401(k) Calculator

A 401(k) lets you invest part of each paycheck before tax, often with a matching contribution from your employer. This calculator projects your balance at retirement from your salary, contribution percentage, employer match, yearly raises and investment return, and caps your contributions at the 2026 IRS limits, including the catch-up amounts for savers aged 50 and over.

How to use this tool

1. Enter your age, planned retirement age, salary and expected yearly raise.
2. Enter your current 401(k) balance and the percentage of pay you contribute.
3. Enter the employer match, for example 50% of your contributions up to 6% of salary.
4. Set an expected return and inflation, then read the projection and the table by age.

Formula

Employer match = match rate × min(your contribution, match cap % × salary)

Your contribution is salary × contribution %, limited to $24,500 in 2026 plus an $8,000 catch-up from age 50, or $11,250 at ages 60–63. Employer matching uses no more than $360,000 of pay. Regular employee and employer contributions together are capped at the lesser of $72,000 or annual pay. Contributions are added monthly.

Example

At 35 on a $75,000 salary with 3% raises, contributing 10% ($7,500) earns a match of 50% on the first 6% of pay, or $2,250 in year one. Starting from $25,000 and earning 6% a year, the balance reaches about $1,250,689 at 65. You put in $356,816 and your employer adds $107,045; the other $761,828 is investment growth. That is about $596,257 in today's dollars at 2.5% inflation.