StockMyStocks Roth Conversion Calculator
Pay the tax now, or pay it later? Put your brackets in and see the trade in plain dollars.
Estimates for learning only, not financial advice. This assumes the tax is paid from money outside the account, and leaves out state taxes and the time value of money.
📬 Tax moves like this, in plain English
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A Roth conversion moves money from a traditional IRA or 401(k) into a Roth account. You pay income tax on the amount now, and in exchange the growth comes out tax-free in retirement. The smart way to size one is filling the bracket: convert only up to the top of your current tax bracket, so no dollar gets taxed at the next, higher rate.
Watch the effective rate, not just the bracket. If a conversion straddles two brackets, part is taxed low and part high, and the blended rate is what you actually pay. A conversion also counts as income for Medicare: cross an IRMAA tier and your Part B and D premiums can rise two years later, so a 2026 conversion can reach your 2028 premiums.
Two rules to respect. Each conversion starts its own five-year clock for withdrawing that money penalty-free. And since 2018 a conversion cannot be undone — there is no recharacterization anymore, so size it carefully before December 31. When in doubt, convert in slices across low-income years, and let a tax pro check the plan.
Example: convert $10,000 at a 12% effective rate and the tax is about $1,200. Grown for 20 years at 7%, that money becomes roughly $38,700 — all of it tax-free in the Roth, instead of owing about $8,500 at a 22% rate later. This page is an educational estimate, not tax advice.
Disclosure: the quiz lives on our main site. Some links there are referral or partner links — if you open an account or buy a plan through one, we may earn a commission or free stock, always at no extra cost to you. The quiz recommends by your answers, not by payout. Everything here is educational, not financial advice.
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