Retirement calculator
Model how a Roth IRA balance and a steady annual contribution might grow at an assumed return.
Illustrative Roth IRA balance
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Hypothetical growth only: the annual contribution entered here is NOT a permitted contribution amount, even if the calculator displays a result. The model assumes contributions at each year-end, a constant return, and annual compounding. The 2026 combined traditional-and-Roth IRA contribution reference is generally $7,500 ($8,600 at age 50+), subject to taxable compensation, income and filing status; a joint-filing spouse may qualify through the other spouse's compensation. Limits and eligibility can change during this projection. Check the IRS rules for each actual contribution year.
A Roth IRA growth estimate is useful for comparing assumptions, not choosing a contribution amount you are allowed to make. Start with a current balance, a hypothetical annual contribution, whole years and an assumed return. Then change one input at a time. Keep the IRS eligibility check separate from every growth result.
This worksheet adds an assumptions record and a scenario comparison to the calculator. It helps you answer a narrower question: which input is driving the difference between two estimates? It does not recommend a return, contribution, investment or retirement target.
The displayed result is an illustrative ending balance in future dollars. It includes both the starting balance and hypothetical later contributions, along with the growth produced by the chosen constant rate. A larger ending balance does not mean all of the increase came from investment growth.
For each whole year, the calculator first grows the existing balance at your chosen rate, then adds the annual contribution at year-end. It repeats the same rate and contribution each year. That timing matters: this is not a monthly-contribution model. A contribution entered for the final year gets added after that year's growth.
The model does not subtract fees, adjust for inflation or model changing returns. It does not check whether contributions are permitted, calculate conversion taxes or decide whether a withdrawal would be qualified. The IRS Roth IRA overview explains that qualified distributions are tax-free only when the requirements are satisfied. A growth result supplies no evidence that those requirements have been met.
Copy this worksheet into your own notes. Use hypothetical amounts while comparing the model. Do not put statements, tax returns or personal account information into a Valora inquiry.
Write down the balance used, the date it represents and whether it is an actual account figure or a hypothetical starting amount. The calculator does not verify the balance or its source. Keep a current statement private if you later want a professional to check it.
Private note: Starting balance [blank]; as of [blank]; actual or hypothetical [blank].
Record the annual amount, its year-end timing and whether it is simply a comparison input. A number that produces an output is not an approved contribution. If you have not checked eligibility for a particular year, label it "unreviewed" rather than "allowed."
Private note: Annual hypothetical amount [blank]; modeled at year-end; actual-year eligibility reviewed or unreviewed [blank].
Use whole years for this tool. Write down the assumed rate and why you selected it for comparison. The calculator accepts a constant rate, not a history of returns or a forecast from a professional. Do not label a scenario "expected" just because its output looks attractive.
Private note: Whole years [blank]; assumed annual return [blank]; comparison purpose [blank].
Keep the other inputs fixed. Record both outputs and the changed input. Separately record starting balance plus all modeled contributions. This makes it harder to mistake additional contributions for additional investment growth.
Private note: Baseline output [blank]; comparison output [blank]; only changed input [blank]; total put in under each scenario [blank].
Write down omitted issues relevant to your question: fees, purchasing power, changing contribution amounts, contribution eligibility or withdrawal rules. Name who will check each issue before an actual decision. If the question needs monthly timing or a tax calculation, do not silently reinterpret this result as that answer.
Private note: Unresolved issue [blank]; appropriate reviewer [blank]; document or next question [blank].
The following scenarios use a $10,000 starting balance and 20 whole years. The figures are independently calculated from this tool's year-end recurrence, then rounded to the nearest dollar, as the displayed result is. The rates and contributions are hypothetical, not recommendations or eligibility findings.
| Scenario | Annual hypothetical contribution | Constant annual return | Illustrative ending balance | Starting balance plus contributions | Modeled growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | $5,000 | 6% | $215,999 | $110,000 | $105,999 |
| Lower assumed return only | $5,000 | 3% | $152,413 | $110,000 | $42,413 |
| Zero assumed return only | $5,000 | 0% | $110,000 | $110,000 | $0 |
| Lower contribution only | $3,000 | 6% | $142,428 | $70,000 | $72,428 |
The first two rows keep the contribution and time period fixed. Their difference comes from the return assumption within this model. The baseline and last row keep the return and years fixed, but the last row puts in less money. Comparing only their ending balances would hide that difference in contributions.
The zero-return row is a useful arithmetic check: with no growth, the result equals the starting balance plus the hypothetical contributions. It is a zero-return comparison, not a worst-case outcome. A negative rate can produce a smaller result, and a fixed-rate model does not reproduce the uneven path of real returns.
None of the rows demonstrates that a particular investment can earn the rate shown. Nor does the largest row establish that you should use its assumptions. Save the comparison with its input labels so a later reader does not see only the attractive total.
For tax year 2026, the IRS contribution-limit page states that total contributions to traditional and Roth IRAs generally cannot exceed $7,500, or $8,600 for someone age 50 or older, or taxable compensation if lower. This is a combined limit, not a separate allowance for each IRA.
The same IRS page explains a joint-return spousal IRA exception: a spouse without taxable compensation may be able to contribute when the other spouse has compensation, subject to the combined compensation limit and the other applicable requirements. Do not turn the simple compensation check into a blanket finding that every nonworking spouse is ineligible or eligible.
Roth contribution eligibility also depends on income and filing status. The IRS 2026 announcement gives the year's income phase-out ranges. The calculator does not request or apply those facts. Other IRA contributions and the rules for the actual contribution year need review too.
A 20-year projection does not repeat the 2026 limit as a promise about every later year. It repeats your hypothetical input. Keep a separate note for the rules checked, tax year, source and unanswered questions. Ask a tax professional about your actual eligibility and any withdrawal or conversion question; an illustrative balance does not resolve them.
For a general balance with monthly contributions, the retirement savings growth calculator uses a different contribution schedule. It also leaves out inflation, fees, taxes and changing returns. Do not compare its output with this tool's output as though timing were identical.
For an existing-account conversion tax illustration, use the Roth conversion tax cost calculator only within its stated flat-rate limits. It is not a progressive-tax or complete conversion-planning calculation. This growth tool adds hypothetical contributions to a starting Roth balance; it does not answer the conversion question.
Before using any result, describe the decision you are trying to make. "How sensitive is this model to a lower rate?" fits the worksheet. "May I contribute this amount?" requires current rules and your facts. "Will this support retirement spending?" requires a broader plan than one ending balance.
Save the assumptions beside the output. Compare one change at a time, separate money put in from modeled growth, and label omitted questions. Then review contribution rules for the actual year before moving from a hypothetical scenario to an actual contribution. A useful model comparison is a clearer question, not a permission slip or a guaranteed outcome.
No. It models a hypothetical amount. Income phaseouts, compensation, filing status, other IRA contributions, and future-year rules are not calculated.
The example assumes each year's contribution arrives at year-end. Contributions made earlier may have more time to grow, so a different contribution schedule would produce another result.
No. A conversion moves money from an existing account and can create a tax bill. This estimate models a current Roth IRA balance plus hypothetical new annual contributions, without conversion taxes.
Record the starting balance plus every hypothetical annual contribution separately. Subtract that total from the illustrative ending balance to identify modeled growth. The worksheet scenarios make this distinction explicit; neither amount is guaranteed.
No. It checks that the model returns the starting balance plus contributions when no growth is assumed. Negative returns can produce smaller results, and this constant-rate calculator does not reproduce changing real-world returns.
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