US federal MAGI scope Modified adjusted gross income depends on why you need it. This planner
switches between IRS rules for IRA contribution planning and premium tax
credit household-income MAGI, so do not reuse one result for a different
tax benefit.
Add-backs used for IRA MAGI
Result
Roth IRA / traditional IRA MAGI
$93,800.00
Uses the IRS add-backs and Roth-conversion subtraction that apply when you are planning around IRA contribution and deduction income limits.
Use this result for one rule only This estimate is for IRA-related MAGI only. Other MAGI formulas, such as marketplace subsidies or education credits, use different add-backs.
Starting AGI
$85,000.00
Total add-backs
$8,800.00
Total subtractions
$0.00
Net MAGI change
$8,800.00
10.35%
of starting AGI
Adjustment
Effect
Amount
Running MAGI
Adjusted gross income
Base AGI from Form 1040 before purpose-specific MAGI adjustments.
Start
$85,000.00
$85,000.00
IRA deduction
Schedule 1 IRA deduction added back for Roth IRA MAGI.
Add back
$7,000.00
$92,000.00
Student loan interest deduction
Added back when estimating Roth IRA contribution MAGI.
Add back
$1,800.00
$93,800.00
Excludable savings bond interest
Interest excluded on Form 8815 that is added back for Roth IRA MAGI.
Add back
$0.00
$93,800.00
Excluded employer adoption benefits
Employer-provided adoption benefits excluded from income and added back.
Add back
$0.00
$93,800.00
Foreign earned income / housing exclusion
Form 2555 excluded income added back for Roth IRA MAGI.
Add back
$0.00
$93,800.00
Foreign housing deduction
Form 2555 foreign housing deduction added back for Roth IRA MAGI.
Add back
$0.00
$93,800.00
Roth conversion or rollover income already in AGI
Income from converting to Roth or rolling over to Roth that IRS guidance subtracts back out for this MAGI test.
Subtract
$0.00
$93,800.00
How to interpret this result
A higher MAGI can shrink or remove a benefit, but the thresholds,
filing-status rules, and partial phaseout formulas still come from
the specific IRS worksheet for that benefit. Treat this as a
planning checkpoint, not as a filing decision on its own.
Modified adjusted gross income calculator for Roth IRA and premium tax credit MAGI
A modified adjusted gross income calculator is only useful if it starts with the right question, because MAGI changes depending on the tax benefit you are testing.
Why modified adjusted gross income is not one universal number
Modified adjusted gross income, or MAGI, begins with adjusted gross income, but the IRS then tells you to add back or subtract different items depending on the benefit, deduction, contribution limit, or tax you are testing. That means MAGI for Roth IRA contributions is not automatically the same as MAGI for marketplace subsidies, education credits, adoption benefits, or the net investment income tax. A page that presents one generic MAGI without naming the purpose is usually oversimplifying the tax rule.
This calculator is deliberately purpose-aware. It lets you switch between IRA-related MAGI and premium tax credit MAGI because those are common planning use cases and the formulas are meaningfully different. That also keeps the page honest: instead of pretending to answer every MAGI question with one number, it shows the user which adjustments belong to the selected rule and warns that a different tax benefit may require a different worksheet.
That distinction matters in real planning. Someone comparing Roth IRA eligibility might need to add back a student loan interest deduction and then subtract Roth conversion income already included in AGI. Someone checking marketplace subsidy household income instead needs to add tax-exempt interest, nontaxable Social Security, foreign-income exclusions, and, in some cases, the MAGI of household members who are required to file their own return. The underlying AGI may be the same, but the MAGI result can still differ.
How this calculator handles Roth IRA MAGI and premium tax credit MAGI
In Roth and traditional IRA mode, the calculator starts with AGI and follows the IRS add-backs commonly used for IRA contribution and deduction limits. It adds back the IRA deduction, the student loan interest deduction, excludable savings bond interest, excluded employer-provided adoption benefits, foreign earned income or housing exclusions, and the foreign housing deduction. It also subtracts Roth conversion or rollover income already included in AGI, because the IRS tells taxpayers to remove that income when testing Roth IRA contribution MAGI.
In premium tax credit mode, the calculator shifts to the marketplace formula. It starts with AGI and adds tax-exempt interest, nontaxable Social Security benefits, foreign earned income or housing exclusions, the foreign housing deduction, and any MAGI that must be included from household members who are required to file their own return. That creates the household-income MAGI used for premium tax credit planning, which is a different calculation from IRA planning MAGI even though both begin with AGI.
The result sheet is intentionally transparent. Each line shows whether the amount was treated as a base item, an add-back, or a subtraction, and it updates the running MAGI total as you move through the formula. That worksheet-style approach is more useful than a single headline number because you can immediately see which adjustment is driving the change and whether you are working with the correct MAGI framework for the decision you are making.
Roth IRA MAGI = AGI + IRA deduction + student loan interest deduction + excludable savings bond interest + excluded employer adoption benefits + foreign earned income or housing exclusions + foreign housing deduction − Roth conversion and rollover income already included in AGI
This is the IRS-style planning relationship used here for Roth or traditional IRA income-limit testing.
Premium Tax Credit MAGI = AGI + tax-exempt interest + nontaxable Social Security + foreign earned income or housing exclusions + foreign housing deduction + required-filer dependent MAGI
This is the household-income MAGI structure used here for premium tax credit planning.
Worked examples: IRA planning MAGI versus marketplace MAGI
Suppose AGI is 85,000. In Roth IRA mode, add back a 7,000 IRA deduction, 1,800 of student loan interest, and 500 of excludable savings bond interest, then subtract 6,000 of Roth conversion income already included in AGI. The result is 88,300 of IRA-planning MAGI. That example shows why conversion income cannot simply stay inside AGI for this purpose: leaving it in would overstate the Roth IRA MAGI being tested.
Now take a different household with AGI of 62,000, 900 of tax-exempt interest, 12,000 of nontaxable Social Security, 1,500 of foreign earned income exclusion, and 4,000 of MAGI from a dependent who is required to file. In premium tax credit mode, the estimated household-income MAGI is 80,400. That is a very different adjustment pattern from the IRA example even though both are branded MAGI.
These examples show the main planning lesson: MAGI is a rule-specific checkpoint, not a generic replacement for AGI. Before using any threshold or phaseout table, make sure the MAGI you calculated is the one that belongs to that rule. If you switch from Roth IRA planning to premium tax credit planning, switch the formula too.
This page does not determine whether you qualify for a benefit, whether a phaseout applies, or how much of a partial contribution, deduction, or credit remains after the official IRS worksheet is completed. It estimates the purpose-specific MAGI that many of those worksheets begin with, but the thresholds still depend on filing status, year-specific limits, family size, marketplace data, and other facts outside a lightweight calculator.
It also does not cover every MAGI definition in the tax code. Education credits, adoption benefits, Coverdell ESA contributions, and the net investment income tax all have their own adjustment lists. If you need MAGI for a different rule, this page should help you understand the concept but not replace the exact IRS worksheet for that rule.
IRS — Modified adjusted gross income — Official IRS overview showing that MAGI is benefit-specific and listing the add-backs or subtractions used for common tax rules.
Is modified adjusted gross income the same for every tax benefit?
No. MAGI is purpose-specific. The IRS starts with AGI and then tells you which items to add back or subtract for the exact benefit, contribution limit, deduction, or tax you are testing. Roth IRA MAGI, premium tax credit MAGI, education-credit MAGI, and other versions can all differ even when they start from the same AGI.
Why does Roth conversion income get subtracted for Roth IRA MAGI?
Because the IRS does not want Roth conversion or rollover income already included in AGI to distort the separate income-limit test used for Roth IRA contributions. That is why the Roth IRA worksheet adds back several deductions but also removes conversion and rollover income that would otherwise push MAGI higher than the IRA rule intends.
Does premium tax credit MAGI include nontaxable Social Security?
Yes. For premium tax credit planning, nontaxable Social Security benefits are part of MAGI. Tax-exempt interest and certain foreign-income exclusions are also added back, and household members who are required to file may need to have their own MAGI counted in household-income MAGI.
Can this calculator tell me if I qualify for a Roth IRA contribution or premium tax credit?
Not by itself. It estimates the MAGI number used in those decisions, but qualification still depends on filing status, the tax year, phaseout thresholds, family size, marketplace enrollment facts, and official IRS worksheets. Use the result as a planning checkpoint, then compare it with the IRS instructions or a qualified tax professional before filing or making financial decisions.
