# 401(k) Calculator

> A 30-year-old earning $75,000 with $25,000 saved, who contributes 10% of pay with a 50% match on the first 6%, gets 3% yearly raises and earns 7% a year, would have about $2.77 million at 67, or $927,875 in today's dollars at 3% inflation. Enter your own figures to project your balance.

- Interactive calculator: https://calculatorswithsteps.com/401k-calculator
- Category: Financial Calculators
- Last updated: 2026-11-10
- Publisher: Calculators With Steps (calculatorswithsteps.com)

## How to use the 401(k) calculator

1. **Ages.** Your current age and the age you plan to retire.
2. **Salary and yearly raise.** Your current pay and the average increase you expect.
3. **Current balance.** What is already in the account.
4. **Your contribution.** The percentage of each paycheck you defer, traditional and Roth combined.
5. **Employer match.** The match rate (50 for 50 cents per dollar, 100 for dollar for dollar) and the share of salary it applies to. "50% up to 6%" means 50 and 6.
6. **Return and inflation.** Your expected yearly return after fund fees, and an inflation rate to show the result in today's dollars.

The calculator caps your contribution at the IRS limit for your age each year and shows how much of the final balance came from you, your employer and growth.

## 401(k) growth formula

Each year the calculator works out your contribution and the match, then compounds the balance monthly:

**Your contribution = min(contribution % × salary, IRS limit for your age)**

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

**Balance each month = previous balance × (1 + r ÷ 12) + (your contribution + match) ÷ 12**

Salary rises by your raise percentage every year, so contributions grow with it until they reach the limit. With a flat contribution the balance follows the future value formula **FV = PV(1 + i)^n + PMT × [((1 + i)^n − 1) ÷ i]**.

## Worked example

A 30-year-old earning $75,000 with 3% yearly raises has $25,000 saved, contributes 10% and gets a 50% match on the first 6%. Returns average 7% until 67.

| Item | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Your contribution in year 1 | $7,500 |
| Employer match in year 1 | $2,250 |
| Total you contribute over 37 years | $496,307 |
| Total employer match | $148,892 |
| Investment growth | $2,099,720 |
| **Balance at 67** | **$2,769,918** |
| In today's dollars (3% inflation) | $927,875 |

Growth makes up about three-quarters of the final balance. Under the 4% rule, the balance supports roughly $9,233 a month in the first year of retirement, before tax.

## 2026 401(k) contribution limits

| Age at year end | Employee limit | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Under 50 | $24,500 | Base elective deferral limit |
| 50 to 59, or 64 and over | $32,500 | Includes the $8,000 catch-up |
| 60 to 63 | $35,750 | Includes the $11,250 catch-up |

The combined limit on employee and employer contributions is $72,000, plus any catch-up. Employer matching uses no more than $360,000 of salary. The calculator holds these 2026 limits flat for later years, which is conservative because the IRS usually raises them with inflation.

## How much the match is worth

On the default salary, contributing 3% instead of 6% leaves half the match on the table: $1,125 a year instead of $2,250. Over a career, that choice changes the balance at 67 from $1,175,075 at 3% to $2,019,404 at 6%. Always contribute at least enough to get the full match before paying down low-rate debt or investing elsewhere.

Some employers stop matching once you hit the IRS limit partway through the year. If you max out early, ask whether your plan makes a "true-up" contribution at year end.

## How starting age changes the result

| Start age (same salary, 10% saved, 50% match up to 6%) | Balance at 67 |
| --- | --- |
| 25 | $4,110,332 |
| 30 | $2,769,918 |
| 35 | $1,842,180 |
| 45 | $765,532 |

Ten extra years of saving more than doubles the balance, because the earliest contributions compound the longest.

## Tips

- Raise your contribution by 1 point each year, or whenever you get a raise, until you reach 15% or more including the match.
- Check fund expense ratios. A 1% annual fee can cut a decades-long balance by a large fraction compared with a 0.1% index fund.
- Avoid loans and early withdrawals. Money taken out before 59½ usually owes income tax plus a 10% additional tax.
- See whether your total savings will cover your spending with the [retirement calculator](https://calculatorswithsteps.com/retirement-calculator), and check what a higher contribution does to each check with the [paycheck calculator](https://calculatorswithsteps.com/paycheck-calculator).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the 401(k) contribution limit for 2026?

Employees can defer up to $24,500 in 2026. Workers aged 50 or older can add an $8,000 catch-up for $32,500 in total, and those aged 60 to 63 get a larger $11,250 catch-up, for $35,750. Employee and employer contributions together are capped at $72,000, not counting catch-ups.

### How do I calculate my 401(k) employer match?

Multiply the match rate by the part of your contribution that falls under the match cap. With a 50% match on the first 6% of a $75,000 salary, the most your employer adds is 50% × $4,500 = $2,250. If you contribute only 3%, the match falls to $1,125.

### How much should I contribute to max out my 401(k)?

Divide the limit by your number of paychecks. To reach $24,500 with 26 biweekly paychecks, defer $942.31 per check. On a $75,000 salary that is about 32.67% of pay.

### How much will my 401(k) be worth when I retire?

It depends on your contributions, match, returns and time. A 30-year-old with $25,000 already saved, earning $75,000 with 3% raises, saving 10% with a 50% match up to 6% and earning 7% a year would have about $2,769,918 at 67, or $927,875 in today's dollars at 3% inflation.

### What is a 401(k)?

A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement account in the U.S. Traditional contributions come out of your paycheck before income tax and grow tax-deferred until you withdraw them. Roth 401(k) contributions are taxed now and come out tax-free in retirement if the rules are met.

### How much does starting early matter?

A lot. With the same $75,000 salary, 10% savings rate and match, starting at 25 instead of 35 grows the age-67 balance from about $1.84 million to $4.11 million, because the earliest dollars compound the longest.

### Are catch-up contributions Roth for high earners?

From 2026, if your Social Security wages from the employer were over $150,000 in the prior year, any catch-up contributions to that employer's plan must go in as Roth (after-tax) money. The regular $24,500 can still be traditional.

## Sources

- [IRS – 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/401k-limit-increases-to-24500-for-2026-ira-limit-increases-to-7500)
- [IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 retirement plan limits)](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-67.pdf)
- [IRS – Retirement topics, catch-up contributions](https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-catch-up-contributions)

> Disclaimer: results are estimates for information and education, not financial advice. Confirm important decisions with a qualified professional.