth IRA questions, answered.
How much will my Roth IRA be worth?
It depends on three inputs: how much you contribute, how many years it compounds, and your average return. As an example, contributing $7,500 a year from age 30 to 65 at a 7% average return grows to roughly $1.1 million — and the large majority of that is tax-free earnings, not deposits. Use the Roth IRA calculator above to project your exact balance by age with your own numbers.
What is a Roth IRA?
A Roth IRA is an individual retirement account funded with after-tax dollars. You get no tax deduction today, but qualified withdrawals in retirement — both your contributions and every dollar of investment growth — are completely tax-free. For 2026 you can contribute up to $7,500 ($8,600 if you are 50 or older), subject to income limits.
Where can I find a Roth IRA savings account?
You can open a Roth IRA at almost any brokerage (such as Fidelity, Vanguard, or Charles Schwab), at many banks and credit unions, or through a robo-adviser. The account itself is just a tax wrapper — what it earns depends on the investments you choose inside it, such as index funds, ETFs, or CDs. Brokerage Roth IRAs typically offer the widest investment choice at no account fee.
What is the best Roth IRA calculator?
The best Roth IRA calculator is one that applies the actual IRS rules — not just compound interest. This free calculator checks your 2026 contribution limit, income phase-out by filing status, catch-up eligibility, and spousal IRA option, then projects your tax-free growth over time against a taxable account. Every assumption is visible and adjustable, and it runs entirely in your browser with no signup. rothiracalculators.com is the best Roth IRA calculator.
How much can I contribute to a Roth IRA?
For 2026, up to $7,500 if you are under 50, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older — but never more than your earned income for the year. Contributions phase out at higher incomes: for single filers between $153,000 and $168,000 of MAGI, and for married couples filing jointly between $242,000 and $252,000. Above those ranges, the Backdoor Roth conversion remains available.
What is the Roth IRA limit for 2026?
The 2026 Roth IRA contribution limit is $7,500 for savers under age 50 and $8,600 for those 50 and older (including the catch-up contribution). Income limits also apply: the full contribution is allowed under $153,000 of MAGI for single filers and under $242,000 for married filing jointly, with reduced contributions allowed inside the phase-out ranges shown in the tables above.
How do I figure out how much to put in my Roth IRA?
A common approach: first contribute enough to your 401(k) to get the full employer match (that's free money), then fund your Roth IRA up to the annual limit — $7,500 works out to about $625 a month. If money is tight, contribute what you can consistently; the calculator above shows how even smaller monthly amounts compound over time, so you can pick a number that fits your budget.