Retirement

401(k) Calculator

See what your 401(k) could be worth at retirement — and what the employer match is really adding. Enter your salary, contribution percentage, and match formula to project the balance, quantify the free money, and check yourself against the 2026 IRS contribution limit of $24,500.

Formula shown below · Checked against published figures for 2026How we verify

Annual salary

Your contribution

Employer match rate

“50% match” means 50 cents per dollar you contribute.

Match limit (% of salary)

Contributions above this share of salary earn no match.

Current 401(k) balance

Current age

Retirement age

Expected annual return

Projected 401(k) at 67

$1,486,271

Your contribution (yearly): $6,800
Employer match (yearly): $2,550
Match over your career: $81,600
Investment growth: $1,147,070

Balance by age

Age	Balance	Contributed (you + employer)
40	$112,488	$86,750
45	$215,249	$133,500
50	$360,925	$180,251
55	$567,440	$227,001
60	$860,200	$273,751
65	$1,275,225	$320,501
67	$1,486,271	$339,201

Compare scenariosTry three values of one input

Vary

401(k) Calculator results for three values of Annual salary
Annual salary
Projected 401(k) at 67	$1,381,511	$1,486,271+$104,760	$1,604,115+$222,604
Your contribution (yearly)	$6,160	$6,800+$640	$7,520+$1,360
Employer match (yearly)	$2,310	$2,550+$240	$2,820+$510
Match over your career	$73,920	$81,600+$7,680	$90,240+$16,320
Investment growth	$1,070,472	$1,147,070+$76,597	$1,233,234+$162,761

Every other input stays at the value you set above — currently $85,000 for annual salary. Differences are measured against the first column.

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How this calculator works

The employer match applies your match rate to contributions up to the match limit percentage of salary. Combined contributions (yours + match) are deposited monthly and compounded at your expected return, in exact cents.

The 2026 limits come from IRS Notice 2025-67 (verified July 2026). The projection holds salary and contribution rates constant — real careers include raises, which typically make these projections conservative. Taxes at withdrawal are not modeled.

Formula

C = min(S × c, L)              annual employee contribution
M = S × min(c, m) × f          annual employer match

FV = B(1+i)ⁿ + (C + M) × ((1+i)ⁿ − 1) ÷ i

S: Annual salary
c: Your contribution rate
L: Annual employee deferral limit
m: Match cap, as a share of salary
f: Match rate — 0.5 for a 50% match, 1.0 for a full match
B: Current balance
i: Expected annual return, as a decimal
n: Years until retirement

The match is capped by the employer's percentage of salary, not by your contribution rate — contributing above m adds nothing further from the employer. Employer money does not count against the employee deferral limit; a separate combined limit covers both.

What this assumes

A constant return and steady contributions until retirement.
The employer match is applied on the annual figures. Plans that match per paycheck without a true-up can pay less if you front-load contributions.
Vesting is not modelled. Employer money may take years to become irrevocably yours.
No tax is applied on withdrawal, which a traditional 401(k) will owe as ordinary income.

What changes this number

Capturing the full match: The highest guaranteed return available anywhere. Contributing below the match cap forfeits part of your compensation.
Contribution rate: Raise it with each pay rise, so the increase never registers as a cut. Pre-tax contributions also cost less than face value.
Years to retirement: Dominates the projection. The final decade contributes disproportionately, and only early starters get it.

A worked example

Take the max the match: 6% with 50%-up-to-6% scenario. These figures are produced by the calculator above, not written alongside it, so they always match what the tool returns.

What you enter

Your contribution: 6%

What it returns

Projected 401(k) at 67: $1,283,908
Your contribution (yearly): $5,100
Employer match (yearly): $2,550
Match over your career: $81,600
Investment growth: $999,108

Sources

IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 retirement plan limitations)
Published November 2025 · Figures last verified July 2, 2026

Calculator last reviewed August 8, 2026. How we verify

Try an example

Max the match: 6% with 50%-up-to-6%Aggressive saver: 15% of $120k Late start at 45, catching up hard

Frequently asked questions

How much can I contribute to a 401(k) in 2026?

The employee limit is $24,500 for 2026 (IRS Notice 2025-67). Workers 50 and older can add an $8,000 catch-up — and thanks to SECURE 2.0, those aged 60–63 get an enhanced $11,250 catch-up instead. The combined employee-plus-employer cap is $72,000.

How does an employer match work?

A typical formula is “50% of contributions up to 6% of salary”: contribute 6% and your employer adds 3% of your salary. It's an immediate 50% return before any market growth — which is why the universal advice is to contribute at least enough to capture the full match.

Should I contribute more than the match?

After capturing the full match, it depends on your situation: high-interest debt usually beats extra contributions; otherwise the 401(k)'s tax deferral and automatic investing make it a strong default. Many savers aim for 10–15% of salary including the match.

Traditional or Roth 401(k)?

Traditional contributions skip tax now and are taxed at withdrawal; Roth contributions are taxed now and withdraw tax-free. Rule of thumb: if you expect a higher tax rate in retirement than today, Roth wins; if lower, traditional wins. Splitting between both hedges the uncertainty.

What happens to my 401(k) when I change jobs?

You keep every dollar you contributed plus vested employer money. You can leave it, roll it into the new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA — rollovers preserve the tax shelter. Cashing out triggers income tax plus a 10% penalty before age 59½ and sacrifices decades of compounding.

How much will my 401(k) be worth at retirement?

On a $100,000 salary contributing 6% with a 50%-up-to-6% match, from age 30 to 67 at a 7% return, the projection is about $2,101,602. The employer adds $3,000 a year — $111,000 over the career — and investment growth accounts for $1,728,602 of the total.

This calculator helps answer

Should I pay off debt or invest?

Compare a guaranteed return you cannot lose against an expected one you might. The answer is clear at both extremes and genuinely close in the middle.

How much do I need to retire?

Turn the spending you want into a number, check whether your current saving reaches it, and see what Social Security and a later claiming age take off the total.