Contributions to a Roth IRA grow and come out tax-free in retirement. See what your balance could become, and how much of it is growth you never pay tax on.
How this is calculated Embed on your siteA Roth IRA growth calculator projects what your account could become by retirement and shows how much of the balance is tax-free growth. Roth contributions are made with after-tax dollars, so qualified withdrawals in retirement, including all the growth, come out tax-free.
Because qualified Roth withdrawals are never taxed, decades of compounding growth belong entirely to you. On a long horizon the growth often dwarfs the contributions, which is why starting early matters so much: the same dollars have more years to compound before you need them.
For 2026 you can contribute up to 7,500 a year, or 8,600 if you are 50 or older, provided your income is under the phase-out thresholds. Contributions can be withdrawn at any time without tax or penalty, while earnings are tax-free once you are 59 and a half and have held a Roth for five years. This projection assumes a steady return, so treat it as an illustration rather than a promise.
7,500 per year for 2026, or 8,600 if you are 50 or older. Eligibility phases out between 153,000 and 168,000 of income for single filers and between 242,000 and 252,000 for joint filers.
Qualified withdrawals are. You must be at least 59 and a half and have held a Roth for five years for the earnings to come out tax-free.
Yes. Because you already paid tax on them, your contributions (not the earnings) can be withdrawn anytime without tax or penalty.
See the exact formula and a worked example on our methodology page.