How many years a Roth conversion needs to pay back the tax you pay on it today
Estimates only, not financial advice. What you type stays on your device. Checked against sources on 29 Sept 2026.A Roth conversion costs tax today and saves tax later, so the question is how long the money must stay invested before converting comes out ahead. Paying the tax from other savings is what makes a break-even exist: that cash would otherwise grow in a taxable account and lose part of its growth to tax each year. Enter both marginal rates, the growth rate and the years to see the first year the Roth is ahead.
Rates and rules read from the sources listed on this page (the earliest on 29 Sept 2026); they may have changed since.
"From other savings" is already selected under "Pay the conversion tax".
Enter the "Pre-tax amount to convert" and both marginal rates.
Set "Yearly growth", "Years until you withdraw" and the "Growth lost to tax in a taxable account".
Read the "Break-even" year, and open "Year by year" to see when the Roth pulls ahead.
Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA moves the tax bill from the future to today. The calculator puts both paths side by side for one amount of pre-tax money and shows what each is worth, after tax, in the year you plan to withdraw it.
Where the tax money comes from matters. Paid from other savings, the whole amount grows tax free in the Roth, and the not-converting side keeps that cash in a taxable account where part of each year's growth is lost to tax. This is why a conversion can win even when the later rate is a little lower, and why there is a break-even year. Paid from the IRA itself, less reaches the Roth, and the answer depends only on whether the later rate is higher. Under age 59½, tax withheld from the conversion is a withdrawal that may also owe the 10% additional tax (Publication 590-A).
The 5-year rule. Each conversion starts its own 5-year clock on 1 January of the year you convert. Withdrawing the converted amount before that clock ends, while under 59½, can cost the 10% additional tax on the part that was taxed when converted (Publication 590-B). Earnings are tax free only after 5 years from your first Roth contribution and age 59½. A conversion made since 2018 cannot be undone.
The rest of the article, and all 6 questions about Roth Conversion Calculator, are on the Roth Conversion Calculator page.
The pre-tax part of the amount you convert is added to your ordinary income for the year, so it is taxed at your marginal rate, federal and state. Money that was already taxed, such as nondeductible contributions, is not taxed again; the Backdoor Roth Pro-Rata Calculator works out that split using Form 8606.
Paying from other savings usually gives a better result, because the full amount grows tax free in the Roth. Paying from the IRA puts less in the Roth, and under age 59½ the withheld tax counts as a withdrawal that may owe the 10% additional tax. The calculator shows both ways.
Break-even is the first year in which the Roth, after the tax paid today, is worth at least as much as the traditional IRA after tax plus the tax money you would have kept. With a $50,000 conversion at 24% now, 22% later and 6% growth, the Roth pulls ahead in year 11.
No. Conversions made in 2018 or later cannot be recharacterized back to a traditional IRA, according to IRS Publication 590-A. Once converted, the tax is owed for that year, so check the amount against your bracket before converting, and consider spreading a large balance over several years.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
Still stuck? Ask about Roth Conversion Calculator and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
Same job, other tools: Roth IRA Calculator – Your 2026 Roth IRA limit from income and filing status, and tax-free growth to retirement · Traditional IRA Calculator – How much of a 2026 traditional IRA contribution you can deduct, and its growth after tax · Rule of 50 Calculator for Public Safety – Penalty-free plan withdrawals for police, firefighters and public safety workers at 50.
On the related tools: S Corp Solo 401(k) Calculator – Solo 401(k) maximum for an S corporation owner paid a W-2 salary: 25% of pay plus deferral.
More for US: all 41 US calculators.