401(k) calculator
What your contributions and your employer's match add up to by retirement, using 2026 IRS limits. Shows the rate that captures the full match, what each extra percent actually costs in take-home pay, and whether maxing out early would cost you match.
Quick answer: On a $75,000 salary paid every two weeks, contributing 6% to a traditional 401(k) puts $173.08 into the account each paycheck but lowers take-home pay by only about $135, because it comes out before income tax. With a 50% match, 3% raises and a 7% return from age 30, it grows to about $1,432,782 by 65, before inflation.
By John Crane, MBA & the Editorial Team · Updated for the 2026 tax year. How we check our numbers
Balance at 65
$1,776,779
Worth $528,941 in today's dollars · vested $1,776,779
| Current balance | $25,000 | 1.4% |
|---|---|---|
| Your contributions | $280,897 | 15.8% |
| Employer contributions | $187,265 | 10.5% |
| Investment growth | $1,283,618 | 72.2% |
- You put in per check
- $196.15
- Take-home drops by
- $152.99
- Each extra 1% costs
- $25.51 / check
- Employer this year
- $3,400
- Full-match rate
- 5%
- Match lost this year
- $0
Before you change your rate
- You get the full employer match (4.0% of pay).
- Traditional vs Roth: at about 21% tax now and 12% in retirement, traditional leaves more after tax ($938,139 traditional vs $845,434 Roth from your own contributions, same take-home cost).
Growth to retirement
Future dollarsYear by year
| Age | Salary | You | Employer | Growth | Balance | Vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | $85,000 | $5,100 | $3,400 | $2,085 | $35,585 | 100% |
| 33 | $87,550 | $5,253 | $3,502 | $2,859 | $47,199 | 100% |
| 34 | $90,177 | $5,411 | $3,607 | $3,707 | $59,924 | 100% |
| 35 | $92,882 | $5,573 | $3,715 | $4,636 | $73,848 | 100% |
| 36 | $95,668 | $5,740 | $3,827 | $5,651 | $89,066 | 100% |
| 37 | $98,538 | $5,912 | $3,942 | $6,761 | $105,681 | 100% |
| 38 | $101,494 | $6,090 | $4,060 | $7,972 | $123,802 | 100% |
| 39 | $104,539 | $6,272 | $4,182 | $9,292 | $143,548 | 100% |
| 40 | $107,675 | $6,461 | $4,307 | $10,729 | $165,045 | 100% |
| 41 | $110,906 | $6,654 | $4,436 | $12,294 | $188,429 | 100% |
How this is calculated
2026 limits
Employee deferrals up to $24,500, plus $8,000 catch-up from age 50 ($11,250 at ages 60 to 63). Employee plus employer additions are capped at $72,000, and matching uses pay up to $360,000 (IRS Notice 2025-67). Later years are indexed to your inflation assumption and rounded down to $500.
Employer match
Matches are computed per paycheck. If you hit the yearly limit before your last paycheck, contributions stop and so does the match, unless your plan does a year-end true-up. Vesting decides how much employer money you keep if you leave.
Take-home cost
Traditional contributions come out before income tax, so your paycheck drops by less than you save. The cost per check uses the same 2026 federal and state withholding as the paycheck calculator.
Sources
Related guides
- 2026 401(k) limits and how much your match is worthThe 2026 contribution limits, catch-up rules at 50 and 60 to 63, how employer matches work, and what contributing enough to get the full match adds up to.
Questions
How much should I contribute to my 401(k)?
At minimum, enough to get the full employer match, which is an instant return on your money. The calculator shows that rate for your plan's formula, and Contribution levels compares common rates side by side.
Is it bad to max out my 401(k) early in the year?
It can be. If your plan matches each paycheck and has no year-end true-up, contributions that stop early also stop the match. Spreading contributions over every paycheck avoids that.
Should I choose traditional or Roth?
Traditional saves tax now; Roth saves tax later. If you expect a lower tax rate in retirement, traditional usually wins; if higher, Roth does. The comparison uses your current rate and the retirement rate you enter.