401(k) Calculator

Estimate retirement account growth with contributions, employer match, salary growth, returns, and fees.

How to Use

  1. Enter your current age, retirement age, and starting balance.
  2. Enter salary and your contribution (percent or dollars).
  3. Set employer match (match % and “up to” % of salary).
  4. Adjust return, fees, and salary growth assumptions.
  5. Open “Show Work” for the year-by-year breakdown.
Projected Balance
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Total Contributions
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Employer Match
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Investment Growth
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Inputs & Settings
Client-side estimate. Assumptions matter — adjust values to match your plan.
Used to compute years until retirement.
Must be greater than current age.
Your current account balance.
Used for % contribution and employer match caps.
Example: 10% or $6,000/year.
Optional: auto-raise your contribution rate or amount yearly.
Example: “50% match” means employer contributes $0.50 per $1 you contribute.
Example: “up to 6% of salary.”
Nominal average return before fees (estimate).
Plan + fund expense ratio (approx). Fees reduce effective return.
Affects future % contributions and match caps.
Monthly is a closer approximation of payroll deposits.
Show Work (step-by-step)
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Work shows the model assumptions used by this tool (timing, match cap, salary growth, net return after fees).

Model Notes

  • Employer match: calculated on your contributions up to “match up to % of salary.”
  • Return & fees: net return is modeled as return − fees when fees are enabled.
  • Salary growth: increases salary and therefore % contributions and match cap over time.
  • Estimates only: actual plan rules, vesting, contribution limits, and market returns vary.

FAQ

Does this include IRS contribution limits?

Not automatically. This tool estimates based on your inputs. If you enter a % or $ that exceeds limits for your situation, results will reflect that.

How is employer match calculated?

Employer match = (your eligible contributions) × (match %), where eligible contributions are capped by “match up to % of salary.”

Monthly vs end-of-year contributions?

Monthly approximates payroll deposits and typically results in slightly higher growth than end-of-year contributions.

Tool Info

Last updated:

Updates may include match rule presets, limit hints, and improved edge-case handling.