Project your Roth IRA at retirement. Tax-free withdrawals are the magic: every dollar of growth is yours, not Uncle Sam's. This calculator applies the 2026 IRS contribution limit ($7,500 / $8,600 if 50+) and shows whether your MAGI puts you inside the income phase-out range.
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2026 IRS limits: $7,500 (under 50), $8,600 (50+).
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Projected balance at retirement (all tax-free!)
$0
Total contributed
$0
Tax-free growth
$0
Years
0
Eligibility status
—
Maximum you can contribute: $0
Balance trajectory
ContributionsTax-free growth
2026 income phase-out (MAGI)
Filing status
Full contribution
Partial
None
Single / HoH
≤ $153,000
$153,000 – $168,000
≥ $168,000
Married filing jointly
≤ $242,000
$242,000 – $252,000
≥ $252,000
Married filing separately
—
$0 – $10,000
≥ $10,000
Inside the phase-out range your allowed contribution shrinks linearly. At single MAGI $160,000 (mid-range), you can contribute (168k − 160k) / (168k − 153k) ≈ 53% of the full limit.
Why Roth is special
A Roth IRA isn't just "tax-deferred until retirement" — it's fully tax-free on the way out, including all growth. That makes it asymmetrically valuable for young high earners who expect long compound periods: a $7,500 contribution today, growing at 7% for 35 years, ends at ~$80,000 — and you owe $0 tax on the entire amount when you withdraw at 65+. Compare to a Traditional IRA where the same balance is taxed as ordinary income.
Other Roth advantages:
No required minimum distributions (RMDs) — Roth IRAs aren't subject to the age-73 forced-withdrawal rules that Traditional IRAs are. You can leave the money invested as long as you live.
Estate planning — Roth IRAs pass to heirs tax-free (subject to the 10-year rule).
Contribution flexibility — you can withdraw your contributions (not earnings) at any time, penalty-free. Effectively a tax-advantaged emergency fund.
Base contribution: $7,500 / year. Age 50+ catch-up: +$1,100 (total $8,600). These limits apply across all your IRAs combined — Traditional and Roth — not separately to each.
What's the income phase-out for Roth IRAs in 2026?
Direct Roth IRA contributions phase out as your MAGI rises into a range: Single / HoH: $153,000 – $168,000 (fully phased out above $168k). MFJ: $242,000 – $252,000 (fully phased out above $252k). MFS: $0 – $10,000 (punishingly tight — if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse, you almost certainly can't contribute directly). Inside the phase-out range, your allowed contribution shrinks linearly.
What's a back-door Roth?
A workaround for high earners who exceed the direct contribution phase-out: (1) contribute to a Traditional IRA on a non-deductible basis (this is allowed regardless of income), (2) convert it to a Roth IRA immediately. The conversion is tax-free if you have no other pre-tax IRA money (otherwise the pro-rata rule applies). Result: you put after-tax money into a Roth even though you're over the direct income limit. Legal, common, but check with a tax professional first — the pro-rata rule has bitten many people.
Roth vs Traditional IRA — which is better for me?
Roth is generally better if: you're young, currently in a lower tax bracket, or you expect tax rates to rise. You pay tax now, withdrawals are 100% tax-free including all the growth. Traditional is better if: you're a peak-earner expecting much lower retirement income, or you need the immediate deduction. Many people use a mix. A useful heuristic: current marginal rate vs expected retirement marginal rate. If retirement rate ≤ current → Traditional. If retirement rate ≥ current → Roth.
When can I withdraw from a Roth IRA?
You can withdraw your contributions (not earnings) at any time, tax- and penalty-free. Earnings require both (a) 5 years since your first Roth contribution and (b) age 59½ — otherwise income tax + 10% penalty on the earnings portion. This is why Roth IRAs are often called the most flexible retirement account: you can pull your contributions out without consequence if you really need to.
What's a realistic expected return?
Long-run historical US equity returns are ~10% nominal, ~7% real (inflation-adjusted). For projections, 6-7% is conservative-realistic for a stock-heavy Roth IRA over a long horizon. Higher (8-10%) if you're comfortable with volatility; lower (4-5%) if heavily bond-allocated. The default 7% used here matches most financial planning standards.
Is there a deadline?
You can contribute to a Roth IRA for tax year 2026 between January 1, 2026 and the tax filing deadline (typically April 15, 2027). So if you missed contributing for 2025, you have until April 15, 2026 to do so — and you can simultaneously contribute for 2026, doubling up.