MAGI Calculator (Modified Adjusted Gross Income)

MAGI is AGI with specific add-backs. The IRS uses MAGI to determine eligibility for tax benefits that have income phase-outs. Different tax provisions use slightly different MAGI definitions, but the core idea is the same: take AGI, then add back certain items the IRS does not want you to “deduct your way into eligibility” with.

Standard MAGI for most provisions:

MAGI = AGI + Foreign Earned Income Exclusion + Foreign Housing Exclusion + Student Loan Interest Deduction + Tuition and Fees Deduction + Excluded Adoption Benefits + Savings Bond Interest Excluded + Income from Domestic Production

For Roth IRA contributions specifically, MAGI also adds back: traditional IRA contributions deducted, and a few other minor items.

The major MAGI thresholds (2026 figures, single filer unless noted):

Roth IRA contribution limits (the contribution cap itself is $7,500 for 2026, plus a catch-up if you are 50 or older):

• Full contribution: MAGI under $153,000
• Phase-out: $153,000 to $168,000
• Zero contribution allowed: MAGI over $168,000
• Married filing jointly: phase-out $242,000 to $252,000

Traditional IRA deductibility (if covered by workplace retirement plan):

• Single full deduction: MAGI under $81,000
• Phase-out: $81,000 to $91,000
• Married filing jointly: $129,000 to $149,000

ACA premium tax credit (subsidies):

• Available up to 400% of federal poverty level
• Single: roughly $62,600 MAGI cap (varies by state and plan year)
• Family of 4: roughly $128,600

Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT):

• Triggers at MAGI over $200,000 single, $250,000 married filing jointly
• 3.8% additional tax on the lesser of net investment income or MAGI excess over threshold

American Opportunity Tax Credit (education):

• Phase-out: $80,000 to $90,000 single, $160,000 to $180,000 MFJ

Lifetime Learning Credit:

• Same phase-outs as American Opportunity Credit

Why MAGI is calculated different ways for different programs. Each provision was written separately, and Congress did not standardize the add-backs. The student loan interest deduction adds back the deduction you took (so you can not deduct your way into eligibility). The Roth IRA MAGI adds back traditional IRA deductions for a similar reason. ACA MAGI is broader, including tax-exempt interest and Social Security benefits not in AGI.

One add-back on this page is a historical leftover. The tuition and fees deduction expired after 2020 and was never renewed, so unless you are amending an old return the box for it should stay empty. It is still here because the standard MAGI definition in the tax code lists it.

Worked example.

• AGI from Form 1040: $145,000
• Foreign earned income exclusion claimed: $10,000
• Student loan interest deduction taken: $2,500

MAGI = 145,000 + 10,000 + 2,500 = $157,500

A single filer at $157,500 sits inside the 2026 Roth phase-out, which runs from $153,000 to $168,000. The IRA contribution limit for 2026 is $7,500.

• How far into the range: (157,500 − 153,000) ÷ 15,000 = 30%
• Reduction: $7,500 × 30% = $2,250
• Allowed Roth contribution: $5,250

Two quirks of the official formula are worth knowing. The result is rounded up to the nearest $10, and if it works out below $200 but above zero, you are still allowed $200.

The backdoor Roth sidesteps the whole phase-out: fund a non-deductible traditional IRA, which has no income limit at all, then convert it to Roth. The catch is the pro-rata rule, which taxes the conversion in proportion to every pre-tax dollar you hold across all your traditional IRAs. With an existing rollover IRA sitting there, the backdoor gets expensive.

Why MAGI is the number to watch in December.

• A $3,000 raise that pushes MAGI from $166,000 to $169,000 wipes out the last of your Roth capacity. The effective cost of that raise is far higher than your bracket.
• 401(k) deferrals, HSA contributions and a traditional IRA all cut AGI and therefore MAGI. A late-year deferral increase is the cheapest way back under a threshold.
• Harvesting capital losses cuts AGI too, up to $3,000 of net loss against ordinary income.

MAGI is not taxable income. Taxable income is AGI minus your standard or itemized deduction minus the Qualified Business Income deduction. MAGI sits upstream of all of that, close to gross income, with a handful of specific add-backs. Confusing the two is the most common mistake on this subject, and it always makes you think you qualify for more than you do.