2026 IRS 401(k) contribution limits
The IRS caps how much you can personally contribute to a 401(k) each year, regardless of your salary. For 2026, that limit is $24,500 for anyone under 50. If you're 50 or older, you can add an $8,000 catch-up contribution, for $32,500 total. There's a further wrinkle for savers turning 60, 61, 62, or 63 specifically during the year: SECURE 2.0 gives this age band a larger $11,250 catch-up instead of the standard $8,000, for $35,750 total — a narrow four-year window worth knowing about if you're approaching it. This calculator applies the correct limit automatically based on the age you enter for each year of the projection.
Why employer match is effectively free money
An employer match — commonly structured as "100% of your contribution up to 6% of salary" — means your employer adds money to your account for every dollar you contribute, up to that limit. Contributing less than the match threshold leaves part of that match unclaimed, which is functionally identical to declining a portion of your own compensation. This calculator separates employee and employer contributions in the results specifically so you can see how much of your final balance came from money your employer added on top of your own.
What this projection doesn't account for
Two real simplifications are built into this calculator, both disclosed directly: salary is assumed to stay flat over the entire projection, when in reality most people receive raises that would increase both their contributions and their employer match over time — meaning your real balance would likely end up higher than this estimate. Contributions are also modeled as landing once per year rather than spread across each paycheck, a standard simplification that has a small effect on the precise growth curve but not the overall trajectory.