MAGI Calculator: Modified Adjusted Gross Income
Estimate MAGI for Roth IRA limits, ACA premium credits, and Medicare IRMAA. Different programs use different add-backs. Educational only.
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MAGI Calculator
Enter your income sources and deductions below to calculate your Modified Adjusted Gross Income and see how it affects your Roth IRA eligibility, ACA premium tax credits, and Medicare surcharges.
Add-Backs to AGI
What Is MAGI and Why Does It Matter?
Your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) with certain deductions added back. It sounds simple, but it's one of the most consequential numbers on your tax return — it determines whether you can contribute to a Roth IRA, how large your ACA premium subsidy is, and whether you'll pay Medicare IRMAA surcharges.
For a complete explanation of MAGI and strategies to reduce it, see: What Is MAGI and Why It Matters for Your Taxes.
AGI vs. MAGI: The Key Difference
AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) is your total gross income minus specific "above-the-line" deductions: 401(k) contributions, HSA contributions, student loan interest, alimony (pre-2019), half of self-employment tax, and others.
MAGI starts with your AGI and adds back certain deductions that Congress decided shouldn't reduce your income for specific purposes. The add-backs vary depending on which benefit you're calculating MAGI for.
The Common MAGI Add-Backs
Most MAGI calculations require adding these items back to your AGI:
| Add-Back Item | Why It's Added Back |
|---|---|
| Student loan interest deduction | To prevent income-based phase-outs from stacking |
| Traditional IRA deduction | Keeps the Roth phase-out from favoring IRA contributors |
| Passive activity losses (rental) | Prevents losses from artificially reducing income |
| Tuition and fees deduction | Prevents abuse of income-based rules |
| Foreign earned income exclusion | Includes worldwide income for US benefit calculations |
| Tax-exempt Social Security benefits | Captures all economic income |
| Tax-exempt interest income | Municipal bond interest added back for certain rules |
Important: Different rules use slightly different MAGI formulas. Your Roth IRA MAGI, your ACA MAGI, and your Medicare MAGI can all be slightly different numbers.
Roth IRA Eligibility by MAGI
Your ability to contribute directly to a Roth IRA phases out based on MAGI. For 2026 (IRS Notice 2025-67):
The annual Roth/traditional IRA contribution limit is $7,500, or $8,600 with the $1,100 catch-up if you are age 50 or older.
| Filing Status | Phase-Out Begins | Phase-Out Ends | Contribution Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single / HOH | $153,000 | $168,000 | Partial then zero |
| Married Filing Jointly | $242,000 | $252,000 | Partial then zero |
| Married Filing Separately | $0 | $10,000 | Very limited |
Within the phase-out range, your maximum contribution is reduced proportionally. Above the upper limit, you can't contribute to a Roth IRA directly at all — but you can use the backdoor Roth strategy (contribute to a traditional IRA, then convert). See our Backdoor Roth Calculator for details. If a direct Roth contribution already posted above the limit, estimate a correction with the excess Roth IRA contribution calculator.
Roth MAGI for 2026 adds back: student loan interest, IRA deduction, tuition deduction, foreign income exclusion, and domestic production activities deduction (if applicable).
ACA Premium Tax Credit and MAGI
The Affordable Care Act premium tax credit is based on your household MAGI relative to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). If your MAGI is below 400% of FPL, you qualify for premium subsidies; above that threshold is the "subsidy cliff."
Approximate 2026 thresholds:
| Household Size | 100% FPL | 400% FPL (Subsidy Cliff) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | ~$15,060 | ~$60,240 |
| 2 people | ~$20,440 | ~$81,760 |
| 4 people | ~$31,200 | ~$124,800 |
At exactly 400% FPL your subsidy drops to $0. This is the ACA subsidy cliff — crossing it by even $1 can cost thousands of dollars in premium subsidies.
ACA MAGI is generally your regular AGI plus tax-exempt Social Security benefits and tax-exempt interest — a simpler calculation than other MAGI formulas.
Medicare IRMAA Surcharges
If your MAGI (from two years ago) exceeds certain thresholds, you pay higher Medicare Part B and Part D premiums. These surcharges are called Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA).
Medicare uses a two-year lookback — your 2026 Medicare premiums are based on your 2024 tax return.
| 2024 MAGI (Single) | 2024 MAGI (MFJ) | Additional Monthly Part B Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $106,000 | Up to $212,000 | $0 (standard premium) |
| $106,001 – $133,000 | $212,001 – $266,000 | +$70.00/mo |
| $133,001 – $167,000 | $266,001 – $334,000 | +$176.60/mo |
| $167,001 – $200,000 | $334,001 – $400,000 | +$283.20/mo |
| $200,001 – $500,000 | $400,001 – $750,000 | +$389.80/mo |
| Over $500,000 | Over $750,000 | +$426.10/mo |
Medicare MAGI is your AGI plus tax-exempt interest income — one of the simpler formulas.
Traditional IRA Deductibility
If you're covered by a workplace retirement plan (like a 401k), your ability to deduct traditional IRA contributions phases out based on MAGI. If you're not covered by a workplace plan, you can deduct IRA contributions at any income level.
| Filing Status | Phase-Out Range (2026) |
|---|---|
| Single (covered by workplace plan) | $81,000 – $91,000 |
| MFJ (covered by workplace plan) | $129,000 – $149,000 |
| MFJ (spouse covered; you're not) | $242,000 – $252,000 |
Above the phase-out range, your IRA contribution is non-deductible — making a Roth IRA or backdoor Roth a better option.
Child Tax Credit Phase-Out
The Child Tax Credit ($2,200 per qualifying child in 2026) begins phasing out at:
- $200,000 MAGI for single filers
- $400,000 MAGI for married filing jointly
The credit is reduced by $50 for every $1,000 of MAGI above these thresholds.
Strategies to Lower Your MAGI
Reducing your MAGI can unlock Roth IRA eligibility, preserve ACA subsidies, and avoid IRMAA surcharges:
- Maximize pre-tax 401(k) contributions — every dollar contributed reduces your MAGI dollar-for-dollar
- Contribute to an HSA — health savings account contributions are above-the-line deductions that reduce MAGI
- Harvest investment losses — capital losses reduce your taxable income and AGI
- Time income and deductions — defer income to future years or accelerate deductions into the current year
- Use a Health FSA — employer-sponsored FSA contributions reduce your W-2 income
See Roth Conversion Calculator to model conversions that stay within your optimal MAGI range.
MAGI versus taxable income versus withholding
MAGI is not the number in the tax brackets. Brackets apply to taxable income after the standard deduction or itemized deductions. MAGI is a program eligibility figure.
A raise can:
- Push you up a federal tax bracket (ordinary tax).
- Push MAGI through a Roth or ACA cliff (lost contribution room or subsidy).
- Leave withholding unchanged until you file a new W-4 — see the tax withholding calculator.
Those three events are easy to mix up. Run the matching tool for the matching question.
Foreign earned income that you exclude on Form 2555 is often added back for MAGI even though it dropped regular taxable income. The FEIE calculator and the foreign earned income exclusion guide cover that trap.
Self-employed people reduce AGI with the employer-equivalent half of SE tax and retirement contributions, which can also lower MAGI. Wage employees get the 401(k) deferral off the W-2 instead. Use the 1099 tax calculator if you are mixing both.
Year-end checklist
- Confirm workplace deferrals will actually hit the W-2 before payroll’s last cycle.
- If you are near an IRMAA cliff, remember the two-year lag: this year’s MAGI can set premiums two years out.
- If you are near the ACA cliff, a small Roth conversion can be more expensive than the tax on the conversion.
- If you are near the Roth IRA cap, a backdoor Roth may still be available; it does not require MAGI under the direct-contribution ceiling, but a large traditional IRA balance creates a pro-rata problem. Model that on the backdoor Roth calculator.
Student-loan interest and traditional IRA deductions can lower AGI while some MAGI formulas add them back. That is not a bug. It is how Congress kept people from stacking every above-the-line write-off to stay under a phaseout. If the calculator’s MAGI is higher than the AGI on your draft 1040, look at the add-back table rather than assuming the tool double-counted wages.
The child tax credit phases out on MAGI ($200,000 single / $400,000 joint under current law in this library). That phaseout is slower than the ACA cliff but still real for high W-2 households with several children.
How to use this calculator
Enter wages and other income the way they will appear on a draft 1040, then work through the add-backs the form lists. Read the Roth, ACA, and IRMAA outputs as three separate answers. Do not take the lowest MAGI and apply it to every program.
If you are within a few thousand dollars of a cliff, treat the output as a warning to talk to a professional, not as a green light to convert a large IRA or to decline workplace coverage. Cliffs are where simplified MAGI math hurts.
Informational use only
MAGI definitions differ by statute. This calculator is a simplified educational model. It does not complete Form 8606, an ACA application, or a Social Security IRMAA appeal. Confirm with current IRS publications, Healthcare.gov or your state exchange, Medicare, and a tax professional when a cliff is close.
Saver's Match MAGI under 26 U.S.C. §6433 is another formula: AGI without sections 911, 931, and 933, and without the exclusion or deduction for the qualified retirement contributions being matched. Roth MAGI from this tool is a starting point, not the number to paste into the Saver's Match calculator. See the Saver's Match guide.
Related: What is MAGI | Roth conversion calculator | backdoor Roth calculator | excess Roth IRA contribution calculator | child tax credit calculator | Saver's Match calculator | federal income tax hub