401K Calculator

Project your 401(k) balance at retirement from salary growth, your contributions, and employer matching.

About the 401K Calculator

Project your 401(k) balance at retirement, accounting for salary growth, your own contribution rate, and how much your employer matches along the way.

How the 401K Calculator works

Every year until retirement, your salary grows by your expected raise percentage, and your contribution (a fixed percentage of that salary) grows right along with it. Your employer match is only applied up to a limit — typically a percentage of your salary — so contributing well above that limit still grows your balance, but stops earning additional matching dollars. The projected balance compounds monthly at your expected annual return, and the calculator also shows that balance in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation.

How to use the 401K Calculator

Enter your current age, expected retirement age, and life expectancy.
Enter your current 401(k) balance and current annual salary.
Enter the percentage of your salary you contribute, and how much you expect your salary to grow each year.
Enter your employer match percentage and the salary percentage it applies up to (the match limit).
Enter your expected annual investment return and inflation rate.
Press Calculate to see your projected balance at retirement, its inflation-adjusted value, and a year-by-year breakdown.

Tips for the 401K Calculator

Contributing at least up to your employer's match limit captures the full match — money that would otherwise be left on the table.

Formula used by the 401K Calculator

Salary in year y = Current Salary × (1 + Salary Increase % ÷ 100)^y
Employee Contribution = Salary × Contribution % ÷ 100
Employer Contribution = Salary × min(Contribution %, Match Limit %) ÷ 100 × Employer Match % ÷ 100
Balance compounds monthly at the annual return rate, adding each year's contributions.

Example: 401K Calculator

Age 30 to 65 with a 6% contribution and a 50% employer match up to 6%

Current age / retirement age: 30 / 65
Current balance / salary: $20,000 / $70,000
Contribution: 6% of salary
Employer match: 50% up to 6%
Salary growth / return / inflation: 3% / 7% (illustrative) / 3%

Result: Projected balance ≈ $1,495,253 at retirement (≈ $531,388 in today's dollars)

Growing the salary 3% a year, contributing 6% (matched 50% up to the same 6% limit), and compounding the balance at 7% annually over 35 years produces a projected balance of about $1.49M, or roughly $531,388 after adjusting for 3% annual inflation.