See where your 401(k) could land: your contributions, the employer match and compound growth, year by year. Add your ages and the IRS catch-up limits apply automatically. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Same contributions and return — only the finish line moves. A few extra years of compounding is often worth more than a few extra percent of contributions.
| Year | Salary | Balance | You've put in | Employer match |
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Project your 401(k) to retirement: your contributions, the employer match and compound growth, with pessimistic and optimistic views and today's-dollars figures.
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Project your 401(k) to retirement: what you put in, what your employer adds through the match, and what compounding adds on top — with a year-by-year table.
On a $60,000 salary contributing 10% with a typical match — 50% of the first 6% — at 7% growth for 30 years from a zero balance: the pot reaches about $760,144. You put in $180,000, your employer adds $54,000, and growth adds the other $526,144.
The projection runs month by month: each month your contribution and the employer match are added, and the balance grows at the monthly equivalent of your expected annual return. Salary rises once a year at your growth rate, so contributions rise with it. The match is calculated on the matched slice of salary only — contribute at least up to the cap, or you are leaving part of your pay on the table.
A common match formula: for every dollar you contribute up to 6% of your salary, your employer adds 50 cents. Contribute 6% and you get the full 3%-of-salary match; contribute less and you give some of it back.
Compounding: returns earn returns. Over 30 years at 7%, money roughly doubles every decade, so the growth slice usually overtakes contributions — starting early matters more than contributing heroically later.
The match is an instant 50–100% return, so capturing it all comes first for most people. Beyond the cap, extra contributions still grow tax-deferred, subject to the IRS annual limit.
Long-run US stock market returns have averaged around 10% a year before inflation, and balanced funds less; 6–7% is a common cautious planning figure. The slider lets you test a range rather than trusting one number.
No — the projection runs entirely in your browser.
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