IRA Calculator
Project what your IRA could be worth at retirement and compare a Traditional IRA, a Roth IRA and an ordinary taxable account on an after-tax basis. Enter your balance, yearly contribution, return and ages, add your tax rates, and see how much of the final figure is your own money versus compound growth, plus a full year-by-year schedule.
Formula
Worked example
Starting with $25,000, adding $7,500 a year at 7% from age 35 to 65 (30 years) with a level contribution: the balance grows to about $190,306 from the opening balance plus roughly $758,048 from contributions, near $948,354 at retirement. At a 22% retirement tax rate, a Traditional IRA is worth about $739,716 after tax, while a Roth keeps the full $948,354.
How the IRA projection works
This calculator combines two pieces of compound interest. Your existing balance grows on its own as B times (1 + r) to the power n, where r is the annual return and n is the number of years from your current age to retirement. Each yearly contribution also compounds, but for fewer years the later it is added, so the contributions are grown one by one and summed. If you turn on contribution growth, each year is increased by that percentage to mirror raises. Adding the opening balance and all the grown contributions gives your projected pre-tax balance, and subtracting everything you actually paid in reveals how much came purely from growth.
Traditional vs Roth vs a taxable account
Tax treatment is what sets these accounts apart. A Traditional IRA grows tax-deferred and is taxed as ordinary income on withdrawal, so the calculator multiplies the final balance by one minus your retirement tax rate to show the spendable amount. A Roth IRA is funded with after-tax dollars, so the same gross balance is entirely tax free at the end. A regular taxable account gets no deduction going in and is taxed on its gains at the end, which usually leaves it behind both IRAs. When your tax rate today matches your rate in retirement, the Traditional and Roth land close together, when you expect a lower rate in retirement the Traditional tends to win, and when you expect a higher rate the Roth pulls ahead.
Traditional IRA rules and limits
A Traditional IRA lets eligible savers deduct contributions now and defer tax until withdrawal, when distributions are taxed as ordinary income. For 2026 the contribution limit is $7,500, rising to $8,600 if you are 50 or older through a $1,100 catch-up contribution. Withdrawals before age 59 and a half generally face a 10% penalty plus tax, and required minimum distributions begin at age 73. Roth IRAs share the same contribution limit but have income caps and no lifetime RMDs. Actual returns vary year to year, so treat any single projection as an estimate, not a guarantee.
Why starting early matters so much
Because growth compounds on previous growth, the years closest to retirement add the most dollars, yet the years furthest away do the most multiplying. A contribution made at age 25 has decades to double and redouble, while the same dollar added at 55 barely has time to grow. This is why investment growth often dwarfs total contributions in long projections, time in the market is the single biggest lever an IRA saver controls. The year-by-year schedule below shows exactly how the growth column overtakes your contributions as the years pass.
2026 IRA contribution limits
| Age | Annual limit | Catch-up |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50 | $7,500 | none |
| 50 and older | $8,600 | +$1,100 |
Combined limit across all of your Traditional and Roth IRAs.
Frequently asked questions
How much will my IRA be worth at retirement?
It depends on your current balance, how much you add each year, your return and how long you stay invested. Enter those values above and the calculator projects your balance, then splits it into contributions and compound growth and shows the after-tax value of a Traditional IRA, a Roth IRA and a taxable account so you can compare.
Is a Traditional or Roth IRA better for me?
It largely comes down to taxes. If you expect a lower tax rate in retirement than today, a Traditional IRA, which defers tax to withdrawal, usually wins. If you expect a higher rate later, the Roth, which is tax free on withdrawal, tends to come out ahead. Set your tax rate now and in retirement above and the calculator shows both after-tax results side by side.
What return should I assume for an IRA?
A common long-run planning assumption for a diversified stock-and-bond portfolio is around 6 to 7% before inflation, but actual returns vary widely year to year. Use a conservative figure and re-run the numbers periodically rather than relying on a single estimate.
Is the projected IRA balance before or after tax?
The headline balance is the pre-tax Traditional IRA value. Because Traditional withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income, the calculator also shows the after-tax figure using your retirement tax rate, plus the Roth result, which is tax free, so you can see your true spendable amount.