Retirement
Retirement Calculator
Estimate how much you need to save to retire comfortably.
Use Calculator401(k) Calculator
This 401(k) calculator is for workers with an employer-sponsored plan who want to estimate how their balance could grow by retirement. You'll need your age, planned retirement age, current balance, salary, contribution percentage, your employer's match terms, and an expected return and salary growth rate.
How it works
Each month you contribute your chosen percentage of salary, and your employer adds its match.
The match is the employer match percentage applied to your contributions up to the match limit (a percentage of salary). For example, a 50% match up to 6% adds $0.50 for every $1 you contribute, on the first 6% of your pay.
The balance grows monthly at the expected return, and your salary rises once a year by the growth rate. All results are estimates that depend entirely on these assumptions — real returns vary from year to year and can be negative.
To see whether your 401(k) fits your overall plan, try the retirement calculator, compare tax-free growth with the Roth IRA calculator, or test how long savings may last with the retirement withdrawal calculator. The guide how much should I save for retirement covers common approaches.
Formula & methodology
Employer match = Salary × match % × min(your %, limit %)
Annual IRS contribution limits, vesting schedules, fees and taxes are not applied.
Returns are assumed constant; actual returns vary.
Illustrative example
Age 30, $75,000 salary, 6% contribution, 50% match up to 6%
Hypothetical assumptions: starting balance $0, contributions of 6% of salary, an employer match of 50% up to 6%, a 6% annual return, 2.5% yearly salary growth and retirement at 65.
In the first year you contribute $4,500 and your employer adds $2,250 — $6,750 in total.
Over 35 years, contributions add up to about $247,177 from you and $123,588 from your employer. With the assumed growth of about $681,743, the estimated balance at 65 is roughly $1,052,508.
This is a projection, not a promise: a lower return, a pause in contributions, fees or IRS limits would produce a different result. Try a few return assumptions to see a range.
Hypothetical figures for illustration only.
Frequently asked questions
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