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.
Open the Roth IRA Calculator
About IRA Calculator
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.
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