How the projection works
Each year your salary rises by the growth rate you set, you contribute your percent of it, and your employer adds its match on the part of your contribution up to the match cap. Contributions are held to the year's IRS limit for your age. The balance then earns the return you choose, and the next year starts from there, until the age you retire.
At 35 on $75,000, putting in 10% with a match of 50% on the first 6% of pay, starting from $50,000 and earning 6% a year, the account reaches $1,397,282 by 65. You put in $356,816; your employer adds $107,045; growth accounts for $883,422, 63.2% of the final balance.
The match and the starting age
The match is the best return available to most savers: money added to your account before any investment growth. Contributing at least up to the match cap is worth almost any sacrifice in take-home pay, and the 401(k) paycheck calculator shows that the cost to each paycheck is smaller than the contribution, because it comes out before income tax.
Time does the rest. Starting the same plan ten years later, at 45 with nothing saved, ends at $468,993 instead of $1,397,282.
2026 contribution limits
You can defer up to $24,500 in 2026. From age 50 the limit is $32,500 with catch-up contributions, and at ages 60 to 63 it is $35,750. The employer match does not count toward these limits. An IRA has its own limit of $7,500. The projection holds each year to the limits of 2026; in practice they rise with inflation.
Traditional, Roth and IRAs
The projection works the same for a traditional or a Roth 401(k); what differs is the tax. Traditional contributions lower tax now and are taxed when you take the money out. Roth contributions are taxed now and come out tax-free in retirement, growth included, if the rules are met. A balance of $1,397,282 in a traditional account is worth less after tax than the same balance in a Roth.
An IRA adds room on top of a workplace plan, up to $7,500 a year in 2026, with its own income limits for deducting traditional contributions or making Roth ones. If your employer has no plan, an IRA is the main tax-advantaged option; if it does, the usual order is the match first, then an IRA, then more in the 401(k).
What the inputs mean
- Age and retirement age: the years of saving.
- Salary and yearly raise: pay now and how fast it grows.
- Contribution, match and match cap: your percent, the employer's percent of it, and the share of pay it applies to.
- Current balance and return: what is saved and the yearly return you expect, after fund fees.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the match is free on day one. Check your plan's vesting schedule if you might change jobs.
- Counting on a high return. A projection is only as good as its assumptions; try a lower one too.
- Cashing out when you leave a job. Roll the balance into the new plan or an IRA to keep it growing without tax and penalties.
Retirement savings questions
How much should I have in my 401(k)?
There is no single number; it depends on the income you want and other savings such as Social Security. As a rough check, a balance of $1,397,282, the example on this page, would support withdrawals of about $55,891 a year at a cautious 4% withdrawal rate.
What if I only contribute enough to get part of the match?
You leave free money behind. Contributing 3% instead of 6% in the example gives up $53,522 of employer contributions over 30 years, before any growth on them.
What happens if I hit the contribution limit?
Your contributions stop for the rest of the year, and the calculator holds each year to the 2026 limit for your age. A high earner contributing a large percent can reach it before December; if the employer matches each paycheck, ask whether the plan makes up the missed match at year end.
Does the calculator include inflation?
No. Figures are in future dollars, and salary rises 3% a year in the example. To think in today's dollars, lower the return by the inflation rate you expect; at 4% the example ends at $973,816.
Sources
2026 401(k) limits checked against IRS guidance as of . How we calculate.