Quick start
- Open the 401K Calculator.
- Enter your current balance and annual salary.
- Enter your salary contribution percent, employer match percent, and match limit.
- Add an estimated return and years to grow, then project the balance.
- Compare your annual employee contribution with current IRS limits and your employer plan before changing payroll.
Best uses
Start here if one of these sounds like your job. The examples below show which inputs matter most.
- Estimate how a salary contribution percent affects a 401K balance.
- Compare the impact of an employer match and match cap.
- Project long-term growth from current balance, monthly deposits, and return assumptions.
- Check a 401K savings scenario before reviewing IRS limits and the official plan rules.
What this calculator is for
The 401K Calculator projects a retirement account balance from current savings, salary contribution percent, employer match, time, and return assumption. It is built for scenario planning before you check payroll settings, IRS limits, and plan rules.
Use it before changing payroll contributions, comparing a match scenario, testing a longer time horizon, or checking whether a return assumption is doing too much work.
What to enter
401K projections get misleading when salary percent, match percent, and match limit are treated like the same field. Keep your contribution, the employer match rate, the match cap, estimated return, and years separate.
- Enter your current 401K balance and annual salary.
- Enter your contribution as a percent of salary, such as 8 for 8%.
- Enter employer match as a percent of your contribution and the salary percent where the match stops.
- Enter an estimated return and years to grow, knowing the return is only a what-if.
Example walkthrough
Try the starter example: $25,000 saved, a $75,000 salary, 8% contribution, 50% match up to 6%, and 7% for 25 years. The projection is about $700,059.74, with $500 from you each month and $187.50 from the employer match.
- With $25,000 saved, a $75,000 salary, 8% contribution, 50% match up to 6%, and 7% for 25 years, your monthly contribution is $500.
- The employer match is $187.50 per month because the match applies to the first 6% of salary.
- The example projects about $700,059.74 before plan limits, fees, taxes, and real market changes.
Formula and steps
In plain language: The calculator converts your salary contribution percent and estimated employer match into monthly deposits, then compounds the current balance and deposits monthly with the return you enter. The estimate uses monthly compounding and end-of-month deposits. It does not check IRS annual additions, employee deferral limits, highly compensated employee rules, vesting, plan fees, or investment risk.
The calculator turns salary contribution percent into a monthly employee deposit, estimates the employer match from the match rate and match cap, then compounds the current balance and monthly deposits.
How to read the answer
Start with projected balance, then check your monthly contribution and employer monthly match. If estimated growth is most of the answer, test a lower return before treating the number like a plan.
- Projected balance is the estimated future account value.
- Your monthly contribution and employer monthly match show the deposit split.
- Your total contributions and employer total match show how much money was deposited before estimated growth.
- The projection does not tell you whether contributions are inside current IRS or employer plan limits.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most bad 401K projections come from using a return that is too hopeful, putting the employer match in the wrong field, ignoring vesting, forgetting fees and taxes, or assuming the page enforces IRS limits.
- Do not treat the result as guaranteed investment performance.
- Do not ignore vesting, fees, taxes, Roth/traditional choices, loans, or withdrawals.
- Do not rely on this tool to enforce IRS contribution limits or catch-up rules.
- Do not enter a match cap higher than your plan allows just because the estimate looks better.
What to try next
A related tool can help when the 401K projection is only one part of the retirement question, such as a wider savings target, investment what-if, or compound-interest check.
- Use Retirement Calculator for a broader savings target.
- Use Investment Calculator for deposit-and-return scenarios.
- Use Compound Interest Calculator to compare deposit and rate assumptions.
Sources and estimate notes
IRS sources set the 2026 401(k) context: the employee elective deferral limit is $24,500 for many workplace plans, and the general age-50 catch-up is $8,000. IRS 401(k) plan pages also explain that 401(k) salary deferrals are part of a qualified plan, not a personal guess.
This calculator still stays simple. It does not enforce annual contribution limits, catch-up rules, plan eligibility, vesting schedules, Roth or pre-tax treatment, fees, loans, hardship withdrawals, or future tax rules.
Worked examples for 401K Calculator
About $700,059.74 projected, with $500/month from you and $187.50/month from the match
About $241,020.45 projected, with $300/month from you and $150/month from the match
About $843,010.70 projected before plan limits, fees, taxes, and market changes
FAQ in plain language
When should I use the 401K Calculator?
Use it when you want to test the exact inputs on this page: Estimate how a salary contribution percent affects a 401K balance. Compare the impact of an employer match and match cap. The result is a check against your assumptions, not proof that a lender, tax app, broker, platform, or provider will use the same number.
What do the main 401K Calculator inputs mean?
Current balance means the money already in the 401K account before this projection starts. Annual salary means the gross salary used to estimate your employee contribution and employer match. Your contribution means the percent of salary you plan to contribute, such as 8 for 8%. Employer match means how much the employer adds compared with your contribution, such as 50 for a 50% match. Match limit means the salary percent where the employer match stops, such as 6 for match up to 6% of salary. Estimated return means a what-if annual return, not a guaranteed investment result.
Does this calculator enforce the 2026 IRS 401K limit?
No. IRS says the employee elective deferral limit for many 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457, and TSP plans is $24,500 for 2026, with a general $8,000 catch-up for age 50 or older. This tool shows a projection only, so compare the result with your plan and IRS limits.
Does the employer match always belong to me?
Not always. Your own salary deferrals are yours, but employer match money can follow a vesting schedule unless the plan says it is immediately vested. Check the plan rules before treating the match as money you can keep if you leave.
Should I enter Roth 401K or pre-tax 401K contributions differently?
No. This calculator only projects balance growth from deposits and return. It does not compare Roth versus pre-tax taxes, required Roth catch-up rules, payroll withholding, or future withdrawal tax.
What is the 401K Calculator doing with my numbers?
In plain language: The calculator converts your salary contribution percent and estimated employer match into monthly deposits, then compounds the current balance and deposits monthly with the return you enter. The estimate uses monthly compounding and end-of-month deposits. It does not check IRS annual additions, employee deferral limits, highly compensated employee rules, vesting, plan fees, or investment risk.
How should I read the 401K Calculator answer?
Projected balance is the future account estimate. Your monthly contribution and employer monthly match show the deposit split. Total contributions separate your deposits, employer match, and estimated growth.
Related tools
- Retirement Calculator Project retirement savings from current balance, monthly contributions, and return.
- Investment Calculator Project investment growth from starting money, monthly deposits, return, and time.
- Compound Interest Calculator Estimate compound growth with deposits, rate, time, and compounding frequency.
Keep exploring
If this guide is close but not exact, these links keep you near the same kind of problem.
- Finance Browse the full category for related tools that help with the same job.
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- All calculator and utility guides Find more plain-language examples, formulas, mistakes, and result explanations.
- Free calculator resources Start here when you are not sure which calculator page fits.
Privacy and copying results
Recent answers stay visible only while you work in the current browser tab. They are not sent to a server.
Use Copy answer when you want to save the inputs and result in notes, homework, a message, or a project list. Check the units, labels, and limits before copying.