401(k) calculator help
The 401(k) Calculator projects a workplace retirement balance from salary, contribution rate, employer match, salary growth, return, fee, and inflation assumptions, entirely in your browser.
Contributions And Limits
Annual employee contributions are estimated as salary multiplied by the contribution rate, then capped at the 2026 employee elective deferral limit, including age-based catch-up amounts. Employer match is added on top and does not count against the employee deferral cap.
Employer Match
The match uses one formula: match percent applied to employee contributions up to a salary-based cap. Real plans vary — tiered formulas, dollar caps, and true-up provisions exist — so check your plan document when the details matter.
Growth Assumptions
The balance grows at the expected return minus the annual fee assumption. Salary growth raises future contributions and the match cap each year. The real value figure discounts the final balance by the inflation assumption.
Limitations
The calculator does not model taxes, Roth versus traditional treatment, vesting, highly compensated employee limits, Roth catch-up requirements, loans, withdrawals, or required minimum distributions. It is an educational projection, not retirement advice.
Related Calculators
Carry the projected balance into the retirement calculator to test drawdown, model non-workplace accounts with the investment calculator, or review the growth mechanics in the compound interest calculator.
FAQ
How is the employer match calculated?
With one simple formula: the match percent multiplied by your contributions, up to a cap expressed as a percentage of salary. For example, 50% up to 6% of salary matches half of every dollar you contribute until your contributions reach 6% of pay. Tiered or dollar-capped formulas are not modeled.
Does the calculator apply 2026 IRS limits?
Yes. Employee contributions are capped at the 2026 elective deferral limit of $24,500, with catch-up of $8,000 from age 50 and $11,250 for ages 60 through 63. Employer contributions sit outside that cap but inside the $72,000 annual addition limit.
Are Roth contributions or vesting modeled?
No. The projection treats the account as one pre-tax balance. Roth versus traditional treatment, vesting schedules, true-up rules, loans, and withdrawals are out of scope, so an unvested match may overstate what you would keep after an early job change.
What do the lower and higher scenarios mean?
They re-run the projection with the return assumption shifted down or up by two percentage points. They are sensitivity checks on the return input, not market forecasts.