The calculator
Contributing 10% of a $90,000 salary with a 50% match on the first 6% of pay grows $60,000 to about $1,796,551 by 65, or $856,493 in today’s dollars.
Year by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Age | Salary | You | Employer | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | $90,000 | $9,000 | $2,700 | $75,600 |
| 37 | $92,700 | $9,270 | $2,781 | $92,565 |
| 38 | $95,481 | $9,548 | $2,864 | $110,994 |
| 39 | $98,345 | $9,835 | $2,950 | $130,994 |
| 40 | $101,296 | $10,130 | $3,039 | $152,677 |
| 41 | $104,335 | $10,433 | $3,130 | $176,164 |
| 42 | $107,465 | $10,746 | $3,224 | $201,585 |
| 43 | $110,689 | $11,069 | $3,321 | $229,078 |
| 44 | $114,009 | $11,401 | $3,420 | $258,789 |
| 45 | $117,430 | $11,743 | $3,523 | $290,876 |
| 46 | $120,952 | $12,095 | $3,629 | $325,507 |
| 47 | $124,581 | $12,458 | $3,737 | $362,861 |
| 48 | $128,318 | $12,832 | $3,850 | $403,128 |
| 49 | $132,168 | $13,217 | $3,965 | $446,513 |
| 50 | $136,133 | $13,613 | $4,084 | $493,234 |
| 51 | $140,217 | $14,022 | $4,207 | $543,522 |
| 52 | $144,424 | $14,442 | $4,333 | $597,626 |
| 53 | $148,756 | $14,876 | $4,463 | $655,810 |
| 54 | $153,219 | $15,322 | $4,597 | $718,357 |
| 55 | $157,816 | $15,782 | $4,734 | $785,566 |
| 56 | $162,550 | $16,255 | $4,877 | $857,759 |
| 57 | $167,427 | $16,743 | $5,023 | $935,279 |
| 58 | $172,449 | $17,245 | $5,173 | $1,018,490 |
| 59 | $177,623 | $17,762 | $5,329 | $1,107,783 |
| 60 | $182,951 | $18,295 | $5,489 | $1,203,573 |
| 61 | $188,440 | $18,844 | $5,653 | $1,306,302 |
| 62 | $194,093 | $19,409 | $5,823 | $1,416,444 |
| 63 | $199,916 | $19,992 | $5,997 | $1,534,502 |
| 64 | $205,913 | $20,591 | $6,177 | $1,661,013 |
| 65 | $212,091 | $21,209 | $6,363 | $1,796,551 |
2026 401(k) limits
| Limit | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Your contributions (elective deferral) | $24,500 | $25,500 (projected) |
| Catch-up, age 50 and over | $8,000 | $8,500 (projected) |
| Catch-up, ages 60 to 63 (instead of the one above) | $11,250 | $11,750 (projected) |
| You plus your employer, before catch-ups | $72,000 | Not yet announced |
| Pay that counts toward contributions | $360,000 | Not yet announced |
The IRS publishes the 2027 limits in mid-November 2026; the 2027 figures above are a forecast until then, and this page switches to the official numbers when they are out. Every account type, including IRAs and HSAs, is in contribution limits for 2026 and 2027.
Catch-up contributions
From the year you turn 50 you can add a catch-up of $8,000 on top of the $24,500 limit, for $32,500 in all. In the years you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 the catch-up is $11,250 instead, for $35,750. At 64 it drops back to the age-50 amount.
From 2026, if your FICA wages from the employer were above $150,000 the year before, your catch-up contributions must go in as Roth (after tax). Your regular contributions are not affected.
401(k) matching calculator: how an employer match works
A common formula is 50% of what you contribute, up to 6% of pay. Contribute 6% of a $90,000 salary, $5,400, and the employer adds $2,700. Contribute 3% and you get $1,350, leaving $1,350 a year behind. Another common formula is 100% up to 4%. Enter your plan’s numbers; the calculator flags any match you are not collecting. Employer money can come with a vesting schedule, so check how long you need to stay to keep it.
401(k) balance by age
| Age | Average | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | $7,259 | $2,234 |
| 25 to 34 | $50,261 | $18,732 |
| 35 to 44 | $120,742 | $46,919 |
| 45 to 54 | $214,991 | $78,730 |
| 55 to 64 | $305,006 | $107,269 |
| 65 and over | $330,186 | $103,202 |
| All participants | $167,970 | $44,115 |
Fidelity and T. Rowe Price figures, and savings targets by age, are in average 401(k) balance by age. If your balance is already large for your age, the Coast FIRE calculator shows whether growth alone could carry it to retirement.
Roth or traditional 401(k)
Traditional contributions lower your taxable income now and are taxed when you withdraw. Roth contributions are taxed now and come out tax-free in retirement. If you expect a higher tax rate in retirement than today, Roth tends to come out ahead; if lower, traditional does. The same limit covers both, and the Roth IRA calculator compares the two after tax.
Taking money out before 59½
Withdrawals before 59½ usually owe a 10% penalty on top of income tax. Leaving your job in or after the year you turn 55 lets you skip the penalty on that employer’s plan; see the Rule of 55 calculator. The 72(t) calculator covers penalty-free payments at any age, and required withdrawals from 73 or 75 are in the RMD calculator.
Methodology and sources
- Contributions and the match go in at the end of each year. Your contribution is the lower of your percentage of pay and the IRS limit for your age that year.
- The match is the match rate times your contribution, up to the share of pay the plan matches. Employer money plus your base contribution stays within the section 415(c) total.
- The IRS raises the limits in $500 steps; this projection raises the 2026 limits smoothly with the inflation rate you enter. Fees come straight off the return. Balances are before tax.
Figures checked on against IRS, 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500 (IR-2025-111, Notice 2025-67) and Milliman, 2027 IRS limits forecast (Sept 11, 2026).
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