Roth IRA Tools Roth IRA Growth Calculator
See what your Roth IRA could be worth at retirement, then check how much the 2026 income limits let you put in. With the defaults — $500 a month from age 30 to 65 at 7% — the account reaches about $900,000, and $210,000 of that is your own money. The rest is compound interest.
Estimated balance at retirement
at age 65, after 35 years
- Your contributions
- $84,000
- Investment growth
- $276,211
- Tax on withdrawals*
- $0
A taxable account with the same contributions would reach $238,591 at a 22% tax rate. The Roth IRA comes out $121,620 ahead.
*Qualified withdrawals. Assumes a constant annual return, monthly contributions at month-end, and that taxable-account gains are taxed annually at your marginal rate. Actual results will vary.
Can you contribute? Check the 2026 income limits
A growth projection only matters if you’re allowed to contribute. Enter your filing status and modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) to see how much of the $7,500 limit you can actually use this year. Single filers and heads of household share the same Roth IRA income range.
Age comes from the calculator above — 50 or older raises the limit to $8,600.
You can contribute the full $7,500 for 2026.
Calculated using the IRS worksheet method (Pub 590-A, Worksheet 2-2), including the $200 minimum.
Planning ahead? The 2027 limits are not out yet. 2027 Roth IRA income limits
This calculator shows your limit after the Roth IRA income phase-out (IRS Worksheet 2-2, line 8). It does not apply the separate ceiling that caps contributions at your taxable compensation, or subtract contributions you make to other IRAs for the same year. If either applies to you, your actual limit will be lower.
How to figure MAGI: Worksheet 2-1 in IRS Publication 590-A. 2026 thresholds: IRS announcement.
Roth IRA vs. taxable account
Money in a regular brokerage account pays tax on its growth along the way, and every dollar that goes to tax stops compounding. A Roth IRA removes that drag: you contribute dollars you’ve already paid tax on, and qualified withdrawals — growth included — come out tax-free. The table below runs your inputs through both accounts.
| Same contributions in… | Roth IRA | Taxable account |
|---|---|---|
| Balance at retirement | $360,211 | $238,591 |
| Total contributions | $84,000 | $84,000 |
| Investment growth (after tax) | $276,211 | $154,591 |
| Taxes paid on growth | $0 | $43,603 |
Treat the gap as an upper-end estimate: real taxable accounts often do better than this model, because long-term gains and qualified dividends are usually taxed below your ordinary rate and can be deferred until you sell.
Year-by-year growth schedule
Show the year-by-year table
| Age | Total contributions | Roth IRA balance | Taxable account |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | $2,400 | $2,479 | $2,400 |
| 32 | $4,800 | $5,136 | $4,931 |
| 33 | $7,200 | $7,986 | $7,600 |
| 34 | $9,600 | $11,042 | $10,415 |
| 35 | $12,000 | $14,319 | $13,384 |
| 36 | $14,400 | $17,832 | $16,515 |
| 37 | $16,800 | $21,600 | $19,816 |
| 38 | $19,200 | $25,640 | $23,298 |
| 39 | $21,600 | $29,972 | $26,970 |
| 40 | $24,000 | $34,617 | $30,843 |
| 41 | $26,400 | $39,598 | $34,927 |
| 42 | $28,800 | $44,939 | $39,234 |
| 43 | $31,200 | $50,666 | $43,776 |
| 44 | $33,600 | $56,807 | $48,566 |
| 45 | $36,000 | $63,392 | $53,618 |
| 46 | $38,400 | $70,454 | $58,946 |
| 47 | $40,800 | $78,025 | $64,564 |
| 48 | $43,200 | $86,144 | $70,489 |
| 49 | $45,600 | $94,850 | $76,738 |
| 50 | $48,000 | $104,185 | $83,328 |
| 51 | $50,400 | $114,195 | $90,278 |
| 52 | $52,800 | $124,929 | $97,607 |
| 53 | $55,200 | $136,439 | $105,336 |
| 54 | $57,600 | $148,780 | $113,488 |
| 55 | $60,000 | $162,014 | $122,084 |
| 56 | $62,400 | $176,205 | $131,150 |
| 57 | $64,800 | $191,421 | $140,711 |
| 58 | $67,200 | $207,738 | $150,793 |
| 59 | $69,600 | $225,234 | $161,427 |
| 60 | $72,000 | $243,994 | $172,641 |
| 61 | $74,400 | $264,111 | $184,467 |
| 62 | $76,800 | $285,682 | $196,939 |
| 63 | $79,200 | $308,813 | $210,091 |
| 64 | $81,600 | $333,615 | $223,962 |
| 65 | $84,000 | $360,211 | $238,591 |
How the numbers are calculated
This is a compound interest calculation with monthly compounding. Each month your balance earns one-twelfth of the annual return, and your contribution is added at the end of the month. In formula form, with a monthly rate i and n months: balance = starting balance × (1 + i)n + monthly contribution × ((1 + i)n − 1) ÷ i. At a 0% return it simply adds up your contributions.
In the default example you contribute $210,000 and end with $900,527: most of the balance is growth on earlier growth, and the bulk of it arrives in the last 10–15 years. That’s why starting earlier usually beats contributing more later. A 7% return is a common long-run assumption for a stock-heavy portfolio before inflation, not a promise.
2026 Roth IRA contribution limits
For 2026 you can contribute up to $7,500 to IRAs, or $8,600 if you’re 50 or older by the end of the year (the extra $1,100 is the catch-up contribution, per the IRS IRA contribution limits page). Three rules trip people up:
- The limit is shared across all your traditional and Roth IRAs, not per account.
- You can’t contribute more than your taxable compensation for the year. A spouse with little or no income can still contribute through a spousal IRA if you file jointly.
- Over-contributing triggers a 6% excise tax every year the excess stays in the account, so fix mistakes before your filing deadline.
| Limit | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRA contribution limit | $7,000 | $7,000 | $7,500 | — |
| Catch-up (50 or older) | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,100 | — |
| Phase-out: single / head of household | $146,000–$161,000 | $150,000–$165,000 | $153,000–$168,000 | — |
| Phase-out: married filing jointly | $230,000–$240,000 | $236,000–$246,000 | $242,000–$252,000 | — |
| Phase-out: married filing separately | $0–$10,000 | $0–$10,000 | $0–$10,000 | — |
2027 Roth IRA income limits: not yet announced — see the release schedule.
Rules for withdrawing from a Roth IRA
- Contributions come out anytime. What you put in can be withdrawn at any age, tax- and penalty-free. Withdrawals are treated as coming from contributions first, then conversions, then earnings.
- Earnings need two conditions. To take growth out tax-free, the withdrawal must be qualified: at least five tax years since your first contribution to any Roth IRA (the clock starts January 1 of the year you first contributed for), and you’re 59½ or older, disabled, or the account is paid to a beneficiary after your death.
- First home: up to $10,000. Once the five-year rule is met, you can take up to $10,000 of earnings tax-free toward a first-time home purchase — a lifetime limit.
- Early earnings are taxed. Non-qualified withdrawals of earnings count as income and usually carry a 10% additional tax, unless an IRS exception applies. Converted amounts have their own five-year clock for the 10% penalty.
- No required minimum distributions. Unlike a traditional IRA, you never have to take money out of your own Roth IRA. Beneficiaries do face withdrawal rules — most non-spouse heirs must empty the account within 10 years.
- Contribution deadline. You can make 2026 contributions until the tax filing deadline, April 15, 2027. Filing extensions don’t extend it.
Source: IRS Publication 590-B.
Pros and cons of a Roth IRA
Pros
- Growth and qualified withdrawals are tax-free, so the balance you see is the balance you keep.
- Your contributions can be withdrawn at any time without tax or penalty — a backstop if plans change.
- No required minimum distributions during your lifetime.
- Retirement accounts aren’t counted as assets on the FAFSA (though withdrawals can show up as income later).
- Tax diversification: paired with a pre-tax 401(k) or traditional IRA, you can choose which bucket to draw from each year in retirement.
- Friendlier to heirs: a spouse can treat it as their own, and other beneficiaries generally withdraw tax-free.
- No age cap on contributing, as long as you have taxable compensation and are under the income limit.
Cons
- No tax deduction now — you pay income tax on the money before it goes in.
- A low ceiling: $7,500 a year for 2026, which won’t cover a full retirement plan on its own.
- Income limits cut high earners out of direct contributions entirely.
- Earnings are locked behind the five-year rule and age 59½; pulling them early means tax and usually a 10% penalty.
- If your tax rate today is higher than it will be in retirement, a traditional (pre-tax) account often comes out ahead.
- No state tax break either — contributions aren’t deductible on your state return.
- You need earned income: without taxable compensation (or a working spouse) you can’t contribute at all.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Roth IRA income phase-out for 2026?
For 2026, the phase-out range is $153,000 to $168,000 of modified AGI for single filers and heads of household, $242,000 to $252,000 for married couples filing jointly, and $0 to $10,000 for married filing separately (if you lived with your spouse at any point in the year). Below the range you can contribute the full $7,500 ($8,600 at 50 or older); inside it your limit shrinks in proportion to how far into the range you are; at the top of the range it reaches zero.
Can I contribute to a Roth IRA if I earn $200,000 a year?
It depends on your filing status. Single or head of household: no — $200,000 is above the $168,000 cutoff, so you can’t contribute directly, though a backdoor Roth IRA may still work. Married filing jointly with $200,000 of combined MAGI: yes — that’s below $242,000, so each spouse can contribute the full $7,500 ($8,600 at 50+), as long as your joint taxable compensation covers both contributions. Married filing separately: no, the cutoff is $10,000. Check your own numbers.
Is $100 a month in a Roth IRA good?
It’s a real start. $100 a month is $1,200 a year — about 16% of the $7,500 limit. From age 30 to 65 at a 7% average annual return, it grows to roughly $180,000: $42,000 of your own money and about $138,000 of compound growth. See the year-by-year projection, then try raising the amount when your income allows.
Is $200 a month enough for a Roth IRA?
Whether it’s enough depends on your other savings and retirement goals, but the math is easy to see: $200 a month from 30 to 65 at 7% grows to about $360,000, of which $84,000 is contributions. Maxing out at $625 a month would reach about $1.13 million. Run $200 a month or compare the max.
How much will $10,000 in an IRA be in 20 years?
At a 7% average annual return compounded monthly, a one-time $10,000 grows to about $40,400 in 20 years — roughly four times the original amount — with no further contributions. A lower or higher return changes this a lot, so try different rates in the calculator.
What will I earn if I invest $100 a month for 20 years?
At 7%, $100 a month for 20 years grows to about $52,100. You put in $24,000, so roughly $28,100 is investment growth. Inside a Roth IRA, that growth can come out tax-free once withdrawals are qualified. See the 20-year schedule.