Enter your salary, contribution rate, and employer match to project your 401(k) balance at retirement — and see immediately if you're leaving free employer money on the table.
This calculator projects your 401(k) balance year by year, using your salary, contribution rate, employer match, expected salary growth, and rate of return — enforcing the real 2026 IRS contribution limits automatically.
Cashing out before 59½ usually costs more than people expect — see the real amount you'd actually receive.
Estimated amount you'd actually receive
Estimate only — your actual withholding and tax owed depend on your full tax return, not just this withdrawal. The 10% penalty applies to withdrawals before age 59½ unless an IRS exception applies.
Started the year contributing too little? See exactly what to change per paycheck to still capture the full match by December 31.
Uses your salary and match cap from the main calculator above.
Contribute this much for each remaining paycheck to capture your full match by year-end.
Assumes your salary is spread evenly across pay periods. Check with your payroll or benefits department to confirm your plan allows mid-year contribution rate changes.
The IRS sets a hard ceiling on how much you can contribute each year, adjusted for inflation.
| Who | 2026 limit |
|---|---|
| Under 50 | $24,500 |
| Age 50+ (catch-up) | $32,500 |
| Age 60–63 (super catch-up) | $35,750 |
| Combined employee + employer | $72,000 |
Source: IRS Notice 2025-67, "401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026" (IRS.gov). Starting 2026, catch-up contributions from anyone who earned over $150,000 the prior year must be made as Roth (after-tax).
An employer match is compensation you've already earned — skipping it is identical to declining part of your paycheck. If your plan matches 50% up to 6% of salary and you only contribute 3%, you're giving up half of the match you're entitled to, every single pay period.
This calculator flags that gap directly in your results above — if you see the red "leaving money on the table" callout, increasing your contribution to at least the match cap is usually the single highest-return move available to you, since it's an immediate, guaranteed return before any market growth even happens.
| Traditional 401(k) | Roth 401(k) | |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions | Pre-tax — lowers your taxable income now | After-tax — no deduction today |
| Withdrawals in retirement | Taxed as ordinary income | Tax-free, including all growth |
| Best if you expect | To be in a lower tax bracket in retirement | To be in the same or higher tax bracket in retirement |
Many plans let you split contributions between both. If you're early in your career and likely earning less now than you will later, a Roth 401(k) — or a mix — is often worth considering alongside the traditional option this calculator projects.
Withdrawing from a 401(k) before age 59½ generally triggers ordinary income tax plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty on the amount taken out — a real cost, not just a technicality. There are exceptions worth knowing:
Beelinger projects your balance year by year: each year's employee contribution is your contribution percentage times that year's salary, capped at the 2026 IRS limit for your projected age that year — $24,500 under 50, $32,500 at 50–59 and 64+, or $35,750 at 60–63 — recalculated automatically as the projection ages you forward. Employer match is calculated on the lesser of your contribution percentage or the match cap, at your entered match rate, with the combined employee-plus-employer total capped at the 2026 $72,000 limit for realism at high income and match levels. Salary grows by your entered percentage each year. Contributions are treated as landing roughly mid-year — approximating real per-paycheck deposits rather than one lump sum — so they receive about half a year's growth in the year they're made, with the existing balance receiving a full year's growth. If you enable inflation adjustment, every figure shown (balance, contributions, match, and growth) is discounted by 3% annually so the full breakdown still adds up correctly in today's purchasing power. This is a projection based on steady assumptions — actual contribution limits are not indexed here for future inflation beyond 2026, and real market returns and your salary path will vary.
Use these related tools to see how your 401(k) fits into your full financial picture.
Beelinger's Money Coach can help you weigh your 401(k) contribution against debt payoff, an emergency fund, and everything else competing for the same paycheck.
$24,500 for anyone under 50. Workers 50 and older can contribute up to $32,500 using the standard catch-up, and workers age 60–63 can contribute up to $35,750 using the SECURE 2.0 "super catch-up," if their plan allows it. Source: IRS Notice 2025-67.
At minimum, contribute enough to capture your full employer match — that's an immediate, guaranteed return you shouldn't leave unclaimed. Beyond that, many advisors suggest working toward 15% of income (including the match) over time, but the right number depends on your full budget, debt, and other savings goals.
You permanently lose it — unclaimed employer match doesn't roll over or get paid to you later. If your plan matches 50% up to 6% and you only contribute 3%, you're giving up half of the match every pay period for as long as you stay under that threshold.
Yes. They have separate contribution limits, so maxing out your 401(k) doesn't affect how much you can put into an IRA (traditional or Roth), subject to that account's own income and contribution rules.
A traditional 401(k) uses pre-tax contributions and taxes withdrawals in retirement. A Roth 401(k) uses after-tax contributions, but qualified withdrawals — including all the growth — come out completely tax-free.
You can, but withdrawals before age 59½ generally trigger ordinary income tax plus a 10% penalty, with exceptions like the Rule of 55 (leaving your job in or after the year you turn 55) or certain hardship withdrawals. A 401(k) loan is often a better option if you need the money temporarily and plan to repay it.