401(k) Calculator: What Will Your Balance Be?
By Hans Goldstein, founder, Retirement Literacy Foundation · Updated
Enrolled Agent, admitted to practice before the IRS.
See what your 401(k) grows to, split four ways: what you started with, what you put in, what your employer adds, and what the market does. The split is usually the surprising part.
Free to use. Nothing is sold. Estimates only, not investment or tax advice.
2026 limits on what you can put in from your pay: $24,500, plus an $8,000 catch-up at age 50 or older ($32,500), or an $11,250 catch-up at ages 60 to 63 ($35,750). Source: IRS, 2026 retirement plan limits. Checked October 10, 2026. The 2027 limits are not yet announced. Employer match does not count toward these limits.
Hans Goldstein, EA
Founder & Executive Director · Retirement Literacy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
Admitted to practice before the IRS
The number that surprises most people here is the employer-match line, and the second one is what happens to a large pre-tax balance at 73, when withdrawals become mandatory and taxable. Put your name below and I’ll send the one-page checklist of what to do with a 401(k) in the ten years before you retire.
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Common questions
How much should I contribute to my 401(k)?
At minimum, enough to capture the full employer match, since that portion is an immediate return you cannot get any other way. Beyond the match, the answer depends on your tax bracket now versus what you expect in retirement.
What is a typical employer match?
A common formula is 50 cents per dollar up to 6% of pay, which this calculator uses by default. Some employers match dollar-for-dollar up to 3% to 5%. Your plan summary states the exact formula.
What return should I assume?
Long-run diversified portfolios have historically returned roughly 6% to 8% before inflation, but no year looks like the average. Try a lower number to see how sensitive your result is.
What happens to my 401(k) at age 73?
Required minimum distributions begin at 73 (75 if you were born in 1960 or later), and the withdrawals are taxable as ordinary income. A large pre-tax balance can push you into a higher bracket and trigger Medicare IRMAA surcharges, so it is worth planning for before you get there. To see what any withdrawal costs in tax, use the 401(k) withdrawal tax calculator.
Related free tools
- RMD Calculator: what you must withdraw at 73
- Retirement Calculator: will your money last?
- Roth Conversion Calculator: what doing nothing costs
- IRMAA Calculator: the Medicare surcharge
The Retirement Literacy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. This calculator is general financial education, not individualized investment, tax, or insurance advice. Projections assume a steady rate of return; real markets vary year to year. Consider speaking with a licensed professional before making decisions.
See also: Planning to take money out? Use the 401k withdrawal tax calculator for the tax, penalty and withholding.