How to use this calculator
- Age this year and Retirement age: your age at the end of this year sets which IRS limits apply, and contributions stop the year before you retire.
- Annual salary and Salary increase per year: your pay before deductions and how fast you expect it to grow.
- Current 401(k) balance: what’s already in the account.
- Your contribution: the percentage of each paycheck you defer.
- Employer match and Up to: your plan’s formula. “50% up to 6% of pay” means your employer adds 50 cents for every dollar you put in, on the first 6% of salary.
- Expected annual return: a long-run average. Open More options to set the inflation rate used for the today’s-dollars figure.
The result splits your balance into your starting balance, your contributions, your employer’s match and investment growth. The table shows each year’s salary, contributions and balance.
2026 401(k) contribution limits
These are the IRS limits for 2026. The IRS hadn’t announced 2027 limits as of early November 2026, so the calculator uses 2026 amounts for every future year.
| Limit (2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Employee elective deferrals | $24,500 |
| Catch-up, age 50 and older | $8,000 |
| Catch-up, ages 60 to 63 | $11,250 |
| Maximum deferral at 50–59 or 64+ | $32,500 |
| Maximum deferral at 60–63 | $35,750 |
| Total employee + employer additions | $72,000 (plus catch-ups) |
| Maximum compensation a plan can count | $360,000 |
Holding limits at today’s level is conservative. The IRS raises them over time with inflation, so if you’re near the cap, you’ll likely be able to contribute more in future years than the calculator assumes.
How the calculation works
Each year your salary grows by the rate you enter. Your contribution is that year’s salary times your percentage, capped at the IRS limit for your age. The employer match is figured on what you actually contribute:
Contributions are spread over 12 monthly paychecks and the balance grows at the monthly equivalent of your annual return. The match is also limited so your contributions (excluding catch-ups) plus the employer’s stay within the $72,000 annual-additions limit.
Worked example
You’re 30, earn $75,000 with 3% raises, have $25,000 saved and contribute 10% of pay. Your employer matches 50% up to 6%, and you expect a 7% return until you retire at 67.
- This year you contribute $7,500 and your employer adds $2,250.
- Over 37 years you contribute about $496,307, your employer adds about $148,892 and investment growth adds about $1,958,614.
- Your projected balance at 67 is about $2,628,813, or about $1,054,330 in today’s dollars at 2.5% inflation.
Your contribution rate makes the biggest difference
Same example, changing only the percentage you contribute:
| You contribute | Your contributions | Employer match | Balance at 67 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3% of pay | $148,892 | $74,446 | $1,109,783 |
| 6% of pay | $297,784 | $148,892 | $1,913,975 |
| 10% of pay | $496,307 | $148,892 | $2,628,813 |
| 15% of pay | $744,354 | $148,892 | $3,522,251 |
Going from 3% to 6% doubles the employer match as well as your own savings, which is why capturing the full match is the first goal for most savers. Without any match, the 10% example would end at about $2,092,685. Starting at 40 instead of 30 leaves about $1,159,380, less than half.
Tips
- Get the full match. If the calculator shows match left unclaimed, raising your contribution to the cap is usually the highest-return move you have.
- Increase by 1% a year. Many plans offer automatic escalation, and small steps are easy to absorb with raises. The paycheck calculator shows the effect on your take-home pay.
- Use the catch-ups. From 50, and especially from 60 to 63, you can put away more. Plan for the 2026 rule that sends catch-ups to Roth if you earned over $150,000 from the employer the prior year.
- Pair it with an IRA. A Roth IRA adds tax-free growth on top of your 401(k).
- See the whole picture. The retirement calculator checks whether your total savings cover the income you want with Social Security.
Assumptions and limitations
The calculator assumes a steady return, raises once a year and contributions every pay period. It ignores fees, vesting schedules, loans and withdrawals, and it treats pre-tax and Roth contributions the same since both count toward the same limit. Plans can set their own lower limits or match formulas, so check your plan documents.
Sources
- IRS: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500 (IR-2025-111)
- IRS: Retirement topics, 401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits
- IRS: Retirement topics, catch-up contributions
- IRS: COLA increases for dollar limitations on benefits and contributions
This calculator is for planning purposes only and isn’t tax or investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 401(k) contribution limit for 2026?
For 2026 you can defer up to $24,500 of your pay into a 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans or the Thrift Savings Plan. If you're 50 or older you can add a catch-up contribution of $8,000, for $32,500 in total. The IRS had not announced 2027 limits as of early November 2026.
What is the age 60 to 63 super catch-up?
Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, employees who turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 during the year can make a larger catch-up contribution if their plan allows it. For 2026 it's $11,250 instead of $8,000, so the total you can defer is $35,750. At 64 the catch-up returns to the regular amount.
How does an employer match work?
A common formula is 50% of what you contribute, up to 6% of your pay. If you earn $75,000 and contribute 6% ($4,500), your employer adds $2,250. Contributing less than 6% leaves part of that match unclaimed, and contributing more than 6% doesn't increase it.
Do employer contributions count toward my $24,500 limit?
No. The $24,500 limit applies only to your own elective deferrals. There is a separate overall cap on everything added to your account in a year, employee and employer combined. For 2026 that's $72,000, plus any catch-up contributions you're eligible for.
Do I have to make catch-up contributions as Roth?
Starting in 2026, if your wages from the employer sponsoring the plan were more than $150,000 in the prior year, any catch-up contributions must be made as Roth (after-tax) contributions. Your regular deferrals up to $24,500 can still be pre-tax.
Is my 401(k) balance taxed?
Traditional pre-tax 401(k) money grows tax-deferred and is taxed as ordinary income when you withdraw it. Roth 401(k) contributions are made after tax, and qualified withdrawals are tax-free. This calculator shows the account balance before any tax.
Updated November 2026. Results are estimates for educational purposes and depend on the inputs you provide.