Roth IRA Calculator
If you invest $7,000 a year from age 30 to 65 at a 7% average return, your Roth IRA could grow to about $967,658, with roughly $722,658 of that being tax-free growth. Enter your current age, target retirement age, current balance, yearly contribution, and expected annual return to project your Roth IRA value at retirement. The estimate assumes a steady return each year and contributions made at the end of each year.
Quick answer
The calculator compounds your current balance and each yearly contribution at the return rate you enter.
What this tells you
- •The calculator compounds your current balance and each yearly contribution at the return rate you enter.
- •Qualified Roth IRA withdrawals in retirement are tax-free, so the projected balance is money you keep.
- •Results are estimates only and assume the same return every year, which real markets do not deliver.
How to Use
- 1Enter your current age and the age you plan to retire.
- 2Enter your current Roth IRA balance, or 0 if you are starting fresh.
- 3Enter the amount you plan to contribute each year and your expected annual return.
- 4Click Calculate to see your projected balance, total contributions, and total growth at retirement.
How It Works
Formula
Future Value = Balance x (1 + r)^n + Contribution x (((1 + r)^n - 1) / r)Here r is your annual return as a decimal and n is the number of years until retirement. The first term grows your current balance, and the second term is the future value of equal end-of-year contributions. When the return is 0, the second term becomes Contribution x n. Total contributions are your starting balance plus every yearly deposit, and total growth is the projected balance minus those contributions.
Calculation note: values are processed in the order shown above, using the current input units.
Worked Examples
Starting from zero at age 30
Over 35 years you contribute $245,000 in total ($7,000 x 35). Compounding at 7% turns that into about $967,658, so roughly $722,658 of the balance is tax-free growth rather than money you deposited.
Adding to a $20,000 balance at age 35
Your $20,000 starting balance and 30 years of $7,000 contributions total $230,000. At a 6% return the projected balance is about $668,277, leaving roughly $438,277 in growth.
2026 Roth IRA Contribution Limits
| Age | Annual Contribution Limit |
|---|---|
| Under age 50 | $7,000 |
| Age 50 and older | $8,000 |
The age 50+ figure includes the catch-up contribution. Roth IRA eligibility also phases out at higher incomes, so check the current IRS limits for your filing status before you contribute.
How Roth IRA Growth Works
A Roth IRA is funded with after-tax dollars, so you pay tax on the money before it goes in. In exchange, qualified withdrawals in retirement come out completely tax-free, including all of the investment growth. That is why the projected balance in this calculator represents money you can spend rather than a figure that still owes income tax.
Growth compounds because each year your returns earn returns of their own. A contribution made early has decades to grow, which is why starting young matters more than the size of any single deposit. The longer your money stays invested at a positive return, the larger the tax-free portion of your balance becomes.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the return will be the same every year, when real markets rise and fall
- Contributing more than the IRS annual limit allows for your age and income
- Forgetting that high earners may be phased out of direct Roth IRA contributions
- Treating the projected balance as a guarantee rather than an estimate
Limitations
This is an estimate only. It assumes a constant annual return every year, which no real investment delivers, and it ignores fees, taxes, inflation, and market volatility. It also does not enforce IRS income or contribution limits, so the figures you enter may exceed what you are actually allowed to contribute. Treat the projected balance as a rough planning number, not a promise.