Enter your age, salary, contribution rate, and your employer’s match rules above, and you’ll see your projected 401(k) balance at retirement — split into what you put in, what your employer adds, and what investment growth contributes. The exact model, with a worked example, is shown in the methodology section below.
How to use this calculator
- Current and retirement age — the gap between them is how many years of contributions and compounding you get.
- Annual salary and contribution % — a 10% contribution on a $75,000 salary is $7,500 per year.
- Employer match — enter the match rate (e.g. 50 means 50 cents per dollar) and the match limit (the % of salary your employer matches up to; 3–6% is typical).
- Current balance and expected return — what you’ve already saved and the annual growth rate to assume.
Results update as you type, and the URL updates too, so you can share or bookmark a scenario.
The match is free money — don’t leave it on the table
The single most expensive 401(k) mistake is contributing below the match limit. Say you earn $60,000 and your employer matches 50% of contributions up to 6% of salary. Contribute the full 6% ($3,600) and the employer adds $1,800 every year. Contribute only 3% and the match drops to $900 — you forfeit $900 per year of pure compensation. That sounds small, but $900 per year compounding at 7% for 30 years grows to roughly $85,000 of missed retirement money. No other adjustment in this calculator produces a bigger return per dollar than reaching the full match, because the match is an instant 25–100% gain before any market growth. Use the contribution field to compare your current rate against the match limit and watch the “employer match” line change.
What actually moves the final number
Two inputs dominate: your contribution rate and time. Doubling the contribution rate roughly doubles the money you put in, but starting ten years earlier can more than double the final balance, because the earliest dollars compound the longest — our compound interest calculator makes that time-in-market effect explicit. The expected return matters too, but it’s the input you control least, which is why planners test a range instead of betting on one number. Once you have a projected balance, our retirement calculator tells you whether that nest egg is enough to actually stop working, using the 25× expenses rule.
Limits of this projection
This model keeps your salary constant, compounds once per year, and adds contributions at year end — real plans invest every payroll, so actual balances typically land slightly higher for the same inputs. It ignores IRS annual contribution limits, employer vesting schedules, plan fees, and inflation: a large balance decades from now buys less than the same figure today. It also assumes a steady return, while real markets move unevenly. Finally, it treats every dollar the same regardless of tax treatment — a traditional 401(k) balance still owes income tax on withdrawal, while Roth contributions were taxed upfront, so two identical projected balances can differ meaningfully in real spending power. Treat the output as a planning estimate for comparing scenarios — contribution rates, retirement ages, match levels — not as a prediction of an exact balance.
Everything runs locally in your browser; your salary and balance are never sent or stored. Browse all our calculators — each shows its formula and sources — plus file-based tools that work the same private way.