Roth IRA Calculator

How this Roth IRA calculator works

This Roth IRA calculator, also a Roth IRA growth calculator, projects how much your Roth IRA could be worth at retirement and compares it with the same savings held in a regular taxable brokerage account. Enter your current balance, how much you plan to contribute each year (or choose to contribute the maximum), your expected annual return, your age, the age you plan to retire, and your marginal tax rate.

Each year until retirement, both accounts are updated the same way:

• Roth IRA: end balance = start balance × (1 + return) + contribution. Growth is never taxed.
• Taxable account: end balance = start balance + growth − (growth × tax rate) + contribution, where growth = start balance × return.

For example, $15,000 today plus $6,000 a year at a 7% return from age 35 to 67 grows to about $792,038 in a Roth IRA. With a 22% tax rate on growth, the taxable account reaches about $574,552, so the Roth IRA ends up roughly $217,000 ahead.

Roth IRA contribution limits for 2026

For 2026, the total you can contribute to all of your traditional and Roth IRAs combined is $7,500, or $8,600 if you are age 50 or older. You also can't contribute more than your taxable compensation for the year. When you check "Contribute the maximum every year," the calculator uses $7,500 for each year before age 50 and $8,600 from age 50 on. A yearly contribution you enter above the limit is capped at the limit for that age.

The IRS usually raises these limits for inflation every few years, so maxing out in the future may let you contribute more than this projection assumes. Higher earners may also be limited: the amount you can put into a Roth IRA phases out above certain modified adjusted gross income levels.

Roth IRA vs taxable (brokerage) account

You fund both accounts with money that has already been taxed. The difference is what happens to the growth. In a Roth IRA, qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free, so every dollar of growth stays invested. In a taxable account, part of each year's growth goes to taxes, which leaves less money to compound. The gap widens the longer you invest and the higher your tax rate.

Assumptions and limits

• The return is a constant yearly rate. Real markets rise and fall, so actual balances will differ.
• Contributions are added at the end of each year, and the taxable account pays tax on all of each year's growth at your marginal rate. In practice, long-term capital gains and qualified dividends are often taxed at lower rates, which would narrow the gap.
• The projection is in future dollars and is not adjusted for inflation.
• It does not check income limits or model withdrawals. This is an estimate, not tax or investment advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Roth IRA limit for 2026?

$7,500 if you are under 50, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older. The limit is shared across all your traditional and Roth IRAs, and you can't contribute more than your taxable compensation for the year.

How much will my Roth IRA be worth when I retire?

It depends mostly on how much you contribute, your return, and how many years you have. Contributing $7,500 a year for 35 years at a 6% return grows to about $836,000 from contributions alone, more than three times the $262,500 you put in. Use the calculator above with your own numbers.

Are Roth IRA withdrawals tax-free?

You can withdraw your contributions at any time without tax or penalty. Earnings are tax-free once you are 59½ and the account has been open at least five years. Taking out earnings earlier can trigger income tax and a 10% penalty unless an exception applies.

Is a Roth IRA better than a taxable account?

For retirement savings, usually yes, because growth is not taxed. A taxable account has no contribution limit and no withdrawal rules, so many people use both: a Roth IRA up to the limit, then a taxable account for anything beyond it.