Roth IRA calculator

How to use the Roth IRA calculator

What this calculator does

This calculator estimates a 2026 Roth IRA contribution limit from your modified adjusted gross income, age, and filing status, then projects how repeated annual deposits could grow by retirement. It also estimates the gross income needed to leave enough after tax for the eligible contribution. It is a planning model, not a determination of tax eligibility, investment performance, or a recommendation to buy any investment.

When to use it

Use it to test whether income may place you in a Roth IRA phaseout range, compare retirement ages, see how a different assumed return changes the long-run balance, or estimate the annual pre-tax cash flow required to fund an after-tax contribution.

How to calculate

1. The calculator opens with a complete demonstration: $120,000 MAGI, age 30, retirement at 65, single filing status, a 24% tax rate, and a 7% annual return. The example Excel workbook is available immediately.
2. Replace each sample value with your own assumptions. Results, chart, and projection table update live.
3. Read the eligibility results first, then review the retirement balance, cumulative contributions, and investment growth.
4. Select Download Excel to export the current validated model. Select Reset to clear the demonstration and all results; export remains disabled until a complete valid set is entered again.

Input guide

Modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is required in U.S. dollars. Enter 0 to 100,000,000 using plain digits or standard U.S. comma grouping, such as 120000 or 120,000. Higher MAGI can reduce or eliminate eligibility inside the applicable phaseout. Do not substitute gross salary without calculating Roth-specific MAGI; the IRS Publication 590-A Roth IRA worksheet explains the adjustments.

Current age and Retirement age are required whole years. Current age must be 18 to 100, and retirement age must be higher. Age 50 or older qualifies for the 2026 catch-up limit in this model. A longer gap adds contribution years and compounding periods.

Tax filing status is required and selects the 2026 MAGI phaseout: single/head of household/lived apart, married filing jointly/qualifying surviving spouse, or married filing separately while living with a spouse. Choosing the wrong category can materially change the eligible amount.

Income tax rate is required as a percent from 0 to 60, such as 24. It does not change the Roth contribution itself; it converts the after-tax contribution into a gross-income equivalent using contribution ÷ (1 – tax rate). Annual return rate is required from – 99% to 50%, such as 7. It is a constant nominal estimate, not a forecast; higher values compound to a larger balance and negative values can reduce the account.

Output guide

Roth IRA balance at retirement is the estimated end balance after the final annual deposit. Maximum contribution is the age-based 2026 statutory ceiling before MAGI reduction. Eligible contribution applies the filing-status phaseout and IRS-style rounding. Gross income needed estimates pre-tax earnings required to net the eligible contribution at the entered tax rate. Total contributions is eligible contribution multiplied by years invested, and Investment growth is balance minus contributions. The pills summarize years, eligibility status, and assumed return. The annual table shows year, age, deposit, cumulative deposits, growth during that year, and ending balance. The line chart displays the same ending balances over time.

Worked example

With the startup values, MAGI of $120,000 is below the 2026 single phaseout threshold, so the full $7,500 contribution is eligible. At a 24% tax rate, earning about $9,868.42 gross leaves $7,500 after tax. Depositing $7,500 at each year-end for 35 years at 7% produces an estimated retirement balance of $1,036,776.59. Total deposits are $262,500, so estimated investment growth is $774,276.59. This uses the ordinary-annuity formula and annual compounding; the SEC's compound interest calculator provides additional context.