IRA Calculator - Retirement Savings & Tax Value

An IRA calculator turns contribution habits and a return assumption into a retirement balance, then shows a simplified after-tax value. Traditional IRAs generally defer tax on contributions and growth until withdrawal. Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax dollars and, when rules are met, withdrawals of contributions and earnings are tax-free. The tax timing is the reason two identical contribution streams can support different spendable amounts. The IRA calculator compounds the opening balance annually and adds end-of-year contributions as an ordinary annuity: projected balance = initial × (1 + return)^years + contribution × ((1 + return)^years − 1) ÷ return. Total contributions are the opening balance plus every annual deposit. Investment growth is the residual. For a traditional IRA the estimated after-tax value multiplies the projected balance by (1 − retirement tax rate). For a Roth IRA the after-tax value equals the projected balance in this simplified model. Current-year tax savings on traditional contributions are approximated as contribution × current tax rate × years and are not discounted. A $10,000 start, $6,000 annual contribution, 7.5% return, and 25 years projects about $468,850.57, or $398,522.98 after a 15% retirement tax on a traditional account. The same engine with $0 start, $7,000 a year, 6% for 30 years on a Roth projects about $553,407.30 with no retirement-tax haircut in the model. Contribution limits, income phase-outs, catch-up amounts, required minimum distributions, early-withdrawal penalties, and the 5-year Roth rule are not enforced. Returns are constant and contributions occur at year-end. Use the IRA calculator to compare traditional versus Roth tax timing under your own rate path, then confirm current IRS limits and eligibility before you fund an account. It is educational planning support, not tax advice. Employer plans, taxable brokerage accounts, and health savings accounts can change the household picture even when the IRA math is unchanged. Revisit contribution and tax-rate assumptions after a raise, a filing-status change, or a new IRS limit rather than treating one projection as permanent.