Free 401(k) Calculator with Employer Match

At minimum, enough to capture the full employer match — that's free money. Beyond that, the financial-planning rule of thumb is 15% of gross income (employee + employer combined) for someone starting in their 20s, scaling up to 20–25% if you start later or want to retire early. The IRS max for 2025 is $23,500 ($31,000 with the age 50+ catch-up). High earners aiming at FIRE often max out from year 1.

Traditional contributions are pre-tax — they reduce your current-year taxable income, so you save your marginal-bracket rate today (22% for most middle-income earners). Withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income. Roth contributions are after-tax — no tax savings today, but all withdrawals (contributions + growth) are tax-free in retirement. Roth is better when your retirement bracket will be higher than today's; Traditional is better when retirement bracket will be lower.

Typical structure: "50% match on the first 6% of salary." This means your employer puts in $0.50 for every $1 you contribute, up to 6% of your salary. On an $80,000 salary, contributing the full 6% ($4,800) gets you a $2,400 match. Contributing 3% gets you only a $1,200 match — you've "lost" $1,200/year of free money. The calculator flags this when your contribution falls below the match cap.

Per IRS Notice 2024-80: elective deferral $23,500 (IRC § 402(g)); standard catch-up for age 50+ is $7,500 (§ 414(v)); SECURE 2.0 enhanced catch-up for ages 60–63 is $11,250 (§ 414(v)(2)(E)); total combined employee + employer contribution cap is $70,000 (§ 415(c)); salary cap for match calculation is $350,000 (§ 401(a)(17)). 2026 limits will update when the IRS publishes Rev. Proc. 2025-XX.

It applies in calendar years you turn 60, 61, 62, or 63. At age 64, you revert to the standard $7,500 catch-up. Some plans implement this; not all have rolled out the systems update yet — check with your plan administrator. This calculator applies it whenever your age falls in 60–63 to project the maximum allowed under current law.

For most people, yes — at least up to the match cap. A 50% match is an instant 50% return on your contribution; no other risk-free investment comes close. Exception: very-high-interest debt (credit cards at 24%+) usually beats a partial match. After capturing the full match, prioritize debt repayment vs further 401(k) contributions based on the after-tax debt rate vs expected investment return.

Yes, but with significant penalty. Withdrawals before age 59½ are subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty PLUS ordinary income tax — typically you net 60–65% of what you withdraw. Exceptions: hardship withdrawals (limited), 72(t) substantially equal periodic payments, certain medical expenses. Generally, avoid early withdrawals — the tax-deferred compound growth is the whole point.

No. Every calculation runs in your browser. Your salary, balance, and contribution rate never touch a server. The URL can encode your inputs for sharing, but parameters live only in the link.