Project your traditional IRA balance before and after tax at withdrawal, right in your browser. Estimates only, not financial advice.
Traditional IRA Calculator Online
Project your traditional IRA balance before and after tax at withdrawal, right in your browser. Estimates only, not financial advice.
The IRA Calculator runs entirely in your browser. The balance, contribution, return, and tax rate figures you enter never leave your device and are not uploaded to ArrayKit. Results are estimates only, not financial advice.
IRA Calculator projects how a traditional IRA grows from your current balance, a yearly contribution, and an expected annual return, then shows what you would actually keep after applying your expected tax rate at withdrawal. Traditional IRA contributions grow tax-deferred — no yearly tax on gains — but every dollar you take out in retirement is taxed as ordinary income, so the after-tax balance is what really matters for planning. Enter your starting balance, annual contribution, expected return, years until withdrawal, and your expected retirement tax rate to see the pre-tax balance, the after-tax balance, and total contributions side by side. These are estimates only, not financial advice — contribution limits and tax rules change, so verify with a qualified professional. Everything runs locally in your browser.
Features
Projects traditional IRA balance from a current balance, annual contribution, and expected return
Compounds contributions and growth annually over your chosen time horizon
Shows both the pre-tax balance and the after-tax balance at your expected retirement tax rate
Reports total contributions separately from investment growth
Copy a plain-text summary of the full result in one click
Clear error messages for an invalid balance, contribution, term, or tax rate
Works for any contribution amount or time horizon you want to model
Runs entirely on your device — figures are never sent anywhere
How to use the IRA Calculator
Enter your current IRA balance and annual contribution
Enter an expected annual return percentage
Enter the number of years until you plan to withdraw
Enter your expected tax rate at retirement
Compare the pre-tax balance against the after-tax balance
Example
Input
$6,000/yr, 7%, 30 yr, 22% tax
Output
After-tax: ~$473,000
Common errors & troubleshooting
Expected return typed as a decimal (0.07) instead of a percentage. — Enter the annual return as a whole percentage, such as 7, not 0.07 — the IRA Calculator already divides by 100 internally.
After-tax balance looks lower than expected. — Traditional IRA withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income, so the after-tax balance can be noticeably lower than the pre-tax balance — try lowering the expected retirement tax rate to see how sensitive the result is.
Retirement tax rate entered above 100 or as a negative number. — The expected retirement tax rate must be between 0 and 100 — enter your marginal tax bracket at withdrawal, such as 22.
Total contributions look too low for the number of years entered. — Total contributions only counts the annual contribution amount times the number of years — it excludes your starting balance and any investment growth.
Frequently asked questions
How does the IRA Calculator handle taxes on a traditional IRA?
Traditional IRA contributions and gains grow tax-deferred, with no yearly tax on the balance. The IRA Calculator applies your expected retirement tax rate only at the end, to model the ordinary-income tax due when you actually withdraw the money.
What contribution timing does the Traditional IRA Calculator assume?
The calculator adds each year's contribution at the start of that year and then compounds the whole balance at your expected return, which matches how most people fund an IRA early in the year.
Can the IRA Calculator model an existing IRA balance?
Yes. Enter your current balance in addition to the annual contribution, expected return, and time horizon, and the calculator compounds both the existing balance and new contributions together.
Is the IRA Calculator's output financial or tax advice?
No. It produces mathematical estimates based on the numbers you enter. Contribution limits, tax brackets, and IRA rules change over time, so verify important decisions with a qualified financial or tax professional.
Does the IRA Calculator upload my balance or contribution figures?
No. All calculations run locally in your browser. The balance, contribution, return, and tax rate you enter stay on your device and are never uploaded to ArrayKit.
How is a traditional IRA different from a Roth IRA in this calculator?
This calculator models a traditional IRA, where contributions grow tax-deferred and withdrawals are taxed. Use the Roth IRA Calculator to model contributions made with after-tax dollars that grow and withdraw tax-free instead.
Related tools
Roth IRA Calculator — Project tax-free Roth IRA growth from contributions and returns.
401(k) Calculator — Project 401(k) growth with employer match and contribution limits.
Retirement Calculator — Estimate whether your savings and contributions will fund your retirement.
RMD Calculator — Estimate required minimum distributions from a retirement account.
Investment Calculator — Solve for the ending amount, return, contribution or time of an investment.
Compound Interest Calculator — Project savings growth with compound interest and optional regular contributions.