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Calcora

Saving and investing

401(k) Calculator

Project your 401(k) balance at retirement from your current balance, salary, contribution rate, employer match, retirement age, and expected return.

Your 401(k) plan

Enter your balance, salary, contribution, employer match, and the assumptions to project. Nothing is filled in for you.

Current 401(k)

Enter the amount currently invested in your 401(k).

Salary and contributions

Your current gross annual salary before taxes and deductions.

The share of your salary you put into the 401(k) each year.

Employer match

Many employers match part of what you contribute, up to a share of your salary. Enter 0 for either if there is no match.

If your employer contributes 50 cents for every $1 you contribute, enter 50%.

If the employer only matches the first 6% of salary you contribute, enter 6%.

Growth assumptions

The average yearly return you assume. An assumption, not a forecast.

How much your salary changes each year. Use a negative number for a decline.

Retirement timeline

Your age today, in whole years.

The age you plan to stop contributing, up to 50 years from now.

Private by design

Your salary, 401(k) balance, contribution rate, and employer match stay in your browser and are not sent to Calcora.

How a 401(k) grows

  1. You contribute a share of your salary

    Your contribution rate × your salary goes into the account each year, spread evenly over its 12 months.

  2. Your employer may match part of it

    The employer adds its match rate × the part of your contribution up to the match limit. Contributions above the limit are not matched.

  3. Your salary changes once a year

    Each year the salary grows (or falls) by the rate you enter, and both contributions follow it.

  4. The account grows every month

    Each month the balance earns the annual return ÷ 12, then that month's contributions are added. Growth then earns growth of its own.

What changes the projection

How employee contributions work

You choose a percentage of salary, and it is taken from each paycheck before you see it. At 10% of $75,000, that is $7,500 a year, or $625 a month.

How employer matching works

Many employers add money in proportion to what you contribute, up to a limit. The match depends on your contribution: with no employee contribution, there is no match.

What “50% match up to 6%” means

The employer adds 50 cents for every $1 you contribute, on contributions up to 6% of salary. On $100,000, contributing 6% or more brings $3,000 a year from the employer; contributing 3% brings $1,500.

Why salary growth matters

Contributions are a percentage of salary, so a raise raises them too, even at the same rate. At 3% a year, $75,000 becomes about $204,893 by the 35th year.

How investment return affects the projection

Growth compounds: each year's growth earns growth later. In the example below, an average return of 6% instead of 7% projects $558,754.69 less, and 8% projects $742,307.96 more.

Contribution rate vs employer match

Below the match limit, every extra point you contribute also raises the employer's contribution. Above it, the employer amount stays the same and only your own contributions grow.

Taxes and IRS limits are not modeled

This calculator models the contribution percentage you enter and does not enforce annual IRS contribution limits or catch-up contribution rules, which change over time. Taxes are not included in this projection, whether on contributions, growth, or withdrawals.

Example calculation

Calculated the same way as the calculator above.

$75,000 salary, 10% with a 50% match up to 6%

$50,000 today, age 30 to 65, a 7% return, and 3% salary growth.

First year: your contribution
10% × $75,000 = $7,500.00
First year: employer match
50% × 6% × $75,000 = $2,250.00
Starting balance
$50,000.00
Your contributions to 65
$453,465.62
Employer contributions to 65
$136,039.70
Investment growth
$2,005,376.79
Projected balance at 65
$2,644,882.11

A 50% match up to 6% on $100,000

Your contribution and the employer match in the first year for three contribution rates
You contributeYour contributionEmployer match
3%$3,000.00$1,500.00
6%$6,000.00$3,000.00
10%$10,000.00$3,000.00

Up to 6%, each point you contribute adds half a point from the employer. Above 6%, the employer amount stays the same.

Assumptions

  • Contributions are the percentage of salary you enter, every year until retirement. Annual IRS contribution limits and catch-up contribution rules are not enforced.
  • The employer contributes its match rate × the lower of your contribution rate and the match limit, as a share of salary. Contributions above the limit are not matched, and nothing is contributed without an employee contribution (no nonelective contributions).
  • The salary changes once a year, at the start of each year, by the growth rate you enter. It is kept exact; each year's contributions are rounded to the cent once and spread over its 12 months.
  • Each month the balance earns the expected annual return ÷ 12, rounded to the cent and added to the account; then that month's contributions are added. The return is the same every year.
  • Employer contributions are modeled as fully available in the account; vesting schedules are not modeled.
  • Taxes are not included in this projection, and neither are investment fees, which reduce real returns. Balances are in future dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
  • Loans, withdrawals, hardship distributions, and required minimum distributions are not modeled.

How Calcora calculates

  • Every calculator explains the formula behind its result in plain language.
  • Calculators are designed to run in your browser, so your inputs are not sent to Calcora.
  • Results help you understand your options. They are not financial advice.
Read the methodology

Frequently asked questions

How does a 401(k) employer match work?
Your employer adds money to your 401(k) in proportion to what you contribute, usually up to a share of your salary. The match depends on your contribution, so it is $0 when you contribute nothing. Plans differ: check your plan's documents for its formula.
What does a 50% match up to 6% mean?
Your employer contributes 50 cents for every $1 you contribute, on contributions up to 6% of your salary. On a $100,000 salary, contributing 6% ($6,000) brings $3,000 from your employer. Contributing 10% still brings $3,000, because only the first 6% is matched.
Does this calculator include employer contributions?
Yes. Employer contributions are worked out from the match rate and limit you enter, shown separately from your own, and added to the account every month.
Does the calculator enforce IRS 401(k) contribution limits?
No. It models the contribution percentage you enter. IRS limits change from year to year, depend on age through catch-up contributions, and can change through legislation, so the calculator does not apply them. Check the current limits if you contribute a large share of a high salary.
Does this include taxes or investment fees?
No. Taxes are not included in this projection, whether on contributions, growth, or withdrawals. Investment fees are not included either; fees reduce real returns, so you can lower the expected return to account for them.
Why does salary growth change the final 401(k) balance?
Your contributions and the employer match are percentages of salary. When the salary rises, both contributions rise with it, and the larger contributions have time to grow. A salary that falls lowers them.
Does Calcora store my salary or retirement information?
No. Every calculation runs in your browser. Your salary, 401(k) balance, contribution rate, and employer match are not sent to Calcora, stored, or shared.

Related calculators

Saving for retirement outside a 401(k), or with a fixed monthly amount? The Retirement Calculator projects any retirement savings to the age you choose and compares them with a goal.