How to use this 401(k) calculator
- Enter your age and retirement age. Use the age you reach by December 31, because catch-up limits depend on your age at the end of the year.
- Enter your salary and expected raises. Salary growth is your own assumption.
- Enter your contribution and your employer's match. For a match of 50% up to 6% of pay, enter 50 and 6. Your plan documents have the exact formula.
- Enter your balance, expected return and fees. The 7% return and 0.5% fees are assumptions. Your plan's fee disclosure shows your real fees.
- Open "More options" to change inflation, let the IRS limits rise each year, or turn off catch-up contributions if your plan does not offer them.
- Read the results. You get your balance at retirement, what you and your employer put in, the growth, and any match you'd miss. The table shows every year.
How the projection works
Your contribution = pay × your % (capped at the IRS limit)Employer match = match % × the lesser of your contribution or (match limit % × pay)Balance = balance × (1 + m) + (your contribution + match) ÷ 12m = (1 + return − fees)1/12 − 1 · today's dollars = balance ÷ (1 + inflation)years Run every month · contributions go in at the end of each month · pay rises once a year · each row of the table is one calendar year
The calculator keeps the IRS limits at their 2026 amounts for the whole projection, because those are the only limits confirmed so far. That is cautious, since the IRS adjusts them for the cost of living. To let them rise, set a yearly rate under "More options".
Worked example
You are 35, earn $75,000, expect 3% raises and contribute 8% of your pay. You have $50,000 saved. Your employer matches 50% up to 6% of pay. You assume a 7% return and 0.5% fees, so your balance grows at 6.5% a year.
In the first year you put in $6,000. Your employer matches the part of it up to 6% of pay, which is $4,500, and adds 50% of that: $2,250. With growth, your balance ends the year at $61,743.
Over 32 years you contribute $315,017, your employer adds $118,131 and growth adds $1,087,555. With your starting $50,000, you reach $1,570,702 at 67. At 2.5% inflation, that is $712,738 in today's dollars.
Fees of 0.5% a year cost about $171,609 over that time. Raising your contribution by one percentage point would add about $108,690. This assumes a steady return, which real markets do not give: at 5% instead of 7%, you would reach $1,054,741.
2026 401(k) contribution limits
| Limit | 2026 amount |
|---|---|
| Your own contributions, pre-tax and Roth combined | $24,500 |
| Catch-up if you are 50 or older by year-end | $8,000 more ($32,500 in all) |
| Higher catch-up if you reach 60, 61, 62 or 63 in 2026 | $11,250 more, instead of $8,000 ($35,750 in all) |
| Overall limit: your regular contributions plus employer money | $72,000, or 100% of pay if lower |
| Most pay a plan can count | $360,000 |
These amounts are from IRS Notice 2025-67. The $24,500 limit is per person, so if you have more than one plan, you add your contributions together. Plans may offer catch-ups but do not have to, and a plan can leave out the higher limit for ages 60 to 63. When this page was updated in October 2026, the IRS had not yet published the 2027 limits. Last year it announced them on November 13.
The calculator warns you when you reach a limit and leaves out anything above it. It also applies the overall limit to the match, and counts only pay up to $360,000.
Catch-up example
Say you are 50, earn $150,000 with 3% raises, have $400,000 saved and want to contribute 25% of pay until 65. You can put in $32,500 a year, then $35,750 a year from 60 to 63, then $32,500 at 64. That is $500,500 of your own money, and you reach $1,987,703. With no catch-ups you would contribute $367,500 and reach $1,772,844, so catch-ups add $214,859 to your balance.
Roth catch-ups for higher earners
Starting in 2026, if your wages from your plan's sponsor were more than $150,000 in the prior year, your catch-up contributions generally must be Roth. For 2026 catch-ups, the test looks at your 2025 Social Security wages from that employer, shown in box 3 of your W-2. Your regular contributions up to $24,500 are not affected, and neither is the balance shown here, because the calculator does not model tax. You would pay tax on those catch-ups now instead of when you withdraw them.
A plan with no Roth option may not let affected employees make catch-ups at all. The final regulations generally apply from 2027, with a good-faith standard for 2026, and some government and union plans have later dates. Your plan administrator can tell you how your plan works.
What the employer match is worth
This table changes only your contribution in the worked example. The employer match stops growing once you reach 6% of pay.
| You contribute | Your money | Employer money | Match you'd lose | Balance at 67 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3% of pay | $118,131 | $59,066 | $59,066 | $864,215 |
| 6% of pay | $236,262 | $118,131 | $0 | $1,353,322 |
| 8% of pay | $315,017 | $118,131 | $0 | $1,570,702 |
| 10% of pay | $393,771 | $118,131 | $0 | $1,788,083 |
| 15% of pay | $590,656 | $118,131 | $0 | $2,331,534 |
At 3% you would give up $59,066 of employer money over your career. With growth, that missed match would be worth about $163,035 at 67.
Check your vesting schedule. Your own contributions are always 100% yours, but employer contributions may vest over time. If you leave before you are fully vested, you could lose part of the match. The calculator assumes you keep it all.
What moves your balance the most
Each row changes one input in the worked example:
| Change | Balance at 67 | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Worked example | $1,570,702 | |
| Return of 6% instead of 7% | $1,282,668 | −$288,034 |
| Return of 5% instead of 7% | $1,054,741 | −$515,961 |
| Fees of 1% instead of 0.5% | $1,418,224 | −$152,478 |
| Fees of 0.1% instead of 0.5% | $1,706,344 | +$135,642 |
| No employer match | $1,244,631 | −$326,071 |
| Start at 45 instead of 35, with the same $50,000 saved | $704,678 | −$866,024 |
Time matters most, because the money you add early has the longest to compound. Fees are worth checking because you can often do something about them, for example by choosing a lower-cost fund in your plan.
Taxes and withdrawals
- The balance is before tax. Withdrawals from a pre-tax 401(k), including earnings, are generally subject to federal and most state income taxes.
- Roth 401(k) money goes in after tax. Qualified withdrawals of contributions and earnings are not taxed, generally once the account is at least 5 years old and you are 59½ or older.
- Early withdrawals: taking money out before 59½ generally means an additional 10% tax on top of income tax, unless an exception applies.
A 401(k) is often one part of a plan. The Roth IRA calculator projects savings you make outside work, and the retirement calculator shows whether your total could last through retirement. To see what a contribution does to your pay, use the paycheck calculator. For a simple look at growth over time, try the compound interest calculator.
This page is for education and is not tax or investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 401(k) contribution limit for 2026?
How does the higher catch-up for ages 60 to 63 work?
Do employer contributions count toward the $24,500 limit?
How does a 50% match up to 6% of pay work?
Do my catch-up contributions have to be Roth in 2026?
What return should I use?
Sources and further reading
Independent, official guidance on this topic. Rules differ by country, so check the regulator where you live.
- Notice 2025-67: 2026 amounts for retirement plans and IRAs · Internal Revenue Service
- 401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits · Internal Revenue Service
- Retirement topics: catch-up contributions · Internal Revenue Service
- Retirement topics: vesting · Internal Revenue Service
This calculator gives estimates for education and planning. It is not financial advice, and your lender's figures may differ. See how we calculate.