# Roth vs Traditional IRA/401(k) Decision Calculator

> Roth vs Traditional IRA/401(k) Decision Calculator is a paid API for AI agents from wealthpulse.theaslangroupllc.com, paid per call via x402, $0.1/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-13).

Determines whether a user should contribute to a Roth or Traditional IRA/401(k), including income-limit eligibility, backdoor/mega-backdoor Roth options, and contribution tax math by income, age, and filing status.

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://wealthpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/wealth/roth
- Price: $0.1/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-13
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/roth-vs-traditional-ira-401-k-decision-calculator-6e6babd7
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_ocYLUlW9iCucHYEUSK_qs

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability roth-vs-traditional-ira-401-k-decision-calculator-6e6babd7
```

Example prompt: I'm 38 years old, married filing jointly, and our household income is $240,000 — should we contribute to a Roth or Traditional IRA this year, and are we even eligible for a Roth, or do we need to look at backdoor options?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when a user needs a definitive Roth vs Traditional recommendation tailored to their specific income, age, and filing status, especially when backdoor or mega-backdoor Roth eligibility needs to be checked. Prefer this over generic tax calculators when retirement account strategy and contribution-limit math are the primary need.

## Known failure modes

- Missing required income parameter — returns 400 with validation error
- Invalid or unsupported filing status value — returns 400
- Age outside valid range — returns 400 with explanation
- Ambiguous contribution type (IRA vs 401k not specified) — may return generic result or prompt clarification
- Payment not processed — returns 402 Payment Required

## How this service works

Should I contribute to a Roth or Traditional IRA/401(k)? Decision calculator with an income-limit eligibility check, backdoor and mega-backdoor Roth eligibility, and the contribution tax math, by income, age, and filing status. For wealth and retirement agents.

## Output

Returns a recommendation on whether the user should use Roth or Traditional contributions, their income-limit eligibility status, whether they qualify for backdoor or mega-backdoor Roth strategies, applicable contribution limits (including catch-up if age 50+), and a breakdown of the tax math comparing the two approaches given their income and filing status.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
 "required": [
  "input"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "input": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type",
    "method"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "type": {
     "type": "string",
     "const": "http"
    },
    "method": {
     "enum": [
      "GET",
      "HEAD",
      "DELETE"
     ],
     "type": "string"
    },
    "queryParams": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
      "age": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "required"
      },
      "lang": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "en | es | fr | de | pt"
      },
      "state": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "TX | CA | NY | FL (optional, for state tax context)"
      },
      "income": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "95000 (annual gross USD, required)"
      },
      "filing_status": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "single | married_filing_jointly (default: single)"
      },
      "employer_match": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "yes (whether your employer offers a 401k match; also accepts a percentage like 4)"
      }
     }
    }
   },
   "additionalProperties": false
  },
  "output": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "type": {
     "type": "string"
    },
    "errors": {
     "type": "object",
     "description": "Documented error responses, keyed by HTTP status code",
     "additionalProperties": {
      "type": "object",
      "required": [
       "description"
      ],
      "properties": {
       "example": {
        "type": "object"
       },
       "description": {
        "type": "string"
       }
      }
     }
    },
    "example": {
     "type": "object"
    }
   }
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "tax_math": {
   "which_wins": "Roth wins if your retirement tax rate is equal to or higher than today's",
   "contribute_roth_scenario": "No deduction now, fully tax-free in retirement",
   "contribute_traditional_scenario": "Deduct now at 22%, taxed on withdrawal in retirement"
  },
  "disclaimer": "For informational purposes only. Not tax or financial advice. Consult a tax professional before executing backdoor Roth conversions if you have existing Traditional IRA balances.",
  "amazon_link": "https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Roth+IRA+conversion+strategy&tag=pulsenetwork7-20",
  "amazon_search": "Roth IRA conversion strategy",
  "backdoor_roth": {
   "eligible": false,
   "how_it_works": "Not needed — direct Roth IRA contributions are still allowed at this income",
   "pro_rata_warning": "Applies only if you later contribute non-deductible and hold existing Traditional IRA balances"
  },
  "ira_platforms": [
   {
    "url": "https://www.fidelity.com/retirement-ira/roth-ira",
    "best_for": "Best overall Roth IRA — lowest costs, best fund selection",
    "platform": "Fidelity Roth IRA",
    "description": "Most popular Roth IRA platform — zero expense ratio index funds, no minimums"
   }
  ],
  "income_summary": {
   "filing_status": "single",
   "phase_out_note": "2026 Roth IRA phase-out starts at $150,000 (single)",
   "provided_income": "$95,000",
   "estimated_marginal_rate": "22% federal",
   "roth_direct_eligibility": "eligible"
  },
  "recommendation": "roth",
  "rmd_consideration": "Roth IRAs have no RMDs during your lifetime, unlike Traditional IRAs (RMDs start at 73)",
  "contribution_limits_2026": {
   "ira": "$7,000 ($8,000 if 50+)",
   "401k_employee": "$23,500 ($31,000 if 50+)",
   "employer_match_note": "Always capture the full employer match first regardless of Roth vs Traditional",
   "total_401k_with_employer": "$70,000 combined limit for mega backdoor"
  },
  "recommendation_reasoning": "Current 22% bracket is likely below your retirement-year rate, so paying tax now favors Roth"
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/roth-vs-traditional-ira-401-k-decision-calculator-6e6babd7/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from wealthpulse.theaslangroupllc.com](https://www.zero.xyz/host/wealthpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/llms.txt)