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

Up to $7,500, or $8,600 from age 50, across all your traditional and Roth IRAs combined, per IRS Notice 2025-67. Your income can shrink that: the limit phases out between $153,000 and $168,000 of MAGI for singles and heads of household, and between $242,000 and $252,000 for married couples filing jointly.

What happens if my income is inside the phase-out range?

Your limit shrinks proportionally. The IRS formula multiplies the full limit by how far you sit from the top of the range: a single filer at $160,500 of MAGI is halfway through the $153,000 to $168,000 range, so the $7,500 limit becomes $3,750. This calculator runs that arithmetic for your inputs.

What if I earn too much for a Roth IRA?

Direct contributions stop above the range, but a Roth 401(k) has no income limit at all, and the backdoor route (a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution followed by a Roth conversion) remains available. The pro-rata rule on existing pre-tax IRA balances is the main complication to check first.

Why is tax-free growth such a big deal?

Because in this account compounding never gets taxed. In the default projection, a 30-year-old maxing contributions to 65 puts in $279,000 and ends with about $1,171,184; the $882,184 of growth would be taxable coming out of a traditional account but is tax-free here.

Should I fund a Roth IRA or my 401(k) first?

Capture your full 401(k) employer match first; nothing beats an instant 50 to 100 percent return. After the match, the Roth IRA competes well: wider investment choice, no required minimum distributions in your lifetime, and tax-free growth. High earners above the phase-out lean on the Roth 401(k) instead.

Roth IRA Calculator

Project a Roth IRA to retirement with the 2026 limits ($7,500, plus $1,100 at 50) and check your income phase-out eligibility.

X f in

Balance at retirement

$1,171,184.33

Tax-free growth: $882,184.33
Total contributed: $279,000.00
2026 limit at your age: $7,500.00
Allowed this year (after phase-out): $7,500.00
Eligibility: Eligible for the full $7,500 contribution

Roth IRA balance by year

Quick answer: With the example inputs this page loads by default, the headline result (Balance at retirement) comes to $1,171,184.33. Project a Roth IRA to retirement with the 2026 limits ($7,500, plus $1,100 at 50) and check your income phase-out eligibility. Change any input above and every figure updates instantly in your browser.

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Fact-check: results on this page are verified against an independently coded reference oracle that covers all 106 calculators on this site. See how we verify .

A Roth IRA grows tax-free, and qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free too. For 2026 you can contribute up to $7,500, plus a $1,100 catch-up from age 50, if your income sits below the phase-out range ($153,000 to $168,000 single). This calculator projects the balance at retirement and computes this year's allowed contribution from your MAGI.

What this result means

The tax-free growth line is the Roth's whole pitch: every dollar of it escapes tax permanently, which is why the account rewards starting young more than any other. Check the allowed-contribution figure first; inside the phase-out it shrinks pro-rata, and above the range a direct contribution is off the table (though a backdoor conversion is not). The projection assumes you stay eligible in future years and holds today's limits flat, so treat it as a floor: the limits rise with inflation most years. This is an estimate for education, not tax or investment advice.

Assumptions

Contribution limits are the 2026 figures from IRS Notice 2025-67: $7,500 per year across traditional and Roth IRAs combined, plus a $1,100 catch-up from age 50. The projection holds these flat for every future year, which understates reality since the limits are inflation-indexed.
This year's allowed contribution follows the IRS pro-rata phase-out steps: the age-based limit times (range end minus MAGI) divided by the range width, using the 2026 ranges (single and head of household $153,000 to $168,000; married filing jointly $242,000 to $252,000). Publication 590-A's worksheet applies small final adjustments on top of these steps that this estimate does not model; married filing separately (a $0 to $10,000 statutory range) is not modeled.
Contributions are added at the end of each year (the age-based maximum, or your fixed amount clamped to that maximum) and the balance compounds once per year at the constant return you enter. Real returns vary; contributions made earlier in a year would compound slightly more.
The projection assumes you remain eligible to contribute in future years. The phase-out check applies your MAGI to the current year only; future income, filing status, and the ranges themselves will differ.
Growth and qualified withdrawals are modeled as untaxed, per Roth IRA rules (age 59 and a half plus the 5-year rule). Contributions are after-tax money, so no deduction is modeled. Early-withdrawal taxes and penalties on earnings are not modeled, and contributions require earned compensation at least equal to the contribution.
This is an estimate for educational purposes only, not tax or investment advice. Confirm current-year limits and your eligibility with the IRS or a tax professional.

Key terms

Definitions for the terms this calculator uses, in our finance glossary .

Roth Account

How it works

Two separate pieces of IRS arithmetic drive this calculator.

The projection is a year-by-year loop: each year the balance grows once at your expected return, then the contribution is added at year end. In the maximum plan the contribution is the age-based limit ($7,500 for 2026, $8,600 from the year you turn 50, per IRS Notice 2025-67); in the fixed plan it is your amount, clamped to that limit. The limits are held flat for every future year, a deliberately conservative simplification since they are inflation-indexed. Because a Roth IRA’s qualified growth is never taxed, the balance needs no tax adjustment: tax-free growth is simply the ending balance minus the starting balance and everything contributed.

Eligibility uses the IRS reduced-contribution steps for the current year: allowed = limit x (range end - MAGI) / range width, clamped between $0 and the limit. The 2026 ranges are $153,000 to $168,000 of modified AGI for single and head-of-household filers and $242,000 to $252,000 for married filing jointly. Publication 590-A’s worksheet applies small final adjustments on top of these steps that this estimate does not model; married filing separately ($0 to $10,000, statutory) is not modeled because the engine has no separate-filing status.

Worked example

The defaults: age 30 to 65, a $10,000 starting balance, the maximum plan, a 7 percent return, and $100,000 of MAGI filing single.

Contributions: 20 years at $7,500 (ages 30 to 49) plus 15 years at $8,600 (ages 50 to 64) = $279,000.
Balance at 65: the year loop compounds to $1,171,184.33.
Tax-free growth: $1,171,184.33 - $279,000 - $10,000 = $882,184.33, none of it ever taxed on a qualified withdrawal.
Eligibility: $100,000 sits below the $153,000 range start, so the full $7,500 is allowed this year.

A single filer at $160,500 of MAGI instead sits halfway through the $153,000 to $168,000 range, so the allowed contribution is half the limit: $3,750 (or $4,300 at age 52, when the limit is $8,600).

Scope and limitations

Annual compounding with end-of-year contributions at a constant return; real returns vary and mid-year contributions would compound slightly more. Future-year eligibility is assumed (the MAGI check applies to the current year only). Not modeled: the earned-compensation requirement, spousal IRAs, the backdoor conversion route, early-withdrawal taxes and penalties on earnings, the 5-year rule mechanics, and state taxes. This is an estimate for education, not tax or investment advice.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How much can I put in a Roth IRA in 2026?: Up to $7,500, or $8,600 from age 50, across all your traditional and Roth IRAs combined, per IRS Notice 2025-67. Your income can shrink that: the limit phases out between $153,000 and $168,000 of MAGI for singles and heads of household, and between $242,000 and $252,000 for married couples filing jointly.
What happens if my income is inside the phase-out range?: Your limit shrinks proportionally. The IRS formula multiplies the full limit by how far you sit from the top of the range: a single filer at $160,500 of MAGI is halfway through the $153,000 to $168,000 range, so the $7,500 limit becomes $3,750. This calculator runs that arithmetic for your inputs.
What if I earn too much for a Roth IRA?: Direct contributions stop above the range, but a Roth 401(k) has no income limit at all, and the backdoor route (a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution followed by a Roth conversion) remains available. The pro-rata rule on existing pre-tax IRA balances is the main complication to check first.
Why is tax-free growth such a big deal?: Because in this account compounding never gets taxed. In the default projection, a 30-year-old maxing contributions to 65 puts in $279,000 and ends with about $1,171,184; the $882,184 of growth would be taxable coming out of a traditional account but is tax-free here.
Should I fund a Roth IRA or my 401(k) first?: Capture your full 401(k) employer match first; nothing beats an instant 50 to 100 percent return. After the match, the Roth IRA competes well: wider investment choice, no required minimum distributions in your lifetime, and tax-free growth. High earners above the phase-out lean on the Roth 401(k) instead.

Related calculators

Learn how this works

New to this topic? Our companion guide explains it in plain language: The Roth Conversion Ladder: Your 401(k) Money Before 59 and a Half, Without the Penalty

By Sam Sage Last reviewed July 2026.