401(k) Retirement Calculator
Project your 401(k) balance at retirement using your salary, contribution rate, employer match, and expected return.
What is a 401(k) retirement calculator?
A 401(k) calculator projects what your retirement account will be worth from seven inputs: your current balance, salary, the percentage you contribute, your employer's match rate and match cap, the return you expect, and the years until you retire. Enter them above to see the Balance at retirement, split into Your contributions, the Employer match, and Investment growth.
The 401(k) is the main retirement vehicle for many American workers: contributions come out of your paycheck (before tax in a traditional 401(k)), the employer often adds money, and the balance grows untaxed until withdrawal. The calculator makes the two big decisions concrete — how much to contribute, and how much a few years' delay costs.
Where a retirement balance comes from
Starting with $25,000, earning $75,000, contributing 10% with a 50% employer match on the first 6%, at 7% a year for 30 years:
| Source | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Your contributions ($7,500 a year) | $225,000 | 20% |
| Employer match ($2,250 a year) | $67,500 | 6% |
| Starting balance | $25,000 | 2% |
| Investment growth | $822,987 | 72% |
| Balance at retirement | $1,140,487 |
Nearly three-quarters of the final balance is growth on money that was invested early. The employer match alone — $67,500 of contributions that cost you nothing — grows to about $219,000 of the total.
Contribution rate: what each percentage point is worth
| You contribute | Employer adds | Balance after 30 years |
|---|---|---|
| 3% | 1.5% | $519,215 |
| 6% (captures the full match) | 3% | $848,123 |
| 10% | 3% | $1,140,487 |
| 15% | 3% | $1,505,941 |
Going from 3% to 6% adds $329,000 — the largest jump per point, because it doubles the employer match. Every percentage point above the match cap is worth about $73,000 at retirement on this salary.
Time: the cost of waiting
| Years of saving (same inputs) | Balance |
|---|---|
| 10 | $188,158 |
| 20 | $509,115 |
| 30 | $1,140,487 |
| 40 | $2,382,489 |
The fourth decade adds more than the first three combined. Starting at 25 instead of 35 roughly doubles the balance at 65 with identical contributions.
Return assumptions and fees
At 5% the 30-year balance is $770,541; at 7%, $1,140,487; at 9%, $1,714,659. No return is guaranteed. A common rule of thumb for a stock-heavy allocation over several decades is about 7% a year after inflation, with lower assumptions for portfolios holding more bonds or cash; run more than one rate. Fees come straight off the return: a fund charging 0.5% more a year turns the 7% case into a 6.5% case ($1,032,318) and costs about $108,000 over 30 years on this example. Your plan's fee disclosure lists each fund's expense ratio.
2026 contribution limits — built into the calculator
- Employee contributions: $24,500 a year (traditional and Roth 401(k) combined). The calculator caps Your contributions at this amount.
- Age 50 and over: an additional $8,000 catch-up ($32,500 total); ages 60–63 get a higher catch-up of $11,250 under the SECURE 2.0 Act. The calculator does not add catch-up contributions.
- Employee and employer contributions together: $72,000, not counting catch-up. The calculator limits the Employer match so the total stays within it.
- Compensation limit: at most $360,000 of pay counts, for your contributions and the match alike.
The calculator holds these 2026 figures for every year, although the IRS adjusts them most years. Employer contributions also vest on a schedule — immediately, or over up to six years — and leaving before you are vested forfeits the unvested match.
Will it be enough? The 4% rule of thumb
A common planning rule of thumb is that withdrawals of about 4% of a portfolio's starting value a year, adjusted for inflation, can last about 30 years. By that rule the $1.14 million example supports about $45,600 a year, on top of Social Security. Turned around, it implies saving roughly 25 times the annual spending you need from savings: $60,000 a year beyond Social Security points to about $1.5 million. It is a guideline, not a guarantee; the guide to how much you need to retire goes further.
Formula
Each year the account receives two contributions:
- Yours = pay × your contribution %, capped at $24,500, where pay is your salary up to $360,000
- Employer match = match rate × the smaller of your contribution and pay × match cap, capped so that yours plus the employer's stays within $72,000 — a "50% match up to 6%" adds 3% of salary if you contribute 6% or more, and 1.5% if you contribute 3%
The starting balance compounds annually at the expected return for the full period: P × (1 + r)years. The annual contributions are spread across twelve months and compound as an annuity at the equivalent monthly rate m = (1 + r)1/12 − 1:
FVcontributions = (annual contributions ÷ 12) × ((1 + m)12 × years − 1) ÷ m
Balance at retirement = both parts added; growth = balance − starting balance − your contributions − employer match. The same rate applies to the balance and the contributions, including a negative return; at 0% the balance is the starting balance plus all contributions. A negative balance, contribution %, match or cap gives no result. Salary, rates and the 2026 limits are held constant.
Worked example
Starting balance $25,000, salary $75,000, contributing 10%, employer matches 50% of contributions up to 6% of salary, 7% return, 30 years:
- Your contribution: 75,000 × 10% = $7,500 a year ($625 a month), well under the $24,500 limit
- Employer match: 75,000 × 6% × 50% = $2,250 a year (the 6% cap, not your 10%, sets the match)
- Starting balance grows to 25,000 × 1.0730 = $190,306
- Monthly contributions of $812.50 at m = 0.5654% for 360 months grow to $950,181
- Balance at retirement = $1,140,487
- Of which: your contributions $225,000, employer $67,500, starting balance $25,000, growth $822,987
A high earner who hits the limit
The same inputs with a $300,000 salary: 10% would be $30,000 a year, so Your contributions are capped at $24,500 a year ($735,000 over 30 years), and the match is 300,000 × 6% × 50% = $9,000 a year ($270,000). The Balance at retirement is $3,455,028.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your current 401(k) balance (0 if you are starting).
- Enter your annual salary.
- Enter the percentage of salary you contribute.
- Enter the employer match: the match rate (50% or 100% are common examples) and the cap as a percentage of salary. Your plan's summary plan description states both.
- Enter the expected annual return — try more than one, such as 5% and 7%.
- Enter the years until retirement, and read the Balance at retirement and its sources.
What this calculator does not do
- It holds the 2026 IRS limits for every year and does not add age-50 or age-60–63 catch-up contributions.
- It keeps your salary and contribution rate fixed, with no raises or auto-escalation.
- It does not deduct fund fees or taxes, apply a vesting schedule, or model withdrawals.
- It handles one match formula (one rate up to one cap), not tiered formulas such as 100% of the first 3% plus 50% of the next 2%.
- It does not include Social Security or other savings.
Getting more out of the plan
- Contribute at least to the match cap. Below it you are leaving part of the match unclaimed.
- Raise the rate with each pay rise — one point a year is painless and compounds. Some plans offer automatic increases.
- Know your vesting schedule before changing jobs; a few months can be worth thousands of employer dollars.
- Roll over, do not cash out. Cashing out means income tax plus a 10% additional tax before age 59½ unless an exception applies (for example, leaving the employer in or after the year you turn 55), and it gives up the future growth.
Related tools
- Compound interest calculator — any lump sum plus regular deposits
- Paycheck calculator — what a 401(k) contribution costs in take-home pay
- Savings goal calculator — monthly saving needed for a target
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical employer match?
Match formulas vary by plan. Two common examples are 50% of your contributions up to 6% of salary — the employer adds 3% of pay if you contribute at least 6% — and 100% up to 4%. Some plans use tiers, such as 100% of the first 3% and 50% of the next 2%. On a $75,000 salary a 3% match is $2,250 a year; over 30 years at 7% it grows to about $219,000.
What is a realistic expected return?
No return is guaranteed. A common rule of thumb is about 7% a year after inflation for an all-stock portfolio held for decades, and less for a mix with bonds or cash. Using an after-inflation figure means the projected balance is in today's dollars. Assume less rather than more: a plan that works at 5% is robust; one that needs 9% is a hope.
What are the 2026 contribution limits?
Employees can contribute $24,500 in 2026, plus an $8,000 catch-up from age 50 ($32,500 total); those aged 60–63 have a larger $11,250 catch-up. Employee and employer contributions together are limited to $72,000 (not counting catch-up), and only $360,000 of pay counts. The calculator applies these three limits at 2026 levels and leaves catch-up out; the IRS adjusts them most years.
Should I choose Traditional or Roth 401(k)?
Traditional contributions reduce taxable income now and are taxed on withdrawal; Roth contributions are taxed now and, once the qualified-distribution rules are met, come out tax-free with all the growth. Roth tends to win if your tax rate in retirement will be higher than today; traditional if you are in a high bracket now. Many people split contributions. Matches usually go to the pre-tax side, but since the SECURE 2.0 Act a plan may let you choose Roth treatment for matching contributions you are fully vested in — ask whether yours does.
What happens if I reach the contribution limit?
The calculator stops your own contributions at $24,500 a year, as in the $300,000 example above. Only the first $360,000 of pay counts: with a 100% match up to 6% and a 6% contribution, a $500,000 salary puts in $21,600 a year and gets $21,600 of match, not $30,000 of each. The match is always figured on what you actually contribute, so once your own contributions stop at $24,500, the match cannot exceed the match rate × $24,500. Catch-up contributions from age 50 would raise your own limit, but the calculator does not model them.
What is the 4% rule?
A retirement spending rule of thumb: withdraw 4% of the portfolio in the first year and raise that dollar amount with inflation each year, with the aim of lasting about 30 years. It implies a target of about 25 times your annual spending from savings. It is a planning guideline, not a guarantee, and a longer retirement or lower returns call for more caution.
What happens to my 401(k) if I change jobs?
Your own contributions and any vested employer match are yours. You can leave the account where it is (plans may cash out or roll over small balances, up to $7,000), roll it into the new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA — a direct rollover is not taxed. Cashing out triggers income tax plus a 10% additional tax if you are under 59½, unless an exception applies, and forfeits the future growth. Unvested employer contributions are forfeited.
Does the calculator include Social Security?
No — it projects the 401(k) alone. The Social Security Administration says that, on average, Social Security replaces about 40% of pre-retirement earnings, and that the figure varies with each person's circumstances. Your my Social Security account at SSA shows your personal estimate; add it to what the 401(k) can support, such as about $45,600 a year from $1.14 million under the 4% rule of thumb.