401(k) Calculator

Project a 401(k) balance using employee contributions, employer matching, salary growth, investment return, fees and inflation.

Current age

Retirement age

Current 401(k) balance ($)

Current annual salary ($)

Your contribution (% of salary)

Pay periods per year

Employer match rate (%)Enter 50 if the employer adds $0.50 per $1 contributed.

Employer match applies up to (% of salary)

Annual salary growth (%)

Expected annual investment return (%)

Annual plan and investment fees (%)

Expected annual inflation (%)

Illustrative annual withdrawal rate (%)This is a scenario, not a recommended safe rate.

Projected results

Projected balance at retirement—

Balance in today’s dollars—

Years invested—

Your total contributions—

Total employer match—

Estimated investment growth—

First-year contribution per paycheck—

First-year employer match—

Illustrative monthly retirement withdrawal—

How the 401(k) projection works

Employee contribution: annual salary × employee contribution percentage.
Employer match: annual salary × the lower of your contribution rate or the match-limit percentage × employer match rate.
Monthly projection: the balance compounds monthly after annual return is reduced by the entered annual fee; employee and employer contributions are added monthly.
Salary growth: salary changes once per projection year, which changes percentage-based contributions and matching.
Today’s-dollar balance: projected balance ÷ (1 + inflation rate)^years.

Example

A 35-year-old with $50,000 saved, a $75,000 salary, an 8% contribution and a 50% employer match up to 6% of salary contributes $6,000 in the first year. The estimated first-year employer match is $2,250. The ending balance depends on the entered return, fees, salary growth and 30-year horizon.

Important limits

This calculator does not enforce current IRS contribution, catch-up, compensation or plan-specific limits. It does not model vesting, taxes, loans, hardship withdrawals, required distributions, Roth versus traditional tax treatment or changing market returns. Confirm current limits and your employer’s exact matching formula with official plan documents. Results are hypothetical and are not financial or tax advice.

Related calculators

Use the Retirement Calculator for a broader income goal and savings gap, the Compound Interest Calculator for non-plan-specific growth, or the Inflation Calculator for purchasing-power scenarios.

Compare this employer-plan projection with the Roth IRA Calculator, which models a separate Roth IRA balance, contribution goal, fees and inflation without assuming an employer match.