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Retirement / 401k Calculator
Retirement / 401k Calculator
Employer match (401k)
Your employer adds match cents per dollar you contribute, up to cap % of your salary.
Projected balance at retirement
$1,465,852.47
Years to retirement: 35
Contributions
$325,000.00
- You paid in (incl. current savings)
- $220,000.00
- Employer match total
- $105,000.00
Growth
$1,140,852.47
- Monthly employer match
- $250.00
Full match — your contribution is below the salary cap.
Yearly breakdown
| Year | Age | Start balance | End balance | Contributions | Match | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | $10,000.00 | $20,017.34 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $1,017.34 |
| 2 | 32 | $20,017.34 | $30,758.83 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $1,741.49 |
| 3 | 33 | $30,758.83 | $42,276.83 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $2,518.00 |
| 4 | 34 | $42,276.83 | $54,627.47 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,350.63 |
| 5 | 35 | $54,627.47 | $67,870.93 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $4,243.46 |
| 31 | 61 | $996,143.22 | $1,077,448.93 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $72,305.71 |
| 32 | 62 | $1,077,448.93 | $1,164,632.24 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $78,183.31 |
| 33 | 63 | $1,164,632.24 | $1,258,118.04 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $84,485.80 |
| 34 | 64 | $1,258,118.04 | $1,358,361.94 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $91,243.89 |
| 35 | 65 | $1,358,361.94 | $1,465,852.47 | $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $98,490.53 |
Retirement / 401k Calculator — Project Your Balance
Will you have enough to retire? This free 401k calculator projects your balance at retirement from eight numbers you know: your current and retirement ages, current savings, monthly contribution, expected annual return, salary, employer match rate and match cap. Monthly compounding grows your savings plus contributions plus employer match, and the result splits into what you (and your employer) paid in versus pure investment growth — in nominal dollars, with no inflation adjustment in v1.
Test starting a decade earlier, raising your contribution 1%, or capturing the full employer match — free money many savers leave behind. The year-by-year breakdown shows every year's balance, contributions, match and growth. Every calculation runs locally in your browser with no signup, and any scenario can be shared with a link that reproduces it exactly.
How the projection works
Each month the balance compounds at the monthly rate, then your contribution and the employer match are deposited at month-end (ordinary annuity). The match is the smaller of your matched contribution and the salary-cap allowance.
bal = balance · i = annual return / 100 / 12 · monthly = your contribution · match = employer deposit. Deposits land at END of each month; starting earlier beats contributing more later.
How it works
- Enter your current age and retirement age — the horizon drives everything.
- Enter current savings and your monthly contribution.
- Enter salary, match rate and cap to capture employer money.
- Read the projected balance, contributions-vs-growth split and yearly breakdown.
How the 50%-up-to-6% match works
A typical 401k matches 50 cents per dollar you contribute, up to 6% of your salary. Contribute 6% of a $60,000 salary ($300/mo) and the employer adds $150/mo. Contribute more and the match stops growing — the salary cap binds. Nothing vests partially here: v1 assumes you keep the full match.
What v1 leaves out
No inflation adjustment (nominal dollars only), no taxes, no withdrawals or drawdown modeling. Treat the projection as a savings-trajectory baseline, not financial advice — follow-ups will add real-dollar and drawdown views.
Frequently asked questions
How does the employer match work?
Each month the employer adds the smaller of your matched contribution (contribution × match rate) and the cap allowance (salary × cap ÷ 12). Salary zero means no match.
Why does starting early matter so much?
Compounding is exponential in time: money invested at 25 has 40 years to double repeatedly, while money at 45 has 20. Extra years beat extra dollars — project both scenarios above.
What return should I assume?
US stocks averaged roughly 7% real, 10% nominal historically; a 60/40 portfolio less. Many planners use 6–7% nominal. This tool compounds whatever you enter — it is not a prediction.
What if my employer offers no match?
Set match rate or salary to zero: the projection runs on your savings plus contributions alone, and the match lines disappear.
How accurate is this projection?
The compounding math matches references to the cent, but real returns vary yearly, jobs and matches change, and inflation is ignored. Treat it as a trajectory sketch, not a promise.