401(k) Calculator with Employer Match
What your 401(k) could grow to by retirement, with your employer’s match.
Good to know. An employer match is the only investment that pays 50% or 100% the day you make it.
Not financial advice. Uses only the numbers and rates you enter — no live data.
How it works
In plain words
Each year, your contribution is your salary times your percentage, up to the legal limit. The employer adds its match on the part of your contribution up to its limit. The balance grows by the yearly return, and the year’s contributions are added at the end.
The formula
you = min(salary × your %, limit) employer = min(you, salary × match up to %) × match % balance = balance × (1 + return) + you + employer
Worked example
At 30, on 60,000 with 6% going in and a 50% match up to 6%, you add 3,600 and your employer 1,800 in the first year. With 10,000 saved already, 7% a year and 2% raises, the 401(k) reaches about 1,043,848.54 at 65.
Sources
- IRS, 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026 The employee contribution limit, and catch-up contributions of $8,000 from age 50 ($11,250 at 60 to 63).
- IRS, 401(k) plan overview How contributions, matching and limits work.
Sources checked September 30, 2026. 5 automated tests check its answers on every change.
About the 401(k) calculator with employer match
A 401(k) is a workplace retirement account in the US. Contributions come out of your pay before income tax (or after it, in a Roth 401(k)), and many employers add a match. This calculator projects the balance at retirement, split into what you put in, what your employer adds and what the investments earn.
Matches are usually described as a share of your contribution up to a share of pay. “50% up to 6%” means that if you put in 6% of your salary, your employer adds 3%; put in 4% and they add 2%. Contributing less than the full match leaves part of your pay on the table, which is why the calculator shows the match you are missing.
For 2026, you can contribute up to $24,500, plus $8,000 from age 50, or $11,250 at 60 to 63. The limits rise with inflation most years; the projection keeps them at today’s level, so it errs on the low side for high earners.
The result is in future dollars. At 2.5% inflation, a dollar in 35 years buys about what 42 cents buys today, so divide by about 2.4 for today’s money. Returns also vary a lot from year to year. Try 5% and 7% to see a range.
Questions people ask
How much should I put in my 401(k)?
At least enough to get the full employer match. A common target is 15% of pay for retirement in total, including the match.
What does a 50% match up to 6% mean?
Your employer adds 50 cents for every dollar you contribute, on up to 6% of your salary. Contribute 6% and they add 3%.
What is the 401(k) limit for 2026?
$24,500 for employee contributions, plus a catch-up of $8,000 from age 50, or $11,250 between 60 and 63. Employer contributions don’t count towards this limit.
Is the employer match included in the limit?
No. The $24,500 limit is for your own contributions. Employer money counts only towards a separate, much higher limit for the two combined.