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Roth IRA Calculator

This Roth IRA calculator shows how your contributions grow tax-free — you pay no tax on the earnings when you withdraw in retirement. Enter your balance, monthly contribution and expected return to project what you could have by the time you retire.

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$0
Tax-free balance
$0
You contributed
$0
Tax-free earnings
Balance Contributions Interest
Show year-by-year breakdown
PeriodAddedInterestBalance

Formula: standard compound-interest math. Figures are estimates, not financial advice.

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How a Roth IRA grows (with a worked example)

You contribute after-tax dollars, then your investments compound for decades. Because you already paid tax on the contributions, every dollar of growth is yours to keep tax-free in retirement (after age 59½, with the account open 5+ years).

Worked example. Say you start with $5,000, add the 2025 max of $583/month ($7,000/year), and earn an 8% average annual return for 30 years. Your contributions total about $215,000 — but the account grows to roughly $924,000. That means around $709,000 of tax-free earnings you never owe income tax on. Starting earlier is the biggest lever: the same $583/month for 30 years vs. 20 years is the difference between about $711,000 and $304,000 of growth on contributions alone.

The table below shows the tax-free balance from monthly contributions alone (starting from $0) at a 7% average return, so you can see how contribution size and time horizon compound.

Monthly contributionAfter 10 yrsAfter 20 yrsAfter 30 yrs
$300 / mo$51,900$156,300$366,000
$500 / mo$86,500$260,500$610,000
$583 / mo (2025 max)$100,900$303,700$711,200

Estimates at a 7% average annual return, starting from $0. Actual returns vary and are not guaranteed.

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