401(k) Contribution Calculator
Free 401(k) contribution calculator — see employer match, IRS deferral headroom, and projected balance at retirement.
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How it works
Enter salary, your contribution percent, employer match rules, years to retirement, and current balance to project growth and match left on the table.
About 401(k) Contribution Calculator
Informational only — not professional advice. Report an error.
Your employer matches 100% up to 6% of salary and you are contributing 3%. That means free money is sitting on the table every paycheck. Employer 401(k) plans combine employee deferrals, employer matching, tax deferral, and decades of compound growth — yet many workers leave match dollars unclaimed by contributing below the company cap.
Enter salary, deferral percentage, employer match percentage, match cap as percent of salary, years to retirement, expected return, current balance, and age for IRS limit checks including catch-up contributions at 50+. Outputs highlight employer match received, match left on the table if you under-contribute, headroom below elective deferral limits, and projected nest egg.
Always contribute at least enough to capture the full employer match before directing extra savings to IRAs or taxable accounts — match is an immediate 50–100% return depending on formula. Small increases in deferral percentage compound dramatically over twenty-five year horizons.
If your employer matches 100% up to 6% and you defer 3%, the match left on table is annual free money forfeited — prioritize closing that gap. Bump deferral 1% each raise until you hit your target rate. Projected balance assumes constant salary and return; real paths vary with market and job changes.
Uses IRS elective deferral limits as reference — plans may impose lower caps or different match formulas. Does not model vesting schedules, after-tax 401(k), profit sharing, or plan-specific true-up policies. Verify details with HR.
Employers sometimes true-up match at year-end if you front-loaded deferrals and missed match in early months — ask HR whether your plan does. Self-employed workers with solo 401(k) plans can defer far more than employee limits alone; this calculator targets W-2 employee deferral plus standard match formulas.
HSA contributions paired with a high-deductible health plan reduce taxable wages too — if you max HSA first for triple tax advantage, revisit how much room remains for 401(k) deferral without straining cash flow.
Quick tips
- Increase deferral 1% with every raise until you hit your target — you will not feel it.
- Check vesting before job hopping with a large match balance on the line.
- Rebalance investments inside the plan at least once a year.
- After maxing match, compare traditional versus Roth IRA paths with the dedicated IRA calculator.
Formulas
employerMatch = min(employeeDeferral, matchCap) × matchRateprojectedBalance = compound(currentBalance + annualTotal, return, years)
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