401(k) Calculator
A $100,000 401(k) grows to $1,488,259 by 65 if you save 10% of pay from 40. That is $100,000 pay with 3% raises, a 50% match up to 5% and 7% less 0.5% fees.
Last reviewed
Your 401(k) at retirement
Balance at 65
$1,488,259.07
In today's dollars
$710,800.82
From your employer
$91,148.23
At 65 you would have $1,488,259.07, worth $710,800.82 in today's dollars if prices rise 3% a year.
You put in $364,592.63, your employer adds $91,148.23 and growth after fees adds $932,518.21 to the $100,000.00 you have now.
The last 8 years, after the year you turn 56, add nearly half of it; from age 46 the account grows more each year than you and your employer put in.
Fees of 0.5% a year cost $129,674.82 by 65: $71,732.17 they take, plus $57,942.65 of growth those dollars would have earned.
Your plan and assumptions
- you = 10% × $100,000.00 = $10,000.00
- match = 50% × the smaller of $10,000.00 and 5% × $100,000.00 = $2,500.00
- invested 5½ months on average: ($10,000.00 + $2,500.00) × 11/24 ≈ $5,729.17
- growth = (7% − 0.5%) × ($100,000.00 + $5,729.17) ≈ $6,872.40
- year-end balance = $100,000.00 + $10,000.00 + $2,500.00 + $6,872.40 = $119,372.40
- repeated each year with 3% raises, the balance at 65 is $1,488,259.07
Your 401(k) by age, by where the money came from
What each year adds: growth against what goes in
Your 401(k) year by year
| Age | Pay | You put in | Employer match | Growth after fees | Balance at year end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | $100,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $2,500.00 | $6,872.40 | $119,372.40 |
| 41 | $103,000.00 | $10,300.00 | $2,575.00 | $8,142.77 | $140,390.17 |
| 42 | $106,090.00 | $10,609.00 | $2,652.25 | $9,520.44 | $163,171.86 |
| 43 | $109,272.70 | $10,927.27 | $2,731.82 | $11,013.10 | $187,844.05 |
| 44 | $112,550.88 | $11,255.09 | $2,813.77 | $12,629.00 | $214,541.91 |
| 45 | $115,927.41 | $11,592.74 | $2,898.19 | $14,376.93 | $243,409.77 |
| 46 | $119,405.23 | $11,940.52 | $2,985.13 | $16,266.30 | $274,601.72 |
| 47 | $122,987.39 | $12,298.74 | $3,074.69 | $18,307.11 | $308,282.26 |
| 48 | $126,677.01 | $12,667.70 | $3,166.93 | $20,510.09 | $344,626.98 |
| 49 | $130,477.32 | $13,047.73 | $3,261.94 | $22,886.65 | $383,823.30 |
| 50 | $134,391.64 | $13,439.16 | $3,359.79 | $25,448.98 | $426,071.23 |
| 51 | $138,423.39 | $13,842.34 | $3,460.59 | $28,210.11 | $471,584.27 |
| 52 | $142,576.09 | $14,257.61 | $3,564.40 | $31,183.92 | $520,590.20 |
| 53 | $146,853.37 | $14,685.34 | $3,671.34 | $34,385.24 | $573,332.12 |
| 54 | $151,258.97 | $15,125.90 | $3,781.48 | $37,829.87 | $630,069.37 |
| 55 | $155,796.74 | $15,579.67 | $3,894.92 | $41,534.69 | $691,078.65 |
| 56 | $160,470.64 | $16,047.06 | $4,011.77 | $45,517.70 | $756,655.18 |
| 57 | $165,284.76 | $16,528.48 | $4,132.12 | $49,798.10 | $827,113.88 |
| 58 | $170,243.30 | $17,024.33 | $4,256.09 | $54,396.38 | $902,790.68 |
| 59 | $175,350.60 | $17,535.06 | $4,383.77 | $59,334.39 | $984,043.90 |
| 60 | $180,611.12 | $18,061.11 | $4,515.28 | $64,635.44 | $1,071,255.73 |
| 61 | $186,029.45 | $18,602.95 | $4,650.74 | $70,324.39 | $1,164,833.81 |
| 62 | $191,610.33 | $19,161.03 | $4,790.26 | $76,427.75 | $1,265,212.85 |
| 63 | $197,358.64 | $19,735.86 | $4,933.97 | $82,973.79 | $1,372,856.47 |
| 64 | $203,279.40 | $20,327.94 | $5,081.99 | $89,992.67 | $1,488,259.07 |
Growth is after fees of 0.5% a year, $71,732.17 in all. Each year-end balance is what is in the account on December 31 of that year.
Balance at retirement by what you put in
Going from 4% to 5% of pay adds $120,658.63 by 65, but going from 5% to 6% adds $80,439.07, because the match stops at 5%. Of the rates in this table, 25% is the first the IRS limit caps, for 10 of the 25 years.
| You put in | Your contributions | Employer match | Balance at retirement | In today's dollars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% of pay | $0.00 | $0.00 | $482,769.85 | $230,573.57 |
| 1% of pay | $36,459.25 | $18,229.72 | $603,428.77 | $288,200.94 |
| 2% of pay | $72,918.53 | $36,459.34 | $724,087.45 | $345,828.20 |
| 3% of pay | $109,377.78 | $54,688.92 | $844,746.00 | $403,455.39 |
| 4% of pay | $145,837.07 | $72,918.59 | $965,404.86 | $461,082.74 |
| 5% of pay | $182,296.33 | $91,148.23 | $1,086,063.49 | $518,709.97 |
| 6% of pay | $218,755.58 | $91,148.23 | $1,166,502.56 | $557,128.12 |
| 7% of pay | $255,214.84 | $91,148.23 | $1,246,941.69 | $595,546.30 |
| 8% of pay | $291,674.12 | $91,148.23 | $1,327,380.84 | $633,964.48 |
| 10% of pay (closest to your input) | $364,592.63 | $91,148.23 | $1,488,259.07 | $710,800.82 |
| 12% of pay | $437,511.18 | $91,148.23 | $1,649,137.30 | $787,637.16 |
| 15% of pay | $546,888.98 | $91,148.23 | $1,890,454.67 | $902,891.68 |
| 20% of pay | $729,185.28 | $91,148.23 | $2,292,650.25 | $1,094,982.53 |
| 25% of pay | $903,384.61 | $91,148.23 | $2,666,375.77 | $1,273,475.92 |
What fees cost by retirement
Each quarter point of fees costs $47,761.23 to $66,366.30 by 65. At 1.5% the fees take $192,840.03 and leave $355,113.03 less than no fees.
| Yearly fees | Per $1,000, as your fee chart shows it | Fees taken | Balance at retirement | Lost to fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1,617,933.89 | $0.00 |
| 0.25% | $2.50 | $36,882.46 | $1,551,567.59 | $66,366.30 |
| 0.5% (closest to your input) | $5.00 | $71,732.17 | $1,488,259.07 | $129,674.82 |
| 0.75% | $7.50 | $104,654.75 | $1,427,864.08 | $190,069.81 |
| 1% | $10.00 | $135,750.80 | $1,370,245.68 | $247,688.21 |
| 1.25% | $12.50 | $165,115.65 | $1,315,272.82 | $302,661.07 |
| 1.5% | $15.00 | $192,840.03 | $1,262,820.86 | $355,113.03 |
| 1.75% | $17.50 | $219,010.07 | $1,212,770.93 | $405,162.96 |
| 2% | $20.00 | $243,707.54 | $1,165,009.70 | $452,924.19 |
How your 401(k) grows
Each year you put in a share of your pay, your employer may add a match, and the whole account grows. This page works it out one year at a time. Your contributions come out of 12 monthly paychecks, so on average each dollar is invested for 5½ months of the year it goes in. After that it earns the full return, less fees, every year.
How the employer match works
A match is money your employer adds when you contribute. The IRS's page on matching contributions describes a plan that pays "50% of your contributions up to 5% of your annual salary." That is this page's default. On $100,000 of pay, 5% is $5,000, so the match tops out at $2,500.00 a year. Put in less and the match shrinks with you: at 3% it is $1,500.00. This calculator gives the IRS's own two examples exactly. On a $30,000 salary, $1,200 put in earns $600.00, and $2,000 earns $750.00, because only the first $1,500 is matched.
Why growth overtakes what you put in
Growth is earned on everything in the account, including past growth. In the first year the account grows by $6,872.40 after fees, less than the $12,500.00 you and your employer put in. By age 46 the yearly growth is the larger of the two. Nearly half of the $1,488,259.07 builds in the last 8 years, after the year you turn 56. That is why the last years of saving matter so much, and why the return you assume moves the answer so far.
How the IRS limits apply here
Each year the page caps what you put in at that year's IRS limit. From the year you turn 50 it adds the catch-up; the FAQ gives the 2026 amounts. It also caps what you and your employer add together, leaving out catch-ups, and counts only the pay the IRS lets a plan use. After 2026 it grows each 2026 limit with your inflation rate and rounds each increase down to the step the law sets. That is $500 for your contribution and catch-up limits (IRC sections 402(g)(4) and 414(v)(2)(C)) and $1,000 for what you and your employer add together (IRC section 415(d)(4)(B)). For the pay limit it is $5,000 (IRC section 401(a)(17)(B)). The IRS works each year's limits from older base years, so a real limit can rise a year sooner or later than here. On the default inputs you never reach the limit: the most you put in is $20,327.94, at 64. Your plan can set a lower limit than the IRS.
Video walkthrough
A 3½-minute walkthrough of where a 401(k) balance comes from: your saving, your employer's match and growth.
Read the transcript
What your savings could be worth
0:00 How much could your 401(k) hold when you retire?
0:04 In this example, about $1.5 million by age 65.
0:09 That's saving 10% of your pay from age 40, with $100,000 saved now, raises and an employer match.
0:18 Prices rise too, so in today's money it's worth about $710,000.
Where the money comes from
0:25 Each year, the account grows in a few ways.
0:28 You put in part of your pay.
0:30 Your employer adds a match.
0:32 And the whole balance earns a return, less fees.
0:35 In the first year, growth adds less than you and your employer put in.
0:40 Then it all repeats on a bigger balance, year after year.
0:44 Here is every year at once: the money you already had, your own contributions, the match, and growth, the part that keeps getting wider.
0:53 By age 65, growth is 63% of the balance.
0:58 And nearly half of it builds in the last 8 years, after the year you turn 56.
When growth outpaces your saving
1:04 Now look at each year on its own.
1:07 At first, what goes in is bigger than the growth.
1:10 From age 46, the growth is bigger, and the gap keeps widening.
1:14 In the last year, growth adds about 3½ times what you and your employer put in.
1:21 A dollar put in early has the most years to grow.
Getting the whole match
1:25 Your employer may add to what you save, if your plan allows it.
1:29 The IRS gives an example of a match formula, and this example uses it.
1:35 Here, your employer adds 50% of what you put in, on up to 5% of pay.
1:41 Save only 3%, and you pass up $1,000 of match this year.
1:47 So each point of pay up to the cap brings extra money.
1:51 Going from 4% to 5% adds about $121,000.
1:57 The next point adds about $80,000, because the match stops.
2:02 What you put in is always yours.
2:05 The match may depend on how long you stay, and this calculator counts all of it, so check your plan's vesting rules.
Try your own numbers
2:13 To try your own numbers, enter your pay and what you save.
2:17 Here, a younger saver earns $65,000 and saves 6% of pay.
2:24 The results update as you type.
2:26 Then enter your plan's match.
2:29 This one adds 100% of what you put in, on up to 4% of pay, and the results follow.
2:36 Every year is listed in a table you can download, and you can copy a link that keeps your numbers.
Before you count on it
2:43 The return is the part you can't control.
2:45 Real returns change from year to year, and in some years stocks lose money.
2:51 At 5% a year instead of 7%, the same saving ends at about $1.1 million.
2:58 So plan with a lower return too.
3:01 Fees come off the return, too.
3:04 At 0.5% a year, they cost about $130,000, counting the growth those dollars would have earned.
3:13 The IRS also caps what you can put in.
3:16 For 2026, the limit is $24,500, and from the year you turn 50, your plan may let you add a catch-up.
3:26 So get the whole match, give growth time, and test a lower return.
3:30 See your own numbers at fastcalc.us.
401(k) growth formula
you = pay × your rate, at most the year's IRS limit match = match rate × the smaller of (you) and (pay × matched-up-to share) growth = (balance + 11/24 × (you + match)) × (return − fees) next balance = balance + you + match + growth next pay = pay × (1 + raise) today's dollars = balance ÷ (1 + inflation)^years 11/24 = 5½ months: the average time a dollar from 12 monthly paychecks is invested in its first year
Worked examples
Starting early. Say you turn 25 this year, earn $50,000 and have nothing saved. Putting in 10% with the default match gives you $1,683,348.80 at 65. Waiting until 30 to start, when 3% raises have brought your pay to $57,963.70, leaves $1,332,035.63, which is $351,313.17 less. The five missed years would have added only $33,182.11: $26,545.68 from you and $6,636.43 from your employer.
The higher catch-up at 60 to 63. Say you turn 60 this year, earn $150,000, have $500,000 saved and put in the most allowed for four years. The higher catch-up lets you add $14,000.00 more than the age-50 catch-up would. With growth, that is $15,813.28 more by the end of the year you turn 63.
Working two more years. On the default inputs, retiring at 67 instead of 65 gives $1,744,484.96, $256,225.89 more: two more years of contributions and two more years of growth on a large balance.
Check your fee chart and W-2
If you choose your own investments, your plan must send a chart of its investment choices at least once a year (29 CFR 2550.404a-5). For each fund it shows the yearly cost as a percent, the expense ratio, and as "a dollar amount for a $1,000 investment." Divide the dollar figure by 10 to get the percent: $5.00 per $1,000 is 0.5%, this page's default. Add any plan fee charged as a percent of your balance, and enter the total as your yearly fees.
The Labor Department prints a sample chart in its booklet A Look at 401(k) Plan Fees. It lists an index fund at 0.18%, or $1.80 per $1,000, and a lifecycle fund at 1.50%, or $15.00. At the same 7% return before fees, the default inputs end at $1,569,835.64 with the first fee and $1,262,820.86 with the second, $307,014.78 apart. Cost is not everything, though. The booklet tells you to "Realize that cheaper is not necessarily better."
The chart must also say that fees can "substantially reduce the growth" of your account, and send you to the Labor Department's website for an example. The booklet gives one. There, $25,000 left alone for 35 years at 7% grows to $227,000 with fees of 0.5 percentage points, or $163,000 with fees of 1.5. With no new contributions this calculator gives $226,556 and $162,846, which round to the booklet's figures, and a 28.1% cut, the 28 percent it prints.
Your W-2 shows what you put in during the year. Box 12 with code D is traditional 401(k) contributions, and code AA is Roth; catch-ups are in the same amount. The W-2 instructions say traditional contributions go in box 3 "even though the deferrals are not includible in box 1." So at 10% of $100,000, box 12 should show $10,000.00, and the pay you enter here should come from your pay stub, not box 1.
Limits, vesting and early withdrawals
If you reach the limit before December
If you put in a high percent, you can reach the limit before December. If your plan matches each paycheck, the match stops when your contributions stop. With monthly pay of $200,000 a year, 15% reaches the $24,500 limit with your October paycheck. A plan that matches each paycheck then pays $4,166.70 instead of $5,000.00, $833.30 less, unless it adds a true-up after the year ends. Your summary plan description says how your plan figures the match. This page assumes a true-up.
When the match becomes yours
The IRS's 401(k) overview says "Elective deferrals are always 100% vested," so what you put in is always yours. The match can come with a waiting period, since a plan may require years of service before the employer's money is fully yours. If you leave early, part of the match, such as the first year's $2,500.00 here, may go back to the plan. This page counts the whole match as yours.
Retiring before 59½
Money taken out before 59½ owes a 10% additional tax on top of income tax unless an exception applies. One exception fits early retirees. The IRS's page of exceptions lists withdrawals from a 401(k) after "the employee separates from service during or after the year the employee reaches age 55" (IRC section 72(t)(2)(A)(v)). In the table, the balance at the end of the year you turn 54 is $630,069.37. Leave your job the next year and that plan's money can come out without the 10%. The exception does not apply to an IRA, so moving the money to an IRA first would lose it. The early withdrawal penalty calculator works out what taking money out early costs, and the early withdrawal exceptions calculator checks the other exceptions.
Catch-ups for higher earners go in as Roth
From 2026, the IRS's page on catch-up contributions says that in plans with a Roth option, catch-ups must be made "on a Roth basis if prior-year wages with the plan sponsor exceeded $150,000 (for 2026)." That changes when you pay tax, not the balance this page shows. The Roth catch-up requirement calculator checks whether it applies to you.
Assumptions and limits
- The return is the same every year. Real returns change and can be negative: the SEC's Investor.gov page What is Risk? notes that "Large company stocks as a group, for example, have lost money on average about one out of every three years." The 7% default is the return in the Labor Department's fee example, not a forecast.
- Fees are taken off the return each year: the Labor Department's sample chart says these costs "reduce the rate of return of the investment option." So 7% less 0.5% grows the balance 6.5% a year. Flat dollar fees are not included.
- Pay comes in 12 equal monthly paychecks, with your contribution and the match going in each month. The match is figured on the year's totals, as if your plan adds a true-up.
- Raises come once a year, from the second year on. Each row is a calendar year, labeled with the age you reach by December 31. The balance you enter is the one on January 1 of this year; the first row adds all of this year's savings and growth, so a balance from later in the year counts some of it twice.
- The first year uses the 2026 IRS limits. Later limits grow with your inflation rate, each increase rounded down to the steps the section on the IRS limits gives. Contributions to other employers' plans are not counted.
- Taxes are left out. Traditional and Roth contributions are treated alike, and the balance is before any tax you owe when you take money out. The Roth vs traditional calculator covers the tax side.
- No loans, withdrawals or skipped years, and the whole match counts as yours. The 401(k) loan calculator shows what a loan does to the balance.
- Today's dollars divide the balance by 1 plus inflation once for each year. The 3% default is an assumption; consumer prices (CPI-U) rose 3.11% a year from 2015 to 2025 and 2.53% a year from 2005 to 2025.
- The defaults are an illustration, not typical figures. Ages run from 18 to 80, pay up to $2,000,000, returns from 0% to 12% and fees up to 3%.
These figures are estimates for learning and planning, not financial, tax, legal or investment advice. Terms of use.
What to do with your projection
Put in at least the share of pay your employer matches. On the default inputs, the point of pay from 4% to 5% adds $120,658.63 by 65, but the point from 5% to 6% adds $80,439.07. Only dollars up to 5% bring 50 cents from your employer. Your summary plan description gives your formula; the employer match calculator works out tiers and dollar caps.
Check what your funds cost on your plan's yearly fee chart. On the default inputs each quarter point of fees costs $47,761.23 to $66,366.30 by 65. Fees are not the only thing to weigh: the chart must also say they are "only one of several factors" to consider. The investment fee calculator compares two fees side by side.
Raise your rate when your pay goes up. One more point of pay adds $80,439.19 by 65 on the default inputs, for $36,459.28 more of your own money over 25 years. The 401(k) contribution limit calculator shows the amount per paycheck and how much of the limit it uses.
Plan with today's dollars. $1,488,259.07 at 65 buys what $710,800.82 buys now if prices rise 3% a year. The retirement withdrawal calculator shows how long a balance can last.
Frequently asked questions
How much will my 401(k) be worth when I retire?
It depends most on the return and the number of years. On the default inputs it is $1,488,259.07 at 65. At a 5% return before fees it would be $1,075,926.46, and at 8% it would be $1,760,450.35. Plan on a return you would accept as low, not the one you hope for.
How does a 401(k) match work?
Your employer adds money when you contribute, up to a share of your pay. With a 50% match up to 6% of pay, someone earning $60,000 who puts in 4% gets $1,200.00, half of the $2,400 they put in. The IRS's page on matching contributions describes them as money your employer puts in "if you contribute to the plan from your salary," so contributing nothing gets no match.
How much should I contribute to my 401(k)?
Start with enough to get the full match, which on the default inputs is 5% of pay. Stopping at 3% would pass up $1,000.00 of match in the first year alone. Beyond that, each extra point still adds to the balance, as the table of contribution rates shows.
What is the 401(k) contribution limit for 2026?
You can put in $24,500 in 2026. From the year you turn 50 you can add an $8,000 catch-up, for $32,500. Everything you and your employer add, not counting catch-ups, is capped at $72,000 or your pay, if less. The IRS set these in Notice 2025-67.
How does the 401(k) catch-up for ages 60 to 63 work?
In the years you turn 60, 61, 62 and 63, the catch-up rises to $11,250, so this year you can put in $35,750. The year you turn 64 it drops back to the usual catch-up, and your plan has to allow catch-ups. The second worked example shows what four years of it add.
How much do fees reduce my 401(k) balance?
Over decades, a lot. On the default inputs, fees of 0.5% a year leave $129,674.82 less at 65 than no fees would. The section on your fee disclosure shows how this page reproduces the Labor Department's own example.
Is my projected 401(k) balance in today's dollars?
No, it is in future dollars. To compare it with prices now, the page divides it by 1 plus your inflation rate for each year until you retire; the In today's dollars card shows the result.
When can I take money out of my 401(k) without a penalty?
From age 59½, or from the year you turn 55 if you leave the employer whose plan it is. Before that, a 10% additional tax applies unless an exception does, so taking out $10,000 costs $1,000 on top of income tax. The section on retiring before 59½ explains the age-55 rule (IRC section 72(t)(2)(A)(v)).
Sources
- IRS, Matching contributions help you save more for retirement (page reviewed Apr 8, 2026)
- IRS, Retirement topics - 401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits (page reviewed Apr 8, 2026)
- IRS, Retirement topics - Catch-up contributions (page reviewed May 7, 2026)
- IRS, Notice 2025-67, 2026 amounts relating to retirement plans and IRAs, as adjusted for changes in cost-of-living (page modified Nov 13, 2025)
- IRS, 401(k) Resource Guide - Plan Participants - 401(k) Plan Overview (page reviewed Aug 3, 2026)
- IRS, Retirement topics - Exceptions to tax on early distributions (page reviewed Dec 11, 2025)
- IRS, General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026) (page reviewed Apr 30, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, A Look at 401(k) Plan Fees (page modified Oct 6, 2024)
- 29 CFR 2550.404a-5, fiduciary requirements for disclosure in participant-directed individual account plans (eCFR) (current version)
- 26 U.S.C. 402, taxability of beneficiary of employees' trust (Cornell LII text) (current version)
- 26 U.S.C. 414, definitions and special rules (Cornell LII text) (current version)
- 26 U.S.C. 415, limitations on benefits and contribution under qualified plans (Cornell LII text) (current version)
- 26 U.S.C. 401, qualified pension, profit-sharing, and stock bonus plans (Cornell LII text) (current version)
- SEC, Investor.gov, What is Risk? (current version)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U data file (series CUUR0000SA0) (current version)
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