Roth IRA Calculator United States

Growth in a Roth IRA can come out tax-free in retirement. This Roth IRA calculator projects what your account could be worth from a starting balance plus level annual contributions, then splits that value into the money you put in and the growth you keep tax-free. It also checks your contribution against the 2026 IRS limit so you can avoid an excess-contribution penalty.

How the projection works

The calculator uses annual compounding. Your current balance grows at the annual return you enter, and each year's contribution is added as an ordinary annuity, meaning it arrives at the end of the year. The future value equals your current balance multiplied by one plus the return raised to the number of years, plus your annual contribution multiplied by the standard annuity factor. With a zero return the formula reduces to your starting balance plus contributions times the number of years, so a zero-return, ten-year projection of $7,000 a year comes to exactly $70,000.

Total contributed is your starting balance plus every dollar you added. Tax-free growth is the ending value minus total contributed. Because you funded the account with after-tax money, qualified withdrawals in retirement, including all the compounding, are not taxed.

The 2026 contribution limits

For 2026 the IRS caps Roth IRA contributions at $7,500 a year for savers under 50. If you are 50 or older, a catch-up contribution of $1,100 lifts your ceiling to $8,600. Tick the age box and the calculator raises the limit, then compares your annual contribution with it and flags any excess so you can trim it before filing.

The limits apply to the combined total across all your IRAs, traditional and Roth, so opening a second Roth does not double your room. The caps are stored as parameters taken from the IRS and reviewed each tax year.

How much of the balance is growth

The longer your money compounds, the larger the share of the final balance that is growth. A saver who starts with $10,000, adds $7,000 a year for 30 years and earns 7 percent ends up with roughly $737,000, of which only $220,000 was contributed. The other half-million-plus is investment growth, and in a Roth IRA none of it is taxed on the way out. In a taxable brokerage account part of that gain would go to capital gains tax, and in a traditional IRA withdrawals would be taxed as ordinary income.

Contributions made early do far more work than those made near retirement, so starting even a few years sooner can add tens of thousands to the tax-free portion.

A worked example

Suppose you are 40, already hold $10,000 in a Roth IRA, and plan to contribute $7,000 every year until you are 70, assuming a 7 percent annual return. The calculator projects a future value near $737,000: about $220,000 contributed and roughly $517,000 of tax-free growth. You are under 50 at the start, so the $7,000 contribution is under the $7,500 limit and no excess is flagged. Tick the age-50 box for later years and the ceiling rises to $8,600, leaving room for the catch-up.

Assumptions and limitations

This is a planning estimate, not a guarantee. It assumes one constant annual return, level contributions at year end, and no withdrawals, fees or inflation adjustments. Real markets deliver uneven returns, and poor early years can change outcomes significantly. The tool does not model income-based phase-outs, which can reduce or eliminate your Roth contribution room at higher incomes, and it does not account for state taxes or the five-year rule for qualified withdrawals. It uses the 2026 IRS limits, and catch-up eligibility begins in the year you turn 50. For decisions with real money at stake, confirm the current limits on the IRS website and consider speaking with a financial advisor.

About This Roth IRA Calculator

Use this Roth IRA calculator to get an instant, accurate estimate. The figures follow official IRS guidance and every rate and threshold is kept up to date for 2026. Adjust the inputs above to match your situation, or browse all our calculators to plan your next step.