Calculator Institute

401(k) Calculator

Project your 401(k) balance at retirement from your pay, your contribution, your employer's match and your savings so far, with the 2026 contribution limits.

Employer match

For “50% of the first 6% of pay”, enter 50 here and 6 below. No match: enter 0.

After fees. A guess about the future, not a promise; try a lower number too.

Your 401(k) at 67

$880,067

After 32 years of saving, before taxes, in future dollars. In year one you put in $3,600 and your employer adds $1,800.

Balance today$25,000
Your contributions+$189,010
Employer contributions+$94,505
Investment growth6% a year+$571,552
Balance at 67$880,067
Year by year
Balance at the end of each year of saving
AgeSalaryYouEmployerGrowthBalance
35$60,000$3,600$1,800$1,660$32,060
36$61,800$3,708$1,854$2,088$39,710
37$63,654$3,819$1,910$2,552$47,990
38$65,564$3,934$1,967$3,054$56,945
39$67,531$4,052$2,026$3,596$66,619
40$69,556$4,173$2,087$4,182$77,061
41$71,643$4,299$2,149$4,814$88,324
42$73,792$4,428$2,214$5,496$100,461
43$76,006$4,560$2,280$6,230$113,531
44$78,286$4,697$2,349$7,020$127,597
45$80,635$4,838$2,419$7,870$142,725
46$83,054$4,983$2,492$8,784$158,984
47$85,546$5,133$2,566$9,767$176,450
48$88,112$5,287$2,643$10,821$195,201
49$90,755$5,445$2,723$11,954$215,323
50$93,478$5,609$2,804$13,168$236,904
51$96,282$5,777$2,888$14,470$260,040
52$99,171$5,950$2,975$15,866$284,831
53$102,146$6,129$3,064$17,362$311,386
54$105,210$6,313$3,156$18,963$339,818
55$108,367$6,502$3,251$20,677$370,248
56$111,618$6,697$3,349$22,512$402,806
57$114,966$6,898$3,449$24,474$437,627
58$118,415$7,105$3,552$26,573$474,857
59$121,968$7,318$3,659$28,816$514,650
60$125,627$7,538$3,769$31,213$557,170
61$129,395$7,764$3,882$33,774$602,590
62$133,277$7,997$3,998$36,510$651,095
63$137,276$8,237$4,118$39,431$702,881
64$141,394$8,484$4,242$42,549$758,155
65$145,636$8,738$4,369$45,877$817,139
66$150,005$9,000$4,500$49,427$880,067

2026 limit for your own contributions: $24,500, $32,500 from age 50, $35,750 at ages 60 to 63. We keep these limits at their 2026 level for every year; the IRS adjusts them for inflation.

This is an estimate to help you plan, not financial advice. Your bank, lender or plan may round, time or charge things differently.

How this is calculated

Each year the calculator takes your contribution as a share of that year's pay, caps it at the IRS limit for your age, adds your employer's match and lets the account grow at the return you enter. Your pay rises by the raise you enter. Contributions are counted as if they come in evenly through the year, so each year's new money grows for half a year.

The match is a share of what you put in, up to a share of pay. With “50% up to 6%” and a $60,000 salary, contributing 6% ($3,600) brings $1,800 from the employer. Contributing only 4% would bring half of 4%, and anything above 6% gets no match.

Example: age 35, retiring at 67, $60,000 pay with 3% raises, 6% contributed, a 50% match up to 6%, $25,000 saved and a 6% yearly return. After 32 years the balance is $880,067: $189,010 from you, $94,505 from the employer and $571,552 in growth.

2026 limits

Your own contributions (elective deferrals) for 2026
Age in 2026Your limitHow
Under 50$24,500Regular limit
50 to 59, or 64 and older$32,500$24,500 + $8,000 catch-up
60, 61, 62 or 63$35,750$24,500 + $11,250 catch-up

Your own contributions to all the plans you take part in generally count toward one limit, and your plan can set a lower one. Catch-ups are possible if the plan permits them. Your contributions plus your employer's can be at most $72,000 in 2026, not counting catch-ups. The same limits apply to 403(b) plans, governmental 457 plans and the federal Thrift Savings Plan.

Assumptions: the limits stay at their 2026 level (the IRS adjusts them for inflation), the return is the same every year, and nothing is taken out. The result is in future dollars and before income tax on withdrawals from pre-tax money.

Sources

Checked against the sources below on .

Questions people ask

What is the 401(k) contribution limit for 2026?

$24,500. From age 50 you can add a $8,000 catch-up for $32,500 in all, and at ages 60 to 63 the catch-up is $11,250, for $35,750.

What is the super catch-up for ages 60 to 63?

People who turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 in 2026 can make a catch-up contribution of $11,250 instead of $8,000, if their plan permits catch-up contributions.

How does a 401(k) match work?

The employer adds a share of what you contribute, up to a share of your pay. With 50% up to 6% on a $60,000 salary, putting in $3,600 (6%) brings $1,800 from your employer.

How much will my 401(k) be worth when I retire?

It depends on what you put in and the return. Starting at 35 with $25,000, a $60,000 salary rising 3% a year, 6% contributed and a 50% match up to 6%, a 6% return gives about $880,067 at 67, in future dollars.

Do catch-up contributions have to be Roth?

For 2026, catch-up contributions must go in as Roth if your 2025 wages were above $150,000, the Roth catch-up wage threshold in IRS Notice 2025-67.