Free Traditional vs Roth Calculator Spreadsheet Template
Compare Traditional and Roth IRA outcomes side by side. Factor in current and projected tax rates to see which account type may result in more after-tax retirement income.
What's Included
- Dashboard with side-by-side comparison of Traditional and Roth IRA projected after-tax balances
- Comparison setup with current tax rate, expected retirement tax rate, contribution amount, and time horizon
- Year-by-year projection table showing pre-tax and after-tax growth for both account types in parallel
- After-tax value comparison highlighting the net difference between Traditional and Roth outcomes at retirement
- Tax bracket impact analysis showing how changes in current or future tax rates shift the outcome
- Works in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc with no setup required
Preview
See what's inside this template
How to Use This Traditional vs Roth Calculator Template
Enter your tax rates
Input your current marginal tax rate and your expected tax rate in retirement. These drive the comparison results.
Set contribution details
Enter the annual contribution amount, expected return rate, and number of years until retirement.
Review the projections
The year-by-year table shows pre-tax and after-tax growth for both Traditional and Roth accounts in parallel.
Compare after-tax results
The dashboard highlights which account type produces more after-tax income based on your current vs retirement tax rates.
Built by Claude AI. Perfected by us.
We use Claude AI to draft each free template, after a deep research. Then our team steps in. We refine the layout, stress-test every formula, fix edge cases, and polish the design until it feels like something we would actually use ourselves. The AI gets us 80% there. The last 20% is all human judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Roth typically better?
Roth accounts tend to produce better after-tax results when your retirement tax rate is higher than your current rate. The calculator shows the exact difference for your inputs.
When is Traditional typically better?
Traditional accounts tend to produce better results when your retirement tax rate is lower than your current rate, since withdrawals are taxed at the lower future rate.
Does it account for the tax deduction?
Yes. The Traditional column factors in the upfront tax deduction and taxes withdrawals in retirement. The Roth column shows after-tax contributions growing tax-free.
Can I change the return rate?
Yes. The return rate field is adjustable. Both account projections use the same rate so the comparison isolates the tax treatment difference.
How do I open this in Google Sheets?
Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive, then open it with Google Sheets. All formulas and formatting will be preserved.
What license is this template under?
All free templates are released under CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution). You can use, modify, and share them freely - including for commercial purposes - as long as you credit FinancialAha.com. They are provided as-is and do not constitute financial advice.
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