Roth IRA Calculator 2026
Pay the tax once, at today's rates — then never again.
Project your Roth IRA to retirement with the 2026 limits — $7,500, $8,600 at 50+ — check your contribution against the $153k–$168k phase-out, and see what the tax-free wrapper is actually worth versus a plain brokerage.
2026 IRS limits. Projections assume steady returns — markets don't.
After-tax in, never taxed again
The deal
You contribute money you've already paid income tax on. From then on the account is invisible to the IRS: no tax on dividends, no tax on rebalancing, no tax on withdrawal after 59½ (plus the 5-year rule), and no required minimum distributions dragging money out in your 80s. The younger you are and the lower your current bracket, the better the trade.
What it's worth
Maxing 2026's $7,500 from 30 to 65 at 7% builds ≈$1,125,000 — of which ≈$863,000 is growth. In a taxable brokerage that growth would owe capital gains (≈$129,000 at 15%, more with annual dividend drag); in a traditional IRA the whole balance would owe income tax on the way out. In the Roth: zero.
Limits and phase-outs
| Parameter | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Contribution limit | $7,500 |
| Catch-up (50+) | +$1,100 → $8,600 |
| Phase-out, single / HoH | $153,000 – $168,000 |
| Phase-out, married joint | $242,000 – $252,000 |
| Married filing separately | $0 – $10,000 |
| Deadline | Tax day, April 2027 |
Inside a phase-out band the limit prorates: a single filer at $160,000 MAGI can contribute about $4,000. Contributions above your allowance incur a 6% excise tax every year until withdrawn or recharacterized — the calculator flags it if your inputs cross the line.
Over the income limit? There's a legal side door
Contribute (non-deductibly) to a traditional IRA, convert to Roth shortly after, file Form 8606 — the conversion has no income limit, so the phase-out becomes a paperwork exercise. The one genuine trap is the pro-rata rule: if you hold pre-tax money in ANY traditional, SEP or SIMPLE IRA, conversions are taxed proportionally across all of it. The standard fix is rolling those pre-tax balances into an employer 401(k) first, leaving a clean $0 basis. Employer plans with after-tax contributions may also allow the mega-backdoor — worth asking HR about — which moves tens of thousands a year into Roth space.
The most flexible retirement account there is
Contributions come back out any time, any age, tax- and penalty-free — withdrawals count contributions first by law. Earnings unlock tax-free at 59½ once the account is five tax years old; before that they're taxed plus 10% penalty, with exceptions ($10,000 lifetime toward a first home, disability, substantially-equal payments). No RMDs ever — the account can compound untouched for life and pass to heirs, who get a further 10 years of tax-free growth. That combination — emergency-accessible contributions, untouchable compounding — is why the Roth is usually the first dollar of savings advice after any employer match.
❓ Frequently asked Frequently asked questions
How much can I contribute in 2026?
$7,500 ($8,600 at 50+). Phase-outs: $153k–$168k single, $242k–$252k joint.
What could a maxed Roth be worth?
$625/mo from 30 to 65 at 7% ≈ $1.13M — with ≈$863k of never-taxed growth.
What if I earn too much?
The backdoor Roth: non-deductible traditional contribution → convert → Form 8606. Watch the pro-rata rule.
When can I withdraw?
Contributions anytime; earnings at 59½ + 5 years (with a $10k first-home exception). No RMDs ever.
Roth or traditional?
Future tax rate ≥ today's → Roth. Peak earnings now → traditional. Ties → Roth.
Can my teenager open one?
Yes, with earned income — $3k/yr from 16–21 compounds to ≈$450k by 65.
Where these figures come from
Limits from the IRS's November 2025 announcement for tax year 2026.
- 2026 limits & phase-outs — IRS — 2026 retirement plan limits.
- Roth IRA rules — IRS — Roth IRAs.
- Conversions & Form 8606 — IRS — About Form 8606.
Last checked: July 2026. Projections use steady compounding; real returns vary year to year.
Select the question that matches where you are right now.
Your result is a pool of retirement money the IRS never touches again — the green gap in the chart is wealth that exists because of the wrapper.
Automate the monthly amount. The projection only comes true for contributions that actually happen — January's is worth more than December's.
A guarantee. 7% is a long-run average; sequence risk is real. The tax-free property, though, is contractual.
2026 IRS limits and phase-outs; monthly compounding. All calculations run in your browser.
Time dominates everything else.
Five years earlier is worth ≈$515,000 at 65 — more than doubling the contribution rate later can recover.
At 5% the max-out builds ≈$680k; at 9% ≈$1.9M. Costs matter: index funds keep the assumption honest.
Between $153k and $168k (single) every extra dollar of income shaves the allowance — and pre-tax 401(k)/HSA contributions push MAGI back down, reopening Roth space. It's the same lever that cuts RAP student-loan payments — managing MAGI pays on multiple fronts.
Order of operations, per the standard advice.
Employer 401(k) match is 50–100% instant return — always beat the Roth to it.
$625/mo. Automate it on payday; raise it with every raise.
Then fill the $24,500 401(k) limit, and investigate the mega-backdoor if the plan allows.
The Roth is one pillar — line up the others.