Free 401(k) Retirement Calculator
Estimate your 401(k) balance at retirement from current savings, contribution rate, employer match and expected return. Free. No signup required.
The employer match alone contributes $73,500.00 over your career — money you'd leave on the table by not contributing enough to claim it.
- Your Monthly Contribution$350.00
- Employer Match (monthly)$175.00
- Total Contributed$240,500.00
- Investment Growth$935,176.70
Assumes a dollar-for-dollar employer match up to the percentage you enter — check your plan's actual match formula.
ƒShow your work
- 1Months until retirement = (65 − 30) × 12 = 420
- 2Combined monthly contribution = $350.00 + $175.00 = $525.00
- 3FV = $20,000.00(1+i)^420 + contributions grown at 7%/yr = $1,175,676.70
About the Free 401(k) Retirement Calculator
A 401(k) projection has one moving part that most retirement math doesn't: the employer match, which is money added to your account that isn't yours until you contribute enough to claim it. Someone contributing 3% of salary to capture a full 3% match is effectively earning a guaranteed 100% return on that portion before the market does anything at all — this calculator adds your contributions, the match you're actually capturing, and decades of compounding together to project a realistic balance at retirement.
It's used by people deciding what contribution percentage to set going into a new job, checking whether they're contributing enough to get the full employer match, or just wanting to see what a current savings rate realistically turns into by the time they retire.
Your salary, your current balance, and your retirement timeline are private financial details — none of it is sent anywhere or stored, the whole projection runs on your device so you can plan around real numbers without creating a record of your retirement savings.
How it’s calculated
This assumes a dollar-for-dollar employer match up to whatever percentage of salary you specify, which is one of the most common match structures but not the only one — some employers match 50 cents per dollar, or match a different formula entirely, so check your specific plan documents rather than assuming this covers your exact match.
The IRS sets an annual limit on how much you personally can contribute to a 401(k), separate from and not counting employer match contributions — that limit adjusts most years for inflation, so check the current year's figure directly with your plan provider rather than assuming a fixed number.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good percentage of my salary to contribute to a 401(k)?
A common starting guideline is to contribute at least enough to capture the full employer match, then work toward 10-15% of salary total (including the match) over time — but the right number depends heavily on your age, other savings, and retirement timeline.
Am I leaving money on the table if I don't contribute enough to get the full match?
Yes — an employer match you don't claim is compensation you're simply not collecting. If your employer matches up to 3% of salary and you're only contributing 1%, you're giving up the other 2% entirely, which this calculator's employer match line makes visible.
Is there a limit to how much I can put into a 401(k) each year?
Yes, the IRS sets an annual employee contribution limit that's separate from employer match dollars and typically adjusts for inflation most years — check the current limit with your plan provider or the IRS directly, since it changes over time.
What annual return rate should I use for a realistic projection?
There's no guaranteed number, but a commonly used long-run reference for a diversified stock-heavy portfolio before inflation is in the 6-8% range — run the projection at a couple of different rates to see how sensitive your outcome is to that assumption.
Should I choose a Roth or a traditional 401(k)?
Traditional contributions reduce your taxable income now and are taxed on withdrawal in retirement; Roth contributions are taxed now but grow and withdraw tax-free. Generally, Roth tends to favor people who expect to be in a similar or higher tax bracket in retirement — but this calculator doesn't model that tax difference, so treat it separately from the growth projection here.
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