Roth IRA Growth Calculator

The calculator projects a fixed recurring contribution and an editable investment return. It does not assume a tax deduction because Roth contributions are made after tax.

A qualified Roth distribution can be tax-free, but qualification depends on age, holding period, and IRS rules. This calculator does not determine qualification or give tax advice.

For 2026, the IRA contribution limit is $7,500, or $8,600 with an eligible age-50-or-older catch-up contribution, according to IRS Notice 2025-67. The calculator warns when the entered base schedule exceeds $7,500 but does not determine your income phase-out or eligibility. The higher ages 60-63 workplace catch-up does not apply to IRAs.

Income limits and plan rules can reduce or prevent a Roth contribution. Verify current rules with the IRS and your custodian before contributing.

The curve compares Lower, Middle, and Higher return assumptions. The yearly schedule shows opening balance, deposits, interest, and ending balance for the selected assumption.

The inflation-adjusted result is not a tax projection. It converts the projected nominal balance into current purchasing power so a long horizon is easier to interpret.

Start with $12,000 already in a Roth IRA and contribute the 2026 base maximum as $625 per month. Use a 7% annual growth assumption for 20 years and convert at 2.5% inflation. The projection compounds monthly and treats each contribution as an end-of-period deposit; it is about $374,044 nominal.

At 2.5% inflation, the twenty-year price factor is about 1.6386. Dividing $374,044 by that factor produces roughly $228,268 of current purchasing power. That real result helps compare today's savings effort with a future balance, but it does not say how much will be available tax-free or whether a distribution is qualified.

The growth range shows why timing and asset-allocation assumptions matter. At 5%, the same schedule reaches about $289,448. At 9%, it reaches about $489,539. Those are sensitivity calculations, not a confidence interval. A saver with decades ahead and one near a distribution date should not copy the same return range merely because both own Roth IRAs.

A common mistake is entering the annual limit as a monthly contribution. The calculator would then project $7,500 per month and overstate deposits twelve times. Another mistake is treating contribution limits as indexing guarantees; verify the applicable year, income phase-out, and eligibility with the IRS source and your custodian before changing an actual plan.

When interpreting the output, keep contribution principal and market growth separate. Over 20 years, deposits total $162,000, including the opening balance. At 7%, the remaining $212,044 is projected growth. That decomposition makes the return assumption concrete: the schedule asks whether $12,000 plus $625 per month has a reasonable chance of producing $374,044 before inflation. If the spread between the 5% and 9% results feels too wide for your asset allocation, reduce both growth inputs and run the projection again rather than treating one middle number as certain.

Test one variable at a time so the cause of a changed result stays clear.