401(k) calculator
Enter your salary, the share you contribute, the employer match and how long you will save. The calculator projects the balance and shows how much came from you, from your employer and from growth.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Enter salary, your contribution percentage, the match and its cap.
- If you know the yearly limit, enter it; otherwise leave it empty.
- Set the years, expected return and salary growth, then read the projection.
How it works
Each year: you contribute salary × contribution %, cut to the yearly limit if you entered one. The employer adds match % × the smaller of your contribution and cap % × salary. The total is paid in 12 monthly deposits; the balance grows by return ÷ 12 each month. Salary rises once a year by the growth rate.
Worked example
Salary 60,000, contribute 6%, 50% match up to 6%, no growth, 0% return, 10 years: you add 3,600 and the employer 1,800 a year, so after 10 years the balance is 54,000 (36,000 + 18,000). At a 6% yearly return the same plan reaches about 73,746 (monthly deposits of 450).
Tips
- Contributing at least enough to get the whole match is the part most people check first.
- Small differences in return compound over decades; try a lower return as well as a higher one.
- To compare tax treatment, see the Roth vs traditional calculator, or plan the withdrawal side with the retirement calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How does an employer match work?
The employer adds a share of what you contribute, up to a cap. For example, a 50% match up to 6% of salary on a 60,000 salary: you put in 3,600 (6%), and the employer adds 50% of that, 1,800. Plans differ, so check yours.
Why do I have to enter the yearly limit myself?
Limits on contributions are set by law and are revised from year to year, and they differ by age and plan. Rather than show an old number, the calculator lets you enter the current one. If your contribution would exceed it, it is cut to the limit.
How is the balance projected?
Each year your pay is your salary grown by the salary growth rate. Contributions are paid in twelve equal monthly deposits, and the balance earns the yearly return divided by 12 each month. Taxes, fees and changing returns are not modelled.
Is the result guaranteed?
No. Returns vary, and a fixed rate is only an assumption. Treat the result as an illustration of how contributions and time add up, not a forecast.