IRA Calculator

Project Traditional or Roth IRA growth with contributions, compound returns, inflation adjustment, and retirement-age planning.

How to Use

  1. Choose Traditional IRA or Roth IRA.
  2. Enter your current age, retirement age, and current balance.
  3. Add planned contributions and expected annual return.
  4. Optionally include inflation and retirement tax estimates.
  5. Open Show Work to review the math behind the projection.
Projection Snapshot

Future Value Overview

Traditional IRA
Projected Balance
—
Inflation-Adjusted Value
—
Total Contributions
—
Investment Growth
—
Years Until Retirement —

Enter your values to project your IRA balance at retirement.

Inputs & Settings
Use realistic assumptions. This tool estimates future value and does not replace tax, legal, or investment advice.
Affects how after-tax retirement value is estimated.
JS can use this to enable side-by-side comparisons later.
Used to determine years until retirement.
Must be greater than current age.
Enter your current IRA account value.
Use the annual amount you expect to contribute.
Lets the JS distribute contributions through the year.
Beginning-of-period contributions generally grow slightly more.
Nominal annual investment return before inflation.
Controls how growth is compounded in the projection.
Used to estimate future value in today’s dollars.
Primarily affects Traditional IRA after-tax estimates.
7.0%
$7,000

Detailed Breakdown

Metric Value
Starting balance —
Total contributed —
Total investment growth —
Projected balance at retirement —
Inflation-adjusted value —
Estimated after-tax value —

Projection Notes

  • Traditional IRA balances are typically taxed when withdrawn; Roth IRA qualified withdrawals are generally tax-free.
  • Actual IRA contribution limits, eligibility rules, and tax treatment depend on current law and personal circumstances.
  • Investment returns are not guaranteed and real-world results can vary significantly.
  • Inflation adjustment helps estimate purchasing power, not nominal account balance.
Show Work (step-by-step)
—
Show Work should present the projection assumptions, compounding setup, contribution schedule, and summary math in plain language.

IRA Projection Formulas

Quick answer: an IRA projection combines your starting balance, recurring contributions, compound growth, and optional inflation or tax adjustments.

  • Future value of current balance: FV = PV × (1 + r / n)^(n × t)
  • Future value of recurring contributions: annuity growth based on contribution timing and compounding frequency
  • Total growth: Projected Balance − Starting Balance − Total Contributions
  • Real value: nominal future value adjusted by inflation over time
  • Estimated after-tax value: retirement balance reduced by estimated withdrawal tax rate when applicable
Where PV = present value, r = annual return, n = compounding periods per year, and t = years until retirement.

FAQ

What is the difference between a Traditional IRA and a Roth IRA?

Traditional IRAs usually provide pre-tax or deductible contribution benefits when eligible, while Roth IRAs are typically funded with after-tax money and may allow qualified tax-free withdrawals in retirement.

Why show both nominal and inflation-adjusted value?

Nominal value shows the raw projected balance, while inflation-adjusted value estimates what that balance may be worth in today’s purchasing power.

Does this calculator enforce current IRS contribution limits?

The page can display planning assumptions, but eligibility rules and annual limits should always be verified against current tax guidance for your situation.

Can this estimate catch-up contributions?

Yes. The JS can use age-based logic to apply catch-up assumptions once the user reaches the relevant threshold.

Tool Info

Last updated:

Updates may include improved projection math, contribution handling, comparison modes, and edge-case validation.