Enter your age, salary, contribution rate, and employer match. We project your balance at retirement using the 2026 IRS limits, including the age 50+ and age 60-63 catch-up rules.
Last reviewed August 2026
Sensible default -- modify inputs below to match your situation.
Three things move your 401(k) balance, and only one of them is fully in your control: what you contribute. The other two, your employer's match and the market's return, do a lot of the heavy lifting if you show up for them.
The IRS caps how much you personally can defer each year (that is the elective deferral limit), but it does not cap your employer's match, and it does not cap the compound growth on money that is already in the account. Miss the match and you are turning down free money. Ignore the limit and you might be leaving contribution room on the table in a high-income year.
The IRS sets a new elective deferral limit every year, usually announced each November for the following year. For 2026, the limits are:
$24,500 total elective deferral. This is the most you can have withheld from your own paycheck into the plan, combining traditional (pre-tax) and Roth 401(k) contributions.
$24,500 base plus an $8,000 catch-up contribution, for a total of $32,500.
Starting in 2025, SECURE 2.0 created a larger catch-up specifically for savers who are age 60, 61, 62, or 63 in the plan year. For 2026 that super catch-up is $11,250, for a total of $35,750. Turn 64 and the limit drops back to the standard $32,500 age 50+ catch-up.
Per Vanguard's "How America Saves" report, the single most common 401(k) match structure is 50% of the first 6% of salary you contribute. On a $75,000 salary, contributing 6% ($4,500) gets you a $2,250 match, an instant 50% return on that slice of your paycheck before the market does anything at all.
Contribute less than 6% under that structure and you are leaving part of that match unclaimed. Contribute more than 6% and the extra still grows for you, just without the match multiplier. Check your own plan document. Match formulas vary by employer, and some plans match dollar-for-dollar instead of 50 cents on the dollar.
This calculator uses a standard annual accumulation model: each year, your existing balance grows at your expected return, then that year's employee contribution (capped at the IRS limit for your age that year) and employer match are added. Salary is assumed to grow at the rate you set, compounding annually. The monthly income estimate is a simplified straight-line calculation (final balance divided by drawdown years and 12) and does not model investment returns during retirement or sequence-of-returns risk. For a full retirement drawdown model, see the Retirement Runway Calculator.
It does not model a Roth 401(k) or after-tax contributions separately, it treats all contributions the same way for growth purposes. It does not model changes to your salary growth rate, contribution rate, or the IRS limit over multiple decades beyond the flat assumptions you enter. It does not account for taxes owed when you withdraw from a traditional 401(k) in retirement. If you are self-employed with no W-2 employer plan, see the Solo 401(k) Contribution Calculator instead, since Solo 401(k) and SEP-IRA limits work differently.
$24,500 for savers under 50. Age 50 and up can add an $8,000 catch-up for $32,500 total. Age 60 through 63 gets the SECURE 2.0 super catch-up of $11,250 instead, for $35,750 total.
No. Your elective deferral limit only covers what comes out of your own paycheck. Employer contributions are separate, subject to a much higher combined cap.
Check your plan document. The most common structure is 50% of the first 6% you contribute, meaning contributing at least 6% captures the full match under that formula.
No. This calculator projects account growth from the inputs you provide. It is not a recommendation of any investment, fund, or contribution strategy, and actual returns are never guaranteed.
Disclaimer. This calculator is designed to estimate potential 401(k) growth based on the inputs you provide. It is not investment advice, a guarantee of any future account value, or a recommendation of any specific investment. Actual returns vary and are not guaranteed. IRS contribution limits are updated annually each November. This calculator displays the current limit as of its last update, but you should verify the latest figure at IRS.gov before making contribution decisions. This calculator models a traditional (pre-tax) 401(k) and does not model Roth 401(k) or after-tax contributions separately. Drawdown estimates assume equal monthly distributions and do not account for taxes in retirement or sequence-of-returns risk. Consult a licensed financial advisor or your plan administrator for personalized retirement planning guidance.