Roth IRA Calculator
See what a Roth IRA could grow to by retirement. Enter your current age, the age you plan to retire, how much you contribute each year, and an expected annual return. The calculator compounds your contributions and shows the projected tax-free balance, next to what the same savings would look like in a taxable account.
Reviewed by Guido Trevisan, Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS®)Updated July 20, 2026
Roth IRA growth calculator (2026)
Compounds your contributions once a year at the return you set and compares the tax-free balance to the same savings in a taxable account.
Your details
What you have saved in the account today.
The 2026 limit is $7,500, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older.
Tax-free balance at age 65
$1,036,777
About $312,728 more than the same savings in a taxable account.
Age at bottom, balance on the left. Hover the chart for any year.
Assumes a constant 7% return over 35 years, contributions at year end, and no future limit changes. The taxable comparison grows at 5.3% after 24% tax on annual growth.
Estimates only, not investment or tax advice. Real returns vary year to year and are not guaranteed, and Roth eligibility phases out at higher incomes. The taxable comparison is a simplified model that taxes all annual growth at your marginal rate. Confirm your limits and eligibility with the IRS and a CPA.
How the Roth IRA calculator works
The calculator adds your contribution each year and compounds the balance once a year at the return you set, from your current age to your retirement age. Because a Roth IRA is funded with after-tax dollars, the ending balance is what you keep, with no federal tax on qualified withdrawals after age 59 and a half once the account has been open five years.
The taxable comparison runs the same contributions through an account where yearly earnings are taxed at your marginal rate, so it grows more slowly. The gap between the two balances is the tax drag a Roth avoids. The model assumes a flat contribution and a flat return, and it leaves out state taxes, fees, inflation, and future limit changes, so treat the output as a planning estimate rather than a guarantee.
A worked example
Take someone who is 30 today, plans to retire at 65, and contributes $7,500 a year at a 7% annual return. Over 35 years that is $262,500 of their own contributions. Compounded once a year at 7%, the projected Roth IRA balance is roughly $1.1 million, and all of it can be withdrawn tax-free in retirement once the account is qualified.
The same $7,500 a year in a taxable account grows to less, because dividends and realized gains are taxed along the way. That difference is the point of the projection: it puts a dollar figure on what the Roth tax treatment is worth over a long horizon. Change the age, contribution, or return to model your own plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Roth IRA calculator?
A Roth IRA calculator estimates how much your account could be worth at retirement. You enter your current age, your retirement age, how much you contribute each year, and an expected annual return. It compounds those contributions over time and shows the projected balance, all of which can be withdrawn tax-free in retirement.
How is Roth IRA growth tax-free?
You fund a Roth IRA with money you have already paid income tax on, so contributions go in after-tax. In exchange, qualified withdrawals in retirement come out with no federal tax on the earnings. A withdrawal is qualified once you are at least 59 and a half and the account has been open five years.
What is the Roth IRA contribution limit for 2026?
For 2026 you can contribute up to $7,500 to a Roth IRA if you are under 50. At 50 and older you can add a catch-up, for a total of $8,600. These limits apply to your combined Traditional and Roth IRA contributions, and they are separate from any workplace plan like a SIMPLE IRA.
Is a Roth IRA better than a taxable account?
For long-term retirement money, a Roth IRA usually keeps more of your gains because earnings compound without yearly tax and come out tax-free once qualified. A taxable brokerage account is taxed on dividends and realized gains along the way, which drags on growth. A Roth trades that off against annual limits and withdrawal rules.
What if my income is too high to contribute to a Roth IRA?
Roth IRA eligibility phases out at higher incomes based on your filing status and modified adjusted gross income. If you earn above the limit, a backdoor Roth IRA lets you contribute to a Traditional IRA and convert it. Read our backdoor Roth IRA guide before you try it, since the pro-rata rule can create a tax bill.
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Methodology and sources
The projection compounds your contributions annually at a flat return you set, with a taxable-account comparison taxed at your marginal rate each year. Contribution limits, catch-up amounts, and withdrawal rules come from the IRS and statute sources below.
Estimates only, not tax advice. Confirm figures with the IRS and your CPA.
- 1.Internal Revenue Service. “Retirement topics - IRA contribution limits.” Accessed July 2026. https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-ira-contribution-limits
- 2.Internal Revenue Service. “Roth IRAs.” Accessed July 2026. https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/roth-iras
- 3.Internal Revenue Service. “About Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).” Accessed July 2026. https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-590-b
- 4.Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. “26 U.S. Code § 408A - Roth IRAs.” Accessed July 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/408A