A Roth IRA is funded with after-tax dollars, so qualified withdrawals in retirement — including all the growth — are tax-free, unlike a traditional IRA or 401(k). This calculator projects your Roth balance from your age, current balance, and annual contribution, applying the 2026 IRS contribution limit and catch-up automatically as you age.
Quick answer: Age + current balance + annual contribution + expected return → projected Roth IRA balance at retirement, with the 2026 IRS limit applied automatically.
Simulated year-by-year, because the IRS contribution cap changes at age 50: cap(age) = $7,500 + $1,100 (age 50+) [2026 limits] annualContribution = min(desired contribution, cap) Each year: balance = balance × (1 + r/12) + monthlyContribution, applied 12×
Assumptions
Projected balance ≈ $1.24M at 65. Total contributions ≈ $262,500 (35 years × $7,500). Tax-free growth ≈ $968,000 — nearly 4x the money actually put in.
Even with a higher catch-up-eligible contribution, 20 years produces a meaningfully smaller balance than 35 years at a lower amount — illustrating why time in the market outweighs contribution size.
For 2026, the IRS contribution limit for traditional and Roth IRAs combined is $7,500. Savers age 50+ can add a $1,100 catch-up contribution, for $8,600 total. This is a combined limit across all your IRAs — you can't contribute $7,500 to a Roth AND $7,500 to a traditional IRA in the same year. Source: IRS Newsroom, 'IRA limit increases to $7,500... for 2026.'
Eligibility phases out based on Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI). For 2026, the phase-out range is $153,000–$168,000 for single filers and heads of household, and $242,000–$252,000 for married filing jointly — full contribution is allowed below the range, a reduced amount within it, and $0 above it. Married filing separately has a near-$0 range ($0–$10,000). Check your MAGI against the current-year thresholds before contributing.
A 'qualified distribution' — the account has been open 5+ years AND you're 59½ or older (or meet another IRS exception, like first-time home purchase up to $10,000, disability, or death) — owes no federal income tax on either contributions or growth. Withdrawing contributions (not earnings) before that point is generally tax- and penalty-free, since you already paid tax on them; withdrawing earnings early can trigger tax and a 10% penalty.
A Roth IRA and traditional IRA share the same $7,500 (2026) contribution limit but differ in tax timing (pay tax now vs later) and the traditional IRA has no income-based eligibility phase-out (though deductibility can phase out if you're covered by a workplace plan). A Roth 401(k) uses the much higher 401(k) limit ($24,500 in 2026) with Roth's tax-free-growth treatment and no income limit — often the better vehicle for high earners who want Roth treatment beyond the IRA cap.
Only if your contribution stays at or under the IRS limit for your age each year — this calculator caps it automatically. The bigger lever, by far, is time: starting a decade earlier at the same contribution level roughly doubles the compounding runway. Run different starting ages through the calculator to see the effect directly.