Roth vs Traditional calculator
Enter your tax rate today and what you expect in retirement. See which account type leaves more dollars in your pocket after taxes — and exactly where the break-even point sits.
Roth wins if your retirement marginal tax rate will be higher than today. Traditional wins if it will be lower. They tie when both rates match. Everything else is secondary.
The math, in one line
For an equal-dollar contribution: Traditional after-tax = balance × (1 − tretirement); Roth after-tax = balance (already paid ttoday upfront). They are equal when tretirement = ttoday. Above that retirement rate, Roth wins; below, Traditional wins. Every other input is just noise around this break-even.
2026 federal income tax brackets (single)
| Bracket | Single income | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $11,925 | $0 – $23,850 |
| 12% | $11,925 – $48,475 | $23,850 – $96,950 |
| 22% | $48,475 – $103,350 | $96,950 – $206,700 |
| 24% | $103,350 – $197,300 | $206,700 – $394,600 |
| 32% | $197,300 – $250,525 | $394,600 – $501,050 |
| 35% | $250,525 – $626,350 | $501,050 – $751,600 |
| 37% | $626,350+ | $751,600+ |
Don't forget to add your state marginal rate (0% in TX/FL/WA/NV/AK/SD/WY/TN/NH; up to 13% in CA).
Heuristics that actually work
- Roth almost always if you're in the 10% or 12% bracket. Future-you will almost certainly pay a higher rate, and the math is one-sided.
- Traditional almost always if you're in the 32%+ bracket. You're at the peak of your earnings; retirement income will be a step down.
- 22% / 24% bracket is the genuinely ambiguous zone. Split your contributions or lean Roth (for the non-math reasons: no RMDs, tax-rate uncertainty, contribution-withdrawal flexibility).
- Always contribute enough for the full employer match first. The match dwarfs the Roth-vs-Traditional decision.
What if I can't predict my retirement tax rate?
You can't — nobody can. But you can bound it. Most retirees draw down ~80% of their working income, which usually keeps them in the same bracket or one below. The bigger wildcard is future federal tax policy: rates today are historically low (the top rate hit 91% in the 1950s). If you believe rates will rise broadly, Roth's tax-free withdrawals become more valuable on a risk-adjusted basis even when the point-estimate math marginally favors Traditional.
The Roth backdoor for high earners
If you earn above the Roth IRA income limit ($165K single / $246K MFJ in 2026), you can still get Roth dollars through a backdoor Roth: contribute non-deductible to a Traditional IRA, then convert to Roth. Watch the pro-rata rule if you have other pre-tax IRA balances — those get blended into the conversion and you'll owe tax on the proportional amount.
Related calculators
- Roth IRA calculator — projected balance and tax-free withdrawal
- 401(k) calculator — employer match modeled
- Safe withdrawal rate calculator — once you've retired, how much can you spend?
- Cost of waiting to invest — every year of delay costs roughly $52K at the median