Roth IRA calculator
See how much you can actually contribute at your income, not just the headline limit, and what the tax-free growth is worth over a taxable account. Uses 2026 figures.
The 2026 limit is $7,500, phasing out between $153,000 and $168,000 of income for a single filer. Contributing the full amount for 30 years reaches about $1,087,142 tax-free, roughly $184,033 more than the same money held in a taxable account.
Per year, before the income limit
Roughly your taxable income before deductions
Your income is below the $153,000 phase-out, so the full limit is available.
Contributing $7,500 a year for 30 years
Never taxed, on qualified withdrawals
Versus the same money in a taxable account
- Roth IRA, tax-free
- $1,087,142
- Taxable account, after tax on dividends and the final gain
- $903,109
- Difference
- $184,033
The taxable comparison assumes 2% of the return arrives as dividends taxed each year, and 15% capital gains tax on the appreciation when it is sold. Comparing against an untaxed account would make the Roth look worth nothing.
Estimates only, not tax or financial advice. Uses 2026 IRS contribution limits and phase-out ranges. The taxable comparison assumes 2% of the return arrives as taxable dividends and 15% capital gains tax at sale. Excludes state tax, the 5-year rule, early-withdrawal penalties, and the backdoor Roth.
What you can contribute at each income, 2026
| Modified AGI | Single, under 50 | Single, 50+ | Joint, under 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $133,000 | $7,500 | $8,600 | $7,500 |
| $153,000 | $7,500 | $8,600 | $7,500 |
| $160,500 | $3,750 | $4,300 | $7,500 |
| $167,999 | $200 | $200 | $7,500 |
| $168,000 | $0 | $0 | $7,500 |
Per IRS Notice 2025-67 and the Publication 590-A worksheet. Note the $200 floor that holds right to the top of the range, and that one dollar past the top takes the limit to zero.
The limit you get is not the limit you read about
Most Roth calculators project growth and never mention eligibility, which is backwards: the first question is whether you can contribute at all. Between the two phase-out thresholds your limit shrinks in proportion to how far in you are, and the worksheet has two quirks worth knowing. The reduced figure rounds up to the nearest ten dollars, and it holds a two hundred dollar floor right up to the edge of the range, then falls to zero the moment you cross it.
What the wrapper is worth is the second question, and it is easy to overstate. Comparing a Roth against an untaxed brokerage account makes the advantage look enormous, which is not a fair fight. The comparison here drags the taxable side the two ways it really gets dragged: tax on dividends as they arrive each year, and capital gains tax on the appreciation when it is finally sold. The remaining gap is the honest value of the account, and it widens the longer the money stays invested.
If your income rules out a direct contribution, converting from a traditional IRA has no income limit, though the conversion is taxable in the year you do it. The Roth conversion calculator works out what that costs, or see how it fits the wider plan in the retirement calculator , or book a free consultation .