401(k) match calculator

Your employer match is the best return you will ever get. See what you receive, what you are missing, and what it grows into.

In short: Your 401(k) employer match equals your salary × the smaller of your contribution rate and the match limit × the match rate. To get the full match, contribute at least the match limit, often 6% of salary.

$1,600 a year in free money

You're leaving $800 a year on the table. Contribute 6% of your salary to get the full match.

Full match available: $2,400
Your match after 30 years: $89,565
Missed match, grown: $44,783

What would change your result

Raise your contribution to 6% and collect $800 more a year, worth about $44,783 by retirement.
Five more years in the plan grows your match to about $117,159.
Check your vesting schedule before changing jobs: unvested match can be lost when you leave.

What-ifs worked out from your own numbers. Not personal financial advice.

Match you get
Full match

Using a 3.88% real return. All amounts in today's dollars.

Year-by-year table

Year	Your match, grown	Full match, grown
0	$0	$0
1	$1,628	$2,442
2	$3,320	$4,980
3	$5,077	$7,616
4	$6,902	$10,354
5	$8,799	$13,198
6	$10,769	$16,153
7	$12,815	$19,223
8	$14,941	$22,412
9	$17,150	$25,725
10	$19,444	$29,166
11	$21,827	$32,741
12	$24,303	$36,455
13	$26,875	$40,313
14	$29,547	$44,321
15	$32,323	$48,485
16	$35,207	$52,810
17	$38,202	$57,304
18	$41,314	$61,971
19	$44,547	$66,820
20	$47,905	$71,858
21	$51,394	$77,091
22	$55,018	$82,527
23	$58,783	$88,174
24	$62,694	$94,041
25	$66,757	$100,136
26	$70,978	$106,467
27	$75,363	$113,044
28	$79,918	$119,876
29	$84,649	$126,974
30	$89,565	$134,348

A worked example

With these inputs:

Your salary$80,000
You contribute4%
Employer matches50%
Up to6%
Years until retirement30 years
Expected return7%
Inflation3%

the calculator returns $1,600 a year in free money. You're leaving $800 a year on the table. Contribute 6% of your salary to get the full match.

Its first suggestion: Raise your contribution to 6% and collect $800 more a year, worth about $44,783 by retirement.

Key facts

A common formula is a 50% match on contributions up to 6% of salary.
On an $80,000 salary, contributing 4% instead of 6% with a 50% match leaves $800 a year unclaimed, about $44,800 by retirement over 30 years.
Employer contributions don't count toward the IRS employee deferral limit, but they may be subject to a vesting schedule.

How it's calculated

Your employer adds salary × the smaller of (your contribution, the match limit) × the match rate. A common formula, 50% up to 6%, pays $0.50 for every dollar you put in, on the first 6% of your salary.

We add the match monthly and grow it at the real return until retirement, once for the match you get and once for the full match. The gap between the lines is what skipping part of the match really costs.

Not included: vesting schedules, which can take back unvested match if you leave early, and IRS contribution limits, which your plan applies for you.

Questions people ask

What is a 401(k) match?

Money your employer adds to your 401(k) when you contribute, typically a percentage of what you put in, up to a share of your salary.

Does the employer match count toward my contribution limit?

No. The IRS employee deferral limit covers only your own contributions. Employer money counts toward a much higher combined limit.

What does vested mean?

Vesting decides when the match is fully yours. Some plans vest immediately; others over three to six years. Leave early and you may lose the unvested part.

Should I contribute more than the match?

The match comes first because it is an instant return. After that, many people fund a Roth IRA or an HSA, then go back to the 401(k).