Roth IRA Calculator
Project your tax-free balance at retirement. Enter your ages, current balance, yearly contribution, and expected return, and see contributions vs growth year by year. Instant, private, free forever.
Your inputs
2026 IRS limit: $7,500 under age 50, $8,600 at 50+. Contributions above your limit are capped in the projection.
The long-run stock market average is around 7% after inflation, before inflation it is roughly 10%.
How to Use This Calculator
Fill in five numbers and the projection updates live. Your current age and retirement age set how many years your money compounds. The current balance is what is already in the account today. Annual contribution is what you plan to add each year, and the calculator caps it at the 2026 IRS limit ($7,500 under 50, $8,600 at 50+ with catch-up). Expected return is your average yearly investment growth; 7% is the common planning number for a stock-heavy portfolio.
The results show your projected tax-free balance at retirement, split into total contributions (money you actually put in) and growth (what compounding did). The chart shows both stacking up year by year, and the table gives exact figures so you can see the moment growth starts doing more work than your contributions. To understand what these inputs actually mean and where the limits come from, read our Roth IRA calculator guide.
What the Numbers Mean
Projected balance: your estimated tax-free account value at your retirement age, assuming contributions go in monthly and compound monthly at your expected return. Qualified withdrawals of this entire amount are tax-free if your account has been open at least 5 years and you are 59 and a half or older.
Contributions vs growth: this split is the whole story of a Roth IRA. Early on, nearly all of your balance is money you put in. Somewhere in the middle decades, growth takes over and finishes far ahead. The longer the timeline, the more lopsided the split gets in growth's favor.
Contribution cap: the IRS limits how much you can contribute to IRAs each year, across all your IRAs combined. For 2026 that is $7,500 if you are under 50 and $8,600 at 50+, thanks to the $1,100 catch-up contribution. If you type a number above your limit, the calculator caps it and tells you.
Why Roth vs Traditional matters here: this projection shows a Roth balance, which is after-tax money going in and tax-free money coming out. A traditional IRA with the same inputs would show a bigger pre-tax balance but you would owe income tax on every withdrawal. Our Roth vs Traditional guide works through the math of which one leaves you with more spendable money.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will my Roth IRA grow?
It depends on your annual contribution, your expected return, and how many years the money compounds. Maxing the 2026 limit of $7,500 per year from age 25 to 65 at a 7% average annual return grows to roughly $1.65 million, of which about $300,000 is your contributions and about $1.35 million is growth. Enter your own numbers above for an exact projection.
What is the Roth IRA limit for 2026?
The 2026 IRA contribution limit is $7,500 if you are under 50, or $8,600 at age 50 and older, including a $1,100 catch-up contribution. The limit applies to all your IRAs combined, not per account, and you need earned income at least equal to your contribution.
Is Roth IRA growth really tax-free?
Yes, qualified withdrawals are completely tax-free. Two conditions must hold: your Roth IRA must have been open at least 5 years, and you must be at least 59 and a half (or meet an exception such as disability). Your original contributions are separate: you can withdraw what you put in at any time, at any age, with no tax and no penalty.
Should I use the max contribution every year?
If you can afford it, yes. The math of compounding rewards every dollar invested early, so hitting the full $7,500 (or $8,600 at 50+) moves the needle far more than most people expect. Compare a $5,000-a-year habit against a $7,500-a-year habit above and watch the gap widen by six figures over a career.
Can I keep contributing past my retirement age?
Yes. There is no age limit on Roth IRA contributions; you can contribute at any age as long as you have earned income at least equal to the contribution and your income is within the Roth eligibility phase-outs. If you work past 65, you can keep feeding the account.
Is this Roth IRA calculator free?
Yes, 100% free with no signup. All calculations happen instantly in your browser and your numbers are never sent to a server.
Related tools
How Roth IRA calculators work
What each input means, the 2026 contribution limits, a worked example, and why Roth vs Traditional changes the projection.
Read the Roth IRA Guide