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401(k) Calculator

Project a 401(k) with employer match and salary growth.

PrivateFreeSourcedReviewed

Projected balance at age 65

$2,438,904

10% of $80,000 + 50% match on the first 6% · $867/mo going in today
Your contributions
$483,697
Employer match
$145,109

free money

Investment growth
$1,785,099

You put in $483,697 and your employer adds $145,109 — but investment growth is the biggest piece: $1,785,099 by age 65. From age 40, the account earns more each year than you both contribute.

Try a what-if

What you put in vs what growth addedYou put inGrowth
3035404550556065$0$1M$2M$3M
Monthly going in, year 1 (you + employer)
$867
Match value over your career
$145,109
Years to retirement (age 30 → 65)
35

Your numbers

Age 30 today

Retire at 65

$25,000

$80,000

10% of salary

50% match (e.g. 50% = $0.50 per $1)

Match applies to first 6% of salary

Growth & fees7% return · 0.10% fees · raises 3%/yr

7% expected return

0.10% expense ratio

3% / year

IRS 2026 limit: $24,500 of your own deferrals, plus a $8,000 catch-up at 50+ ($11,250 at ages 60–63). Match and deferral % apply to pay up to $360,000; limits are assumed to rise 2.5%/yr.

Next steps

The 401(k) Projection Calculator models your career-long balance including employee contributions, employer match formulas, salary growth, expected return, and plan fees. The 2026 IRS employee contribution limit is $24,500 ($32,500 with the catch-up at 50+, or $35,750 at ages 60–63). Match captured matters more than rate of return for the first 5–10 years — it's the highest-return action available in personal finance, full stop.

How this calculator works

  1. Enter your current 401(k) balance (use $0 if you're starting fresh).
  2. Enter your salary and contribution rate (% of salary). Aim for at least the match cap to capture every dollar of free money.
  3. Enter your employer's match formula. The most common is '50% on the first 6%' — meaning contributing 6% gets you another 3% from your employer.
  4. Set expected annual return (7% real is reasonable for a diversified portfolio) and plan fees (under 0.5% is normal for index-fund options).
  5. Enter your current age and retirement age. The chart shows your trajectory year-by-year, separating your contributions, the employer match, and investment growth.

each month: balance ← balance × (1 + (r − fees)/12) + (employee + match)/12 where match = min(employee, cap) × match_rate

Month-by-month recursion, compounded monthly at (r − fees)/12. Each year: you contribute a % of your (growing) salary, capped at the IRS limit, and your employer matches up to its cap; that year's total is spread evenly over 12 monthly deposits, each added at the end of the month after the balance earns (r − fees)/12. Repeat to retirement age. The match formula caps how much free money you can capture — contribute at least the cap to get it all.

employee
Your contribution this year (salary × contribution rate, capped by IRS limit)
match
Employer match (formula-driven; common: 50% on first 6%)
cap
Match cap as a % of salary (employer-defined)
match_rate
Employer match rate (e.g., 50% means $0.50 per $1)
r
Expected annual return
fees
Plan expense ratio + advisor fees

Frequently asked questions

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

At minimum, enough to capture the full employer match — that's a guaranteed 100% return on the matched portion. A common rule of thumb is 10-15% of gross income total (including the match). The 2026 IRS limit is $24,500 for under-50, with an $8,000 catch-up at 50+ ($11,250 at ages 60–63).

What return rate should I assume?

Long-run US stock returns have averaged about 10% nominal / 7% real (after inflation). The calculator defaults to 7% and lets you adjust. Use lower numbers if you hold a meaningful bond allocation.

Should I do Roth 401(k) or Traditional 401(k)?

Traditional reduces this year's taxable income (you pay tax in retirement). Roth pays tax now and grows tax-free. Roth tends to win if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket in retirement, or for younger savers with decades of compounding. Many people split.

What happens if I don't get an employer match?

The 401(k) is still useful for the tax advantages, but with no match, max out a Roth IRA first (lower fees, more investment choices) before going back to fund the 401(k) beyond the IRS limit.

Sources used in this calculator

Reviewed by the Money Scale editorial team. How we source our data

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