401(k) Calculator

The 401(k) Calculator projects how large your employer-sponsored retirement account could grow by the time you retire, based on your current balance, salary, contribution rate, employer match, expected return, and years until retirement. By compounding regular contributions over decades, it shows the dramatic effect that consistent saving and tax-deferred growth have on your final nest egg.

A 401(k) is funded with pre-tax dollars (or after-tax dollars in a Roth 401(k)), so contributions reduce your taxable income today while the balance grows tax-deferred until withdrawal. The calculator typically lets you set your contribution as a percentage of salary and add an employer match, often expressed as a percentage of pay up to a cap; capturing the full match is essentially free money and one of the highest-return moves in personal finance.

Use it to compare scenarios: how much more you'd have by raising your contribution one or two percent, retiring a few years later, or assuming a more conservative return. The 2024-2025 elective deferral limit is around 23,000 dollars with an additional catch-up contribution allowed at age 50 and over, so the tool helps you see how close you are to maxing out. It complements an IRA Calculator for tax-advantaged saving outside work and a Social Security Calculator for your full retirement income picture.

Practical tips: increase your contribution rate automatically each year or whenever you get a raise so you never feel the cut, mind investment fees that quietly erode returns, and remember that Roth versus traditional choice depends on whether you expect higher tax rates now or in retirement. Small percentage changes early have an outsized impact thanks to compounding.