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A Traditional IRA grows tax-deferred, but unlike a Roth IRA, every withdrawal is taxed as ordinary income.
This calculator projects your Traditional IRA's pre-tax growth and shows the after-tax value you'll actually keep, based on your expected tax rate at withdrawal.
How it works
Enter your current balance, monthly pre-tax contribution, expected return, years to grow, and expected tax rate at withdrawal. The calculator projects the pre-tax balance using standard compound growth, then applies your expected retirement tax rate to find the after-tax value.
- Enter current balance ($).
- Enter monthly pre-tax contribution ($).
- Enter expected annual return (%).
- Enter years to grow.
- Enter expected tax rate at withdrawal (%).
- Click Calculate to see your results.
Examples
$500/month for 30 years at 7%
Contributing $500/month for 30 years at a 7% return grows to about $691,150 pre-tax — after a 22% tax rate at withdrawal, that's roughly $539,097 after-tax.
Who should use it
- Projecting Traditional IRA growth for retirement planning.
- Comparing the after-tax outcome of a Traditional IRA against a Roth IRA.
Industry applications
- Retirement planning and financial advising
- Personal finance education
Advantages
- Shows the real, after-tax value you'll receive — not just the pre-tax balance.
- Uses the same reliable compound growth formula as the site's Roth IRA Calculator.
Limitations
- Requires guessing your future tax rate, which is inherently uncertain over a multi-decade horizon.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Comparing a Traditional IRA's pre-tax balance directly against a Roth IRA's balance without accounting for the tax still owed.
- Guessing a retirement tax rate that doesn't reflect your expected retirement income and filing status.
Best practices
- Always compare the after-tax value (not the pre-tax balance) when deciding between a Traditional and Roth IRA.
Tips
- If you expect to be in a lower tax bracket in retirement than you are now, a Traditional IRA's upfront deduction is often more valuable than a Roth's tax-free withdrawals.