🌴Retirement & 401(k) Calculator

How this retirement calculator works

It simulates your account month by month from today until your retirement age. Each month, your contribution (a percentage of salary) and the employer match are deposited, and the balance grows at the assumed return. Your salary rises each year by the raise you enter, so contributions grow too. The chart splits the final balance into what you put in, what your employer added, and what investment growth did on its own, which for most people is the largest slice.

The income in retirement figure applies your withdrawal rate to the final balance. The 4% rule (withdraw 4% in year one, then adjust for inflation) has historically supported a 30-year retirement in most market scenarios; 3%–3.5% is more conservative.

The employer match is the best return you will ever get

A common plan is a 50% match on the first 6% of pay. Contributing 6% means your employer adds 3%, an immediate 50% return before the market does anything. Contributing only 3% forfeits half the match, and the calculator flags the exact dollars lost each year. If you can only do one thing with your retirement plan, contribute enough to capture the full match.

2026 contribution limits

• 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans: $24,500 employee deferral limit. Catch-up for age 50+: an additional $8,000; ages 60–63 get a higher $11,250 catch-up.
• IRA (traditional and Roth): $7,500, plus $1,100 catch-up at 50+.
• Combined employee + employer 401(k) limit: $72,000.

These limits are indexed to inflation and change most years. Confirm the current figures on irs.gov before maxing out.

Choosing a return assumption

The S&P 500 has returned about 10% per year on average over the last century, but retirement portfolios usually hold bonds too and get more conservative as you age. 6%–7% is a reasonable planning number for a diversified stock-heavy portfolio; 5% if you want a margin of safety. Always look at the inflation-adjusted figure: $2 million in 35 years buys roughly what $850,000 buys today at 2.5% inflation.

Benchmarks: how much should you have saved?

A widely used rule of thumb from Fidelity: 1× salary by 30, 3× by 40, 6× by 50, 8× by 60, and 10× by 67. These assume you save 15% of income (including match) from age 25 and retire at 67. If you are behind, the biggest levers in order are: contribution rate, years until retirement, and return. Try raising your contribution 1% a year, most people never notice it.