How will my Roth IRA grow?
Enter your age, what you put in each year, and your income. See your Roth IRA at retirement, your limit this year, and how it compares with a taxable account.
- At retirement your Roth IRA holds
- $1,216,116.76
At 7% a year, your Roth IRA grows to $1,216,116.76 by age 65, $365,531.59 more than the same money in a taxable account.
- Your contributions
- $262,500.00
- Tax-free growth
- $943,616.76
- Same money in a taxable account
- $850,585.17
- Roth IRA advantage
- $365,531.59
- Most you can put in this year
- $7,500.00
- Years
- 35
At retirement your Roth IRA holds: $1,216,116.76. At 7% a year, your Roth IRA grows to $1,216,116.76 by age 65, $365,531.59 more than the same money in a taxable account.
Roth IRA or taxable account?
How does your Roth IRA grow?
What does each year look like?
The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use
How to calculate
Projects a Roth IRA balance at retirement from yearly contributions within the IRS limit and income phase-out, and compares it with a taxable account.
Example with the default inputs (Your age 30, Retirement age 65, Roth IRA balance today $10,000.00, Yearly contribution $7,500.00, Modified adjusted gross income $90,000.00, Tax filing status Single, Expected yearly return 7%, Tax rate on a taxable account 22%): At 7% a year, your Roth IRA grows to $1,216,116.76 by age 65, $365,531.59 more than the same money in a taxable account.
Method: Each year, contribution = min(your amount, the IRS limit after the income phase-out), added at the start of the year; the Roth balance grows by (1 + R) and a taxable account by (1 + R × (1 − tax rate)).
- The 2026 IRS limit and income ranges stay the same in later years, and your income stays the same.
- Your taxable pay is at least your contribution.
- Contributions are made at the start of each year.
- The return stays the same every year. Real returns go up and down.
- The taxable account pays tax on all its returns each year at one rate; the Roth IRA pays none.
- Withdrawals are assumed to be qualified (age 59½ or older and the account at least 5 years old), so they are tax-free.
- This is an estimate for planning, not financial advice.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Your age 30, Retirement age 31, Roth IRA balance today $0.00, Yearly contribution $6,000.00, Modified adjusted gross income $100,000.00, Tax filing status Single, Expected yearly return 10%, Tax rate on a taxable account 22% gives At retirement your Roth IRA holds $6,600.00, Same money in a taxable account $6,468.00, Roth IRA advantage $132.00, Most you can put in this year $7,500.00.Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 6,000 × 1.10; 6,000 × (1 + 0.10 × 0.78)
- Your age 40, Retirement age 41, Roth IRA balance today $0.00, Yearly contribution $7,500.00, Modified adjusted gross income $155,555.00, Tax filing status Single, Expected yearly return 0%, Tax rate on a taxable account 0% gives Most you can put in this year $6,230.00, Your contributions $6,230.00.Source: IRS Publication 590-A Worksheet 2-2 with the 2026 single range $153,000 to $168,000; hand calculation
- Your age 55, Retirement age 56, Roth IRA balance today $0.00, Yearly contribution $10,000.00, Modified adjusted gross income $250,000.00, Tax filing status Married, joint, Expected yearly return 0%, Tax rate on a taxable account 0% gives Most you can put in this year $1,720.00, Your contributions $1,720.00.Source: IRS Publication 590-A Worksheet 2-2 with the 2026 joint range $242,000 to $252,000 and the $8,600 limit at 50
- Your age 40, Retirement age 41, Roth IRA balance today $0.00, Yearly contribution $7,500.00, Modified adjusted gross income $167,900.00, Tax filing status Single, Expected yearly return 0%, Tax rate on a taxable account 0% gives Most you can put in this year $200.00.Source: IRS Publication 590-A Worksheet 2-2, line 8: a result under $200 becomes $200
- Your age 30, Retirement age 60, Roth IRA balance today $10,000.00, Yearly contribution $7,500.00, Modified adjusted gross income $90,000.00, Tax filing status Single, Expected yearly return 7%, Tax rate on a taxable account 22% gives At retirement your Roth IRA holds $834,170.36, Your contributions $225,000.00.Source: hand calculation in content.mdx
How the limit is worked out
The calculator uses the 2026 IRS amounts for every year: a $7,500 limit, plus a $1,100 catch-up in years when your age is 50 or more. Your age in year k (k = 0 is this year) is your age + k.
The phase-out range depends on your filing status:
| Filing status | Range of modified AGI |
|---|---|
| Single, head of household, or married filing separately and living apart all year | $153,000 to $168,000 |
| Married filing jointly | $242,000 to $252,000 |
| Married filing separately and living together | $0 to $10,000 |
With the full limit F (7,500 or 8,600), your MAGI M, and the range start A and end B:
- If M is below A, the limit is F.
- If M is B or more, the limit is 0.
- Otherwise, the limit is F − F × (M − A) ÷ (B − A), rounded up to the next $10, and at least $200. The ratio (M − A) ÷ (B − A) is not rounded, and the amount is rounded to the cent before rounding up to $10.
Each year you put in the lesser of your yearly contribution and that limit. Your MAGI stays the same in every year.
How the balance grows
For each year from now until the year before your retirement age, with the yearly return R and the tax rate t (as decimals):
- The contribution goes in at the start of the year.
- Roth IRA: balance = (balance + contribution) × (1 + R).
- Taxable account: balance = (balance + contribution) × (1 + R × (1 − t)). It starts with the same balance as the Roth IRA.
The results:
- At retirement your Roth IRA holds is the Roth IRA balance after the last year.
- Your contributions adds every year’s contribution. Tax-free growth is the final balance minus today’s balance and your contributions.
- Same money in a taxable account is the taxable balance after the last year. Roth IRA advantage is the Roth IRA balance minus it.
- Most you can put in this year is the limit for this year (k = 0).
If the retirement age is not more than your age, there is no answer.
Assumptions
- The 2026 IRS limit and ranges stay the same, and your taxable pay is at least what you put in.
- The return is the same every year, and withdrawals are qualified, so they are tax-free.
- This is an estimate for planning, not financial advice.
Worked examples by hand
$6,000 for one year at 10%, single, $100,000 MAGI, 22% tax. $100,000 is below $153,000, so the limit is $7,500 and all $6,000 goes in. Roth IRA: 6,000 × 1.10 = $6,600. Taxable account: 6,000 × (1 + 0.10 × 0.78) = $6,468. The Roth IRA advantage is $132.
Single, age 40, $155,555 MAGI. (155,555 − 153,000) ÷ 15,000 = 0.170333. 7,500 × 0.170333 = 1,277.50. 7,500 − 1,277.50 = 6,222.50, rounded up to $6,230.
Married filing jointly, age 55, $250,000 MAGI. The full limit is 7,500 + 1,100 = $8,600. (250,000 − 242,000) ÷ 10,000 = 0.8. 8,600 − 8,600 × 0.8 = 1,720, which is already a multiple of $10: $1,720.
Single, age 40, $167,900 MAGI. (167,900 − 153,000) ÷ 15,000 = 0.993333. 7,500 − 7,450 = $50, which is under $200, so the limit is $200.
IRS check with the 2025 amounts. Publication 590-A’s example: single, age 45, MAGI $151,000, 2025 range $150,000 to $165,000, limit $7,000. 7,000 − 7,000 × 1,000 ÷ 15,000 = 6,533.33, rounded up to $6,540, the worksheet’s answer.
Age 30 to 60, $10,000 today, $7,500 a year at 7%. Today’s balance grows to 10,000 × 1.07^30 = 10,000 × 7.612255 = $76,122.55. The contributions, each at the start of a year, grow to 7,500 × 1.07 × (1.07^30 − 1) ÷ 0.07 = 7,500 × 101.07304 = $758,047.81. Total $834,170.36, from $225,000 of contributions.
Other questions people ask
How much can I put in a Roth IRA in 2026?
For 2026 the IRA limit is $7,500, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older (a $1,100 catch-up). The limit is shared by all your traditional and Roth IRAs, and it is reduced if your income is in the Roth IRA phase-out range.
What are the 2026 Roth IRA income limits?
The limit phases out for modified AGI from $153,000 to $168,000 if you are single or head of household, and from $242,000 to $252,000 if you are married filing jointly. If you are married filing separately and lived with your spouse during the year, it phases out from $0 to $10,000. At or above the top of your range you cannot put money in a Roth IRA directly.
How is the reduced limit worked out?
With IRS Worksheet 2-2: take your MAGI minus the start of your range, divide by the width of the range ($15,000 single, $10,000 joint or separate), multiply your full limit by that, and subtract it from the full limit. Round up to the next $10. If the answer is under $200 but your MAGI is still below the top of the range, you can put in $200.
Why compare with a taxable account?
In a Roth IRA, growth is tax-free when you take qualified withdrawals. In an ordinary taxable account, you pay tax on interest, dividends, and gains. The comparison taxes the taxable account’s whole return every year at the rate you enter, which is a simple way to see what the tax-free growth is worth.
When can I take money out of a Roth IRA tax-free?
Your own contributions can come out at any time. Earnings come out tax-free in a qualified distribution: generally after age 59½ and at least 5 years after your first Roth IRA contribution. Other withdrawals of earnings may be taxed and may carry a 10% additional tax.
Do I have to take required minimum distributions from a Roth IRA?
No. The original owner of a Roth IRA does not have to take required minimum distributions. Beneficiaries who inherit one may have to.