Roth IRA Calculator
Enter your current age, the age you plan to retire, what your Roth IRA holds today, what you put in each year and the return you expect. The calculator grows the account one year at a time and shows the balance at retirement, how much of it you paid in and how much is growth. It caps the contribution at the 2026 IRS limit for your age, $7,500, or $8,600 at 50 or older. A qualified Roth IRA withdrawal is tax-free, so the balance is the amount you keep. The calculator does not check whether your income lets you contribute.
2026 IRS limit: $7,500.00, or $8,600.00 at 50 or older. The calculator does not check income limits.
How to use the Roth IRA Calculator
- Enter your current age and the age you plan to retire. If both are the same, the result is your balance today.
- Enter what your Roth IRA holds now. If you are opening your first one, enter 0.
- Enter what you plan to contribute each year. The 2026 limit shows under the field. If you type more, the calculator uses the limit and says so above the result.
- Enter the average annual return you expect and press Calculate.
How the Roth IRA growth is worked out
B = P × (1 + r)^n + C × ((1 + r)^n − 1) / r Growth = B − P − C × n
P is your current Roth IRA balance, C is the yearly contribution, r is the annual return and n is the number of years until your retirement age. The balance grows once a year, and each year's contribution goes in at the end of that year. With a 0% return, B is P + C × n and the growth is 0. If you retire this year, B is P. The calculator uses the same contribution and the 2026 limit for your current age in every year, so it does not add the catch-up when you turn 50 later. Each figure is rounded to the cent, and growth is the balance minus the rounded starting balance and contributions, so the lines add up.
Worked example
Age 35, retiring at 65, with $15,000 in a Roth IRA, $7,500 a year and a 7% return. After 30 years the account holds $822,639.72. You paid in $225,000 on top of the $15,000 you started with, and the other $582,639.72 is growth. Take it out as a qualified distribution and you owe no income tax on any of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 2026 Roth IRA contribution limit?
For 2026 the IRS caps what you put into all your traditional and Roth IRAs together at $7,500, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older. If your taxable compensation for the year is lower, that is your limit. The figures come from the IRS page Retirement topics - IRA contribution limits. The calculator applies the limit for the current age you enter and uses it every year. It does not check your compensation.
Does the calculator check the Roth IRA income limits?
No. The IRS lowers or rules out a direct Roth IRA contribution once your modified adjusted gross income passes a range set for your filing status, and this calculator never asks for your income. Look up your range in IRS Publication 590-A, in the section "Can You Contribute to a Roth IRA?". Worksheet 2-2 in the same publication works out a reduced limit. Enter that amount as your contribution.
Does this page cover a backdoor Roth conversion?
No. This page projects the Roth IRA and does not work out the tax on a conversion. The Backdoor Roth Calculator runs the Form 8606 lines that split a conversion into its taxable and nontaxable parts.
Is Roth IRA growth tax-free?
Yes, when you take it out in a qualified distribution. Five years must have passed since January 1 of the first tax year you made a Roth IRA contribution for, and you must be 59½ or older, disabled, or taking up to $10,000 for a first home. A payment to your beneficiary after your death also qualifies. The calculator assumes your withdrawal at retirement is qualified.
Can I take money out before retirement?
You can withdraw what you contributed at any time with no tax or penalty. Earnings you take out before a qualified distribution can be taxed, and before 59½ you can also owe a 10% additional tax on them unless an exception applies. The calculator assumes you leave everything in until your retirement age.
Should I pick a Roth or a traditional IRA?
This page projects a Roth IRA on its own. To see which account leaves more after tax at your tax rate now and the rate you expect in retirement, use the Traditional vs Roth IRA Calculator. It counts the income tax a Roth contribution costs you today, which this page leaves out.