401(k) Calculator for United States

Method and scope

Traditional 401(k) balance illustration for a participant under 50 throughout the scenario. Enter your monthly elective deferral and the actual monthly employer contribution, not a match percentage. Uses the 2026 employee limit of $24,500 and combined limit of $72,000 as checks, held constant in future years. Compensation, vesting, plan-specific limits, catch-up contributions, Roth rules, Social Security and withdrawal taxes are excluded. Return is your assumption after fees, before withdrawal tax.

Try the starting example

Current balance: $10,000; Your monthly employee deferral: $300; Monthly employer contribution: $200; Assumed annual return (nominal): 5%; Years: 20.

Projected balance: $232,643.24.

Compare one assumption at a time

Only the assumed investment return changes; contribution inputs stay fixed. Check any eligibility or contribution-limit warning before using a result. A projected balance does not establish withdrawal income or tax relief. Where no editable return is supported, use the profile-specific interpretation below. These fictional scenarios use the starting inputs printed above, not your current entries in the interactive calculator.

Does your comparison include your employer contribution?

An ordinary investment projection does not add a 401(k) employer contribution. Enter the actual contribution in the dedicated 401(k) tool, then compare balances with the same return and horizon. The federal tax tool excludes state and local taxes, so its result cannot establish the cash available for saving.

To reproduce the table, reset the calculator, change only the named input and compare the result and any warning. Record the assumptions with your result. See worked planning examples and our calculation and correction process.

Sources and review date

• IRS 401(k) contribution limits

Rules and method reviewed 2026-11-01. Future changes are not automatically applied. Report a correction.