Roth conversion calculator
See what converting pre-tax retirement money to a Roth would cost this year, which brackets it fills, and whether it comes out ahead by the time you withdraw.
This year's conversion
Enter your household's other income for the year and the amount you are thinking of converting.
Wages, pensions, interest, taxable Social Security
Leave 0 to use the standard deduction
Flat rate on the conversion; 0 in no-tax states
Federal plus state, your best guess for retirement
Convert versus keep
Both paths grow at the same return. The difference is when the tax is paid and at what rate.
Convert now
Pay $8,700 today. The full $50,000 goes into the Roth and grows to $160,357, all of it tax free.
Keep it pre-tax
$50,000 grows untouched, then 24.00% tax comes off at withdrawal, and the $8,700 you did not spend on tax stays invested in a taxable account with its gains taxed at 15%. Together that is $146,893.
2026 brackets for your status
Taxable income after deductions. The highlighted row is where your income sits before converting.
| Rate | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| 12% You are here | $24,800 | $100,800 |
| 22% | $100,800 | $211,400 |
| 24% | $211,400 | $403,550 |
| 32% | $403,550 | $512,450 |
| 35% | $512,450 | $768,700 |
| 37% | $768,700 | and up |
Brackets below your current income are not shown. Standard deduction for your status: $32,200.
Warren provides educational information, not individualized financial, tax or legal advice. Read our disclaimers.
Roth conversion ground rules
No limit, no undo
You can convert any amount in a year, but since 2018 conversions cannot be reversed. Convert in pieces through the year if you are unsure where your income will land.
The five-year clock
Each conversion has its own five-year clock before the converted amount can be withdrawn penalty free if you are under 59 1/2. Earnings need the account itself to be five years old.
Mind the pro-rata rule
If you hold both pre-tax and after-tax money across all your IRAs, every conversion is taxed in proportion. You cannot convert only the after-tax dollars.
Pay estimates on time
A large conversion late in the year can leave you underpaid. Use the estimated tax calculator to see whether a fourth-quarter payment is needed.
Frequently asked questions
- How is the tax on a Roth conversion calculated?
- The converted amount is added to your other ordinary income for the year and taxed at whatever brackets it falls into. This calculator subtracts the 2026 standard deduction from your other income, works out the federal tax with and without the conversion, and reports the difference. State tax is applied at the flat rate you enter.
- When does a Roth conversion make sense?
- Converting pays tax now at today's marginal rate to avoid tax later. It usually wins when your rate now is lower than the rate you expect in retirement, for example in a gap year between jobs, early retirement before Social Security and RMDs begin, or when a market dip has lowered the balance. It also helps heirs, who must empty an inherited IRA within ten years.
- Why does paying the tax from outside money matter?
- If tax is withheld from the conversion itself, less money reaches the Roth and, if you are under 59 1/2, the withheld part can be hit with a 10% early withdrawal penalty. Paying from a taxable account moves the full amount into tax-free growth, which is why that path almost always comes out ahead.
- What is "filling up the bracket"?
- Each bracket has a fixed amount of room. Converting just enough to reach the top of your current bracket, without spilling into the next one, keeps the whole conversion at the lower rate. The bracket panel shows how much room is left and how much of your conversion lands in each bracket.
- What else can a conversion affect?
- A conversion raises your adjusted gross income for the year, which can increase Medicare IRMAA premiums two years later, reduce a Marketplace premium tax credit, make more of your Social Security taxable, or push capital gains from the 0% bracket to 15%. Our Medicare IRMAA and ACA subsidy calculators show those thresholds.
Find the conversion amount that fits your year
Warren AI reads your income and account balances to suggest a conversion that fills your bracket without tripping Medicare or Marketplace thresholds.