Roth IRA calculator

How much can I put in a Roth IRA in 2026?

$7,500, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older ($1,100 catch-up), as long as you have at least that much earned income.

What are the 2026 Roth IRA income limits?

The limit phases out between $153,000 and $168,000 of modified AGI for single filers and heads of household, $242,000–$252,000 for married couples filing jointly, and $0–$10,000 for married filing separately.

How is a reduced limit figured?

In the phase-out range the limit shrinks in proportion to how far into the range you are, rounded up to the next $10 (and not below $200). A single filer with $160,000 can put in $4,000.

Why a Roth?

You contribute money that has already been taxed, and qualified withdrawals in retirement — growth included — are tax-free.

What return does the calculator assume?

The one you enter, every year. Real returns vary and can be negative.

When can I make a Roth IRA contribution for 2026?

Contributions for a tax year can be made until the tax filing deadline for that year, April 15 of the following year, without extensions. The limit is shared across all your traditional and Roth IRAs, so what you put in one reduces what you can put in the other.

Can I take money out of a Roth IRA before retirement?

You can withdraw your own contributions at any time without tax or penalty, because they were taxed already. Earnings are tax-free only when the withdrawal is qualified, which generally requires the account to be at least five tax years old and the owner to be 59½ or older, disabled, or the distribution to be a first-home purchase up to a lifetime limit (or paid to a beneficiary after death).

How the calculator projects growth

It assumes a contribution at the end of each year, a steady annual return, and growth that compounds once a year. The balance after n years is the sum of the contributions, each grown for the years it has been in the account: FV = C × ((1 + r)ⁿ − 1) ÷ r. The yearly contribution is capped at the 2026 limit your income allows and is held flat; future limit increases are not assumed. Everything in the account is after-tax, so qualified withdrawals come out without income tax, and the balance shown is what you could spend.

A worked example

Contributing the full 2026 limit of $7,500 a year at 7% for 30 years builds $708,456, of which $225,000 is your own money and $483,456 is growth. Stopping after 20 years instead of 30 leaves $307,466, so the last ten years of contributions add $400,990 because they have the longest time to compound. For income limits: a single filer with $100,000 of modified AGI can contribute $7,500; with $160,000 the limit falls to $4,000; a married couple filing jointly with $247,000 and a spouse over 50 may put in $4,300.

Common mistakes

Assuming that the income limit looks at wages alone is one: it uses modified adjusted gross income, which includes other income. Contributing more than your earned income for the year is another, since you cannot put in more than you earned (for a married couple, the couple’s combined earned income). A third is forgetting that the 2026 limit is combined across all IRAs. If you contribute above the allowed amount, the excess is subject to a 6% excise tax for each year it stays in the account unless you withdraw it in time. A steady return is also a simplification, because real returns vary from year to year.

Sources: IRS Publication 590-A (Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements) and IRS notice IR-2025-111 (2026 limits and Roth income phase-outs); IRS Publication 590-B for qualified distributions. Related: traditional IRA calculator, 401(k) calculator, compound interest calculator and retirement calculator.

Estimates for planning only — not financial or tax advice. Official statements and your plan documents decide. How we check our calculators.