Roth vs. Traditional IRA Calulator

Compare the after-tax growth of your retirement savings.

Pre-Tax Income to Invest ($)

Current IRA Limit: $7,000 (Under 50) or $8,000 (50+)

Years to Grow

Expected Annual Return (%)

Current Tax Rate (%)

Your marginal tax bracket today.

Retirement Tax Rate (%)

Estimated bracket when withdrawing.

The Big Difference

The main difference between a Roth and Traditional IRA is when you pay the taxes.

Traditional IRA: You may deduct contributions now (tax-deferred). You pay income tax on withdrawals in retirement.
Roth IRA: You pay tax on the money before contributing. It grows tax-free, and qualified withdrawals are 100% tax-free.

Key IRA Rules

Contribution Limits (2025)

The maximum contribution is $7,000 per year, or $8,000 if you are age 50 or older.

Deductibility & Eligibility

Roth: Eligibility phases out at higher incomes ($146k+ for singles, $230k+ for married).
Traditional: Anyone with earned income can contribute, but tax deductibility phases out if you (or a spouse) have a workplace retirement plan.

RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions)

Traditional IRAs require you to start taking taxable withdrawals at age 73. Roth IRAs generally do not require withdrawals during the owner's lifetime.

Projected Spendable Income

Input Summary

Investable Amount	$0.00 / yr
Time Horizon	0 Years
Tax Logic	0% Now vs 0% Later

After-Tax Wealth Comparison
Metric	Traditional IRA (Tax Later)	Roth IRA (Tax Now)
Annual Deposit	$0	$0
Total Principal Over N years	$0	$0
Gross Balance Before Exit Tax	$0	$0
Taxes on Exit At Withdrawal	$0	$0
NET SPENDABLE	$0	$0

Note on Comparison: This assumes you had the same pre-tax amount to start. For the Roth, taxes were removed before deposit. For Traditional, the full amount was deposited (tax-deferred).