401(k) Calculator
Project your 401(k) balance over time. Includes employer match modeling — make sure you’re capturing the full match.
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About 401(k) Calculator
Capture the full match
If your employer matches 50% up to 6% of salary, contributing only 4% means you’re leaving free money on the table. Always contribute at least enough to capture the entire match — it’s effectively a 50% (or 100%) immediate return.
2024-2025 contribution limits
Employee elective deferral limit: $23,000 (2024) / $23,500 (2025). Age 50+ catch-up: additional $7,500. Total combined limit (employee + employer): $69,000 (2024) / $70,000 (2025). Limits change annually.
Traditional vs Roth 401(k)
Traditional: contributions pre-tax, withdrawals taxed in retirement. Roth: contributions post-tax, withdrawals tax-free. Young earners in lower brackets often favor Roth; high earners near retirement often favor traditional.
Nominal vs. real (today's dollars)
The projected balance is nominal — the number your statement will show decades from now. Divide it by (1 + inflation)years to see what it buys at today's prices: a $1,000,000 balance in 30 years, with 3% inflation, buys roughly what $412,000 buys now. At a 4% withdrawal rate that's about $40,000 a year nominal, but only about $16,500 a year in today's money. Flip "Show real (today's dollars)" to swap the headline between the two, and watch the dashed line on the balance chart for the year-by-year picture. Because the return you enter is a nominal one, don't subtract inflation from it yourself.