401k Calculator
Project a 401(k) balance at retirement from your salary, yearly contribution and raise, employer match (rate and share of salary), balance, return and years. How it works
Use the 401k Calculator
About the 401k Calculator
Contributing $8,000 a year to a 401(k) on an $80,000 salary, with a 50% employer match on contributions up to 6% of salary and a 7% return, builds about $439,865 in 20 years and $1,013,526 in 30, starting from zero, in future dollars with no raises and no inflation adjustment; with a 3% yearly raise the 30-year figure is $1,390,821. The 2026 employee limit is $24,500, or $32,500 from age 50 and $35,750 from age 60 to 63. This 401k calculator runs the projection for your own balance, contribution, match and years.
Employee 401(k) contribution limits
| Year | Employee limit |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $23,000 |
| 2025 | $23,500 |
| 2026 | $24,500 |
The most an employee can defer from pay, set by the IRS each year. In 2026 the limit is $32,500 from age 50, and $35,750 for ages 60 to 63, whose catch-up is $11,250 in place of $8,000. Employer matching contributions do not count toward it.
Projected 401(k) balance by yearly contribution
| Your contribution | Employer match per year | After 10 years | After 20 years | After 30 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $4,000 a year | $2,000 | $85,526 | $253,768 | $584,726 |
| $8,000 a year | $2,400 | $148,245 | $439,865 | $1,013,526 |
| $12,000 a year | $2,400 | $205,262 | $609,044 | $1,403,343 |
| $24,500 a year | $2,400 | $383,441 | $1,137,727 | $2,621,523 |
$80,000 salary, 50% match on contributions up to 6% of salary ($4,800, so a match of at most $2,400), 7% return compounded annually, starting from $0, the same contribution every year. A projection at one assumed return, not a forecast.
Frequently asked questions
- How much will my 401(k) be worth when I retire?
- It depends on what goes in, for how long, and the return. At a steady 7%, $8,000 a year plus a $2,400 match reaches $1,013,526 after 30 years. At 5% the same contributions reach $706,659, and at 9% they reach $1,475,165. Enter your own figures and try more than one return.
- How does the employer match work in this calculator?
- The employer matches a percentage of your contributions, but only up to a share of your salary. The calculator multiplies the match rate by the smaller of your contribution and your salary times the up-to percent. Contribute $4,000 on an $80,000 salary with a 50% rate up to 6% of salary and the employer adds $2,000. Contribute $8,000 and the employer adds $2,400, because only the first $4,800 (6% of salary) is matched. Over time it adds up: with the calculator’s starting values ($50,000 balance, $10,000 a year, a $2,250 match, 7% for 25 years) the balance is $1,070,727 with the match and $923,907 without it, a difference of $146,820.
- My plan matches 100% up to 4% of pay. What do I enter?
- A match rate of 100 and an up-to percent of 4. On a $60,000 salary the employer then adds up to $2,400 a year: contribute $1,500 and you get $1,500, contribute $6,000 and you get $2,400. A plan that pays 50 cents per dollar on the first 6% of pay is typed the same way, as 50 and 6. If you set your contribution as a share of each paycheck, choose Percent of salary: 10% of $75,000 is $7,500 a year, and the 50%-up-to-6% match on it is still $2,250.
- What is the 401(k) contribution limit for 2026?
- $24,500 for employees, up from $23,500 in 2025 and $23,000 in 2024. From age 50 the catch-up adds $8,000, for $32,500. If you are 60, 61, 62 or 63 the catch-up is $11,250 instead, for $35,750. The calculator shows a note when your contribution is above the limit but still calculates with the figure you typed.
- Does the 401(k) calculator include salary raises?
- Yes, as one optional yearly raise. Your contribution is a share of pay, so it rises with the salary, and so does the match cap. With the starting values ($50,000 balance, $10,000 a year, $75,000 salary, a $2,250 match, 7% for 25 years), a 3% raise takes the balance from $1,070,727 to $1,324,658: $364,593 of your contributions and $82,033 of match. The note about the IRS limit checks only the first year’s contribution.
- Can I see my 401(k) balance year by year?
- Yes. Open the Year-by-year table under the chart. Each row shows what you have contributed so far, the match received so far, the growth so far and the balance at the end of that year. With the starting values the balance is $142,807 after 5 years and $272,973 after 10.
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