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401(k) Retirement Calculator

Project your 401(k) balance at retirement, including your contributions, your employer's match, and compound growth over your working years.

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401(k) Balance Projector Results update as you move the sliders
Current age 30
Your age today
Retirement age 65
When you plan to stop contributing
Current 401(k) balance $20,000
What's already in your account today
Annual salary $70,000
Your current gross annual income
Your contribution 8% of salary
The 2026 IRS employee deferral limit is $24,500 (or $32,500 if you're 50+)
Employer match 4% of salary
A common structure is 100% match up to 3-6% of salary — check your plan documents
Expected annual return 7%
The S&P 500 has historically averaged roughly 10% before inflation over long periods
Annual salary growth 3%
Expected average raises over your career, including promotions
Your contribution is being capped at the 2026 IRS employee deferral limit in some years
Projected balance
$0
at retirement
Total contributed
$0
yours + employer match
Investment growth — money your money made
$0
on top of what you and your employer put in
Your contributions
$0
total over career
Employer match
$0
total over career
Years contributing
0
until retirement
401(k) balance growth over time
Total balance
Total contributed (no growth)
Age Balance Total Contributed Growth Annual Salary
Understanding your 401(k)

Why the employer match is the most important number on this page

A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement account that lets you contribute a portion of your salary before tax (traditional) or after tax (Roth), where it grows tax-advantaged until retirement. Many employers add a match on top of what you contribute, effectively free money added to your account for participating.

If your employer matches 100% of your contribution up to 4% of salary and you contribute less than 4%, you are leaving part of your compensation on the table. Contributing at least enough to capture the full match is one of the highest-certainty financial moves available to most employees, regardless of what the market does that year.

This calculator assumes contributions and returns are applied once per year for simplicity. In practice, contributions happen every paycheck and returns compound continuously, which produces a very similar result over long time horizons.

2026 contribution limits
The IRS employee deferral limit for 2026 is $24,500. If you're 50 or older, you can contribute an additional $8,000 catch-up, for $32,500 total. Ages 60 to 63 get a higher catch-up of $11,250 instead. The combined employee-plus-employer limit is $72,000 for 2026.
Traditional vs. Roth 401(k)
A traditional 401(k) reduces your taxable income now and taxes withdrawals in retirement. A Roth 401(k) is funded with after-tax dollars but grows and withdraws completely tax-free. Which is better depends on whether you expect to be in a higher or lower tax bracket in retirement than you are now.
Vesting schedules
Your own contributions are always 100% yours. Employer match dollars, however, are often subject to a vesting schedule, meaning you may need to stay employed a certain number of years before that match fully belongs to you. Check your plan documents for your specific vesting terms.
Frequently asked questions

What people ask about 401(k) planning

How much should I contribute to my 401(k)?+
At minimum, contribute enough to capture your full employer match, that's an immediate, guaranteed return you won't find anywhere else. Beyond that, many financial planners suggest working toward 15% of income total (including any match) for a comfortable retirement, though this varies widely based on when you started saving and your desired retirement lifestyle.
What happens if I change jobs?+
Your vested balance is yours to keep. You can typically leave it with your former employer's plan, roll it into your new employer's 401(k), or roll it into an IRA. Cashing it out early generally triggers income tax plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you're under 59½, which this calculator does not model since it assumes continuous saving through retirement.
Does this calculator account for taxes on withdrawal?+
No. This tool projects the account's pre-tax growth only. A traditional 401(k) balance will be taxed as ordinary income as you withdraw it in retirement, while a Roth 401(k) balance withdraws tax-free if requirements are met. Your real spendable retirement income depends on which type of account you hold and your tax situation at withdrawal.
What return rate should I assume?+
Most 401(k) plans offer a menu of mutual funds or target-date funds rather than direct stock ownership. A diversified stock-heavy portfolio has historically returned in the 7 to 10% range annually before inflation over multi-decade periods, though any individual year can vary sharply, and future returns are never guaranteed.
Can I contribute to both a 401(k) and an IRA?+
Yes. The 401(k) and IRA contribution limits are separate. You can contribute up to the 401(k) limit through your employer plan and additionally up to the IRA limit ($7,500 for 2026, $8,600 if 50+) in a traditional or Roth IRA, subject to income limits on Roth eligibility and traditional deductibility.
The bigger picture

Time in the market is your biggest lever

Look at the gap between the two lines on the chart above. Early in your career, your own contributions make up most of your balance. Given enough years, investment growth typically overtakes contributions entirely, doing more of the work than you did. This is why starting even a small contribution early in your career tends to outperform a larger contribution started a decade later.

If the numbers here feel far from where you'd like to end up, small adjustments compound. Increasing your contribution rate by even one or two percentage points, especially right after a raise when you won't feel it in your take-home pay, can meaningfully shift your retirement trajectory over time.

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