Project your retirement balance based on your salary, contribution rate, employer match, and expected return. Includes 2026 IRS limits.
A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement account that lets you contribute pre-tax or Roth dollars directly from your paycheck, often with a matching contribution from your employer. Contributions grow tax-deferred until withdrawal in retirement, and the IRS caps how much you can put in each year. The calculator below projects your 401(k) balance at retirement based on your current salary, contribution rate, employer match, expected return, and years to retirement.
Common: 100% match up to 3%, 50% match up to 5%
Historical S&P 500 nominal: ~10%; conservative: 6-7%
$1,888,600
$498,812
$1,364,788
$109,739
35
$6,295/mo
2026 IRS limits applied: employee deferral up to $24,500; catch-up $8,000 for age 50+; $11,250 enhanced catch-up for ages 60–63 (SECURE 2.0); total annual addition $72,000. Returns modeled as constant annual compounding; real portfolios vary year to year.
| Category | Limit |
|---|---|
| Employee elective deferral | $24,500 |
| Catch-up contribution (age 50+) | $8,000 |
| Enhanced catch-up (ages 60–63, SECURE 2.0) | $11,250 |
| Total annual addition (employee + employer, IRC §415(c)) | $72,000 |
| Highly Compensated Employee threshold | $160,000 |
Source: IRS Retirement Plan Contribution Limits. Plan document terms can impose additional restrictions.
Cross-checked against authoritative formulas (IRS, NIST, ACM) and updated for 2025/2026 tax years and rates.
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Estimates only. Calculator results are for educational and planning purposes — not professional advice. For binding decisions on taxes, investments, health, or legal matters, consult a qualified professional.
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A 401(k) calculator is a free retirement planning tool that projects how much your 401(k) account will grow by retirement. Our 401(k) calculator factors in current balance, salary, employee contribution rate, employer match, salary growth, expected investment return, and years to retirement. The 401(k) calculator also shows lifetime tax savings for Traditional contributions and the estimated monthly retirement income from the projected balance.
How it works
Our 401(k) calculator projects how your account grows over time based on your salary, contributions, employer match, and expected return.
Choose Traditional for pre-tax contributions and a tax break now, or Roth for after-tax contributions and tax-free withdrawals later. The 401(k) calculator applies the matching tax treatment throughout the projection.
Type your current age and the age you plan to retire. The 401(k) calculator uses the difference as the projection horizon.
Type your current annual salary, current 401(k) balance, your contribution percentage, and your employer's match rate and cap. The 401(k) calculator caps your contribution at the IRS elective deferral limit and applies the 415(c) annual addition limit.
Enter expected annual salary growth (3% is typical) and expected annual return on investments (7% is a common conservative estimate; 10% matches historical S&P 500). The 401(k) calculator models these as constant rates for simplicity.
The 401(k) calculator shows your projected balance at retirement, total contributions, total investment growth, lifetime tax savings (Traditional), and an estimated monthly income using the 4% safe-withdrawal rule.
Estimate how much you really need to retire based on your spending and lifestyle goals.
Understand how compounding makes decades of small contributions add up to a large nest egg.
Learn to use financial calculators effectively for everyday decisions.