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Roth Conversion Calculator

Work out the federal and state tax on converting a traditional IRA or 401(k) to a Roth IRA, how much more you could convert in your tax bracket, and whether converting leaves you more in retirement.

$

For 2026, before converting

$

From a traditional IRA or 401(k)

More options· 15 years at 6%, 22% tax later
years
%

A year

%

Federal and state, on withdrawals if you don’t convert

Tax on the conversion

$5,242

26.2% of the $20,000 you convert: $3,750 federal and $1,492 state

Your bracket
22%
Room left in it
$41,800
Into your Roth
$20,000

After 15 years, converting leaves you $2,018 less than not converting, at a 22% tax rate later. It comes out ahead if your tax rate on withdrawals would be above 26.2%.

What this means

A conversion is added to your income for the year, so it’s taxed at your top rate. Converting a little each year, enough to fill your current bracket, usually costs less than converting a lot at once. You could convert $41,800 more before reaching the 24% bracket.

It pays off when your tax rate now is lower than it will be when you take the money out: in low-income years between leaving work and Social Security or RMDs, for example, or if you expect tax rates to rise. A Roth also has no required minimum distributions in your lifetime, and your heirs inherit it tax-free.

Next step

Convert or not

Federal tax now$3,750
State tax now$1,492
Roth after 15 years, tax-free$47,931
Not converting, after 22% tax$49,949

After 15 years

What you’d have to spend
$49,949$24,975$0
ConvertDon’t convert
After tax
Assumptions in this estimate
  • Federal tax for 2026 with the standard deduction, the extra deduction at 65 and the senior deduction. The conversion is added to your other income, which is taken to be ordinary income such as wages, pensions or IRA withdrawals.
  • State tax uses your state’s normal rates on the extra income. Illinois doesn’t tax conversions, and some other states exempt part of retirement income, so check your state’s rules.
  • Not converting, the savings you’d have used for the tax are assumed to grow at the same rate, before any tax on that growth.
  • Extra income from a conversion can also raise Medicare premiums two years later (IRMAA), make more of your Social Security taxable, and cut Marketplace health insurance subsidies.
  • Each conversion has its own 5-year clock before converted money can be taken out penalty-free under 59½. Conversions can’t be undone, and if you have after-tax money in any traditional IRA, part of each conversion is tax-free (the pro-rata rule).
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How the calculator works

  1. Tax now: federal income tax on your other income with and without the conversion, after the standard deduction and, from 65, the senior deduction. The difference is the tax on the conversion. State tax is worked out the same way with your state’s rates.
  2. Your bracket: the federal bracket the last converted dollar falls in, and how much more you could convert before reaching the next one.
  3. Convert or not: after the years you choose, at the same growth, it compares the Roth, which you take out tax-free, with leaving the money in a traditional account and paying your later tax rate on it. If you pay the tax from savings, not converting keeps those savings.

Examples

A single filer in California earning $60,000 converts $20,000. The tax is $5,242: $3,750 federal and $1,492 state, or 26.2% of the conversion. If they expect to pay 22% on withdrawals later, converting leaves them a little less after 15 years: $47,931 in the Roth against $49,949 not converting. Here, converting only pays if their later tax rate would be above 26.2%.

A married couple in Texas, retired at 62 with $50,000 of income, convert $40,000. The federal tax is just $4,660 (11.7%), because it all falls in the 12% bracket, and they could convert $43,000 more before reaching 22%. If they’d otherwise pay 22% later, converting leaves them about $9,900 more after 15 years.

Tax on a conversion by income

Converting $20,000 as a single filer in 2026, with no state income tax:

Other income Federal tax on it Share of the conversion Room left in your bracket first
$30,000 $2,400 12.0% $36,500 at 12%
$50,000 $2,750 13.8% $16,500 at 12%
$75,000 $4,400 22.0% $46,800 at 22%
$100,000 $4,400 22.0% $21,800 at 22%
$150,000 $4,800 24.0% $67,875 at 24%
$250,000 $6,400 32.0% $22,325 at 32%

The tax depends on the bracket the converted money lands in. Many people convert a little each year, just enough to fill their current bracket, rather than all at once, especially in the years between retiring and starting Social Security and RMDs, when income is often lowest.

Before you convert

  • Medicare premiums: income two years before can raise your Part B and Part D premiums (IRMAA), so a conversion at 63 can raise them at 65.
  • Health insurance: if you buy Marketplace cover before 65, extra income can cut your premium tax credit.
  • The 5-year rule: each conversion has its own five-year clock before the converted money can be taken out penalty-free under 59½.
  • The pro-rata rule: if any of your traditional IRAs hold after-tax money, part of each conversion is tax-free, worked out across all of them.

Learn more

See our guide to Roth vs traditional, the Social Security tax calculator, and the RMD calculator for the withdrawals a conversion can reduce.

Last updated

Frequently asked questions

How much tax will I pay on a Roth conversion?

The amount you convert is added to your income for the year and taxed at your ordinary rates, federal and state. Converting $20,000 on top of $60,000 of income, a single filer pays $3,750 of federal tax: the conversion falls in the 22% bracket, with part of it in the 12% bracket.

Is a Roth conversion worth it?

It pays off if the tax rate you pay now is lower than the rate you’d pay when you take the money out. That’s often true in low-income years, such as between retiring and starting Social Security or required minimum distributions, or if you expect your tax rate to rise.

How much should I convert each year?

Many people convert just enough each year to fill their current tax bracket, so none of it is taxed at a higher rate. The calculator shows how much more you could convert before reaching the next bracket.

Should I pay the tax from the IRA or from savings?

From savings, if you can. Then all of the converted money keeps growing tax-free in the Roth. Before 59½, money kept back from the conversion to pay the tax also counts as an early withdrawal, with a 10% penalty.

Is there a limit on Roth conversions?

No. Anyone can convert any amount, whatever their income. But a conversion can’t be undone, and a large one can push you into a higher bracket, raise Medicare premiums two years later and make more of your Social Security taxable.