401k Calculator
Enter your US salary, contribution percent, employer match and expected return, and the calculator projects where your 401(k) could be after any number of years. It separates your own contributions, the employer match you earned, and investment growth, then builds a year-by-year table so you can see how compounding accelerates late in the plan.
How to project your 401(k)
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1
Enter annual salary and contribution
Type your gross salary and the percent of it you route into the 401(k) each pay period.
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2
Add the employer match
Most plans match a percentage of your contribution up to a cap (for example, 100% match up to 5% of salary). Enter both fields.
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3
Set expected return and raises
Pick an annual return and an annual raise percent so the contribution dollar amount climbs with your salary. Use an inflation-adjusted return if you want the result in today's purchasing power.
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4
Read the final balance and yearly table
The cards split final balance into your contributions, match and investment growth. The table shows the running balance for every year until retirement.
2026 401(k) contribution limits and matching
The IRS sets an annual elective deferral limit. For 2026 it is $24,500 for workers under 50, with an additional $8,000 catch-up contribution from age 50. Under SECURE 2.0, employees who turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 in the calendar year may have a higher $11,250 catch-up if the plan allows it. Those are your contributions only — the employer match sits on top and is governed by a separate combined limit of $72,000 before catch-up contributions.
| Component | 2026 limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Employee elective deferral | $24,500 | Pre-tax and Roth combined |
| Catch-up contribution (age 50+) | $8,000 | $11,250 for ages 60-63 if the plan allows it |
| Total additions (ee + er) | $72,000 | Employee + employer + after-tax contributions |
| Compensation cap | $360,000 | Salary above this is ignored for match purposes |
A typical match structure
The most common pattern is a “100% up to 3%, 50% up to the next 2%” match, which caps out at 4% of salary if you contribute at least 5%. If you contribute less than 5%, you are leaving free money on the table. On a $70,000 salary that is up to $2,800 per year in unmatched employer dollars.
Why the growth column dominates late in the projection
Compounding is exponential. With a 7% real return, the balance doubles roughly every 10.3 years (rule of 72: 72 / 7 = 10.3). A 25 year-old who contributes for 40 years sees investment growth make up 70 to 80% of the final balance; a 45 year-old with a 20 year horizon sees closer to 40%. The year-by-year table makes that obvious.
Traditional vs. Roth 401(k)
This calculator projects the gross balance. Whether you pay income tax on withdrawals (traditional) or contribute after-tax and withdraw tax-free (Roth) changes the spendable number but not the projection shown here. Beginning in 2026, some higher-paid workers must make catch-up contributions on a Roth basis if their plan offers Roth contributions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Divide the IRS elective deferral limit by your salary. For a $100,000 salary in 2026 the cap is 24.5% of pay; for $150,000 it drops to 16.33%. The calculator does not auto-cap, so set the percentage so your contribution dollars stay under the limit.
A 7% real return (after inflation) is the long-run average for a diversified US equity portfolio. Use 5 to 6% for balanced 60/40 allocations and 3 to 4% for conservative target-date funds close to retirement.
Because the match is capped as a percent of salary. If you already contribute more than the match cap, raising your contribution increases your own column but not the employer column.
No. It assumes all employer match dollars are yours. If your plan has a graded vesting schedule and you leave before it completes, subtract the unvested portion from the match column.
Future nominal dollars, using the return rate you entered. To see the balance in today’s purchasing power, use a return rate net of inflation (for example, 4.5% instead of 7.5%).
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