A Roth IRA calculator for 2026: growth by age, with income limits
This Roth IRA calculator projects how much your Roth IRA could grow by retirement and how much you are allowed to put in. Enter your age, balance, filing status and modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), and it works through every year: the 2026 contribution limit of $7,500 ($8,600 from age 50), the income phase-out for your filing status, raises in the limits, and tax-free growth.
It also tells you from what age withdrawals of earnings become fully tax-free under the five-year rule and age 59½. A chart and table show the balance by age; the yearly projection downloads as CSV. Everything is calculated in your browser. It is a projection, not tax advice.
How to use the Roth IRA Calculator
- Enter your age this year, the age to project to, your Roth IRA balance and an expected return.
- Choose your filing status and enter your MAGI and how fast you expect it to grow.
- Keep “Contribute the maximum allowed each year” ticked, or untick it and type your own yearly amount.
- Open “Limits, inflation and the five-year rule” to set limit increases, inflation and the year of your first Roth contribution.
- Read your 2026 allowance, the projected balance, the growth and the qualified-withdrawal age; download the CSV or copy the summary.
Roth IRA Calculator features
2026 limits built in
$7,500 a year, plus the $1,100 catch-up from age 50, raised each year in $500 and $100 steps.
Income phase-out by filing status
Single, joint and separate ranges, reduced exactly as IRS Publication 590-A’s worksheet does it.
Roth IRA by age and over time
Balance, contributions and today’s-dollar value for every year to the age you choose.
Five-year rule and 59½
The age from which earnings come out tax- and penalty-free.
Your own amount
Plan less than the maximum; the calculator warns if your plan ever exceeds what is allowed.
Roth IRA limits and income phase-outs for 2026
Inside a range the limit shrinks in proportion: reduced limit = limit × (1 − (MAGI − start) ÷ width), rounded up to the next $10, and $200 if the result is between $0 and $200. Example: single, under 50, MAGI $160,000 — that is 7,000 into a 15,000-wide range, so 7,500 × 8,000 ÷ 15,000 = $4,000. At 55 the same income allows $4,590.
The projection grows MAGI and the limits each year at the rates you choose; contributions arrive through the year and earn half a year’s return.
| Filing status | Full contribution if MAGI below | No contribution at or above |
|---|---|---|
| Single, head of household, MFS living apart all year | $153,000 | $168,000 |
| Married filing jointly, qualifying surviving spouse | $242,000 | $252,000 |
| Married filing separately, lived with spouse | — | $10,000 |
Tax-free withdrawals: the five-year rule and 59½
- Contributions can be withdrawn at any time, tax- and penalty-free; they come out first.
- Earnings are tax-free only in a qualified distribution: at least five tax years after your first Roth IRA contribution (the clock starts on 1 January of that year) and age 59½, disability, death, or up to $10,000 for a first home.
- Earnings taken out earlier are usually taxed and may carry a 10% penalty. Conversions have their own five-year clock for the penalty.
- Roth IRAs have no required minimum distributions for the original owner.
Planning around it
Roth IRA money is in addition to a workplace plan — model that with the 401(k) calculator. To see whether all your savings add up to enough, use the retirement calculator, or the FIRE calculator for early retirement. This tool does not model conversions, the pro-rata rule or state tax.
Roth IRA Calculator FAQ
How much can I contribute to a Roth IRA in 2026?
$7,500, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older, but no more than your taxable compensation, and less if your MAGI is inside the phase-out range for your filing status.
What are the Roth IRA income limits for 2026?
The phase-out is $153,000–$168,000 for single filers and heads of household, $242,000–$252,000 for married couples filing jointly, and $0–$10,000 for married filing separately if you lived with your spouse.
How much will my Roth IRA be worth?
It depends on contributions, time and returns. With the defaults — $10,000 at 30, the maximum each year and 7% returns — the projection reaches well over $1 million in future dollars by 65. Enter your own numbers above.
Is this a Roth IRA calculator by age?
Yes. The chart and table show the projected balance at each age, and the CSV lists every year.
What is the Roth IRA five-year rule?
Earnings are tax-free only once five tax years have passed since your first Roth IRA contribution and you are 59½ (or another qualifying event applies). The calculator shows the age when both are met.
Is this tax advice?
No. It applies the published IRS limits to the numbers you enter; check your own situation with IRS publications or a tax professional.