How the calculator works
Each year it takes your salary, raised by the rate you set, and puts in the share you save. Your employer adds its match on the part of your savings up to its cap. Your own savings stop at the year’s limit: $24,500 in 2026, plus $8,000 from age 50 and $11,250 in the years you turn 60 to 63. The limits are assumed to rise with inflation, as they do in practice. The whole balance then grows at the return you choose.
The income figure uses the common 4% rule: take 4% of the balance in the first year of retirement and raise that amount with inflation after. It is a starting point, not a guarantee. Someone retiring early or with no pension may want to take less.
Small changes that matter most
Getting the full employer match is the best return available to most workers, because it adds money the moment you save. After that, raising your savings rate by 1% of pay each year, starting early, and leaving the money invested do most of the work. The what-if table under your result shows how much each one is worth for you.
Teachers and public workers often have a pension too, and many can use both a 403(b) and a 457(b). To see how your savings fit with a pension and Social Security, try Am I on track? or My retirement plan. Our guide to 403(b) and 457(b) plans explains the differences.
Questions
What are the 2026 contribution limits?
You can put up to $24,500 of your own pay into a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b) or the federal Thrift Savings Plan in 2026. At 50 or older you can add a catch-up of $8,000, and in the years you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 the catch-up is $11,250 instead. Employer money does not count toward your $24,500, but everything together is capped at $72,000.
Can I use a 403(b) and a 457(b) at the same time?
Yes. Many teachers and public workers can. The 457(b) has its own separate $24,500 limit, so someone with both plans can save up to $49,000 of pay in 2026 before catch-ups. This calculator models one plan at a time. Run it twice and add the results.
What is an employer match?
Many employers add money when you save, for example 50 cents for each dollar you put in up to 6% of your pay. If you save less than that 6%, you leave part of the match behind. The calculator shows how much a year you would miss.
Why show today's dollars?
A balance 30 years from now will buy much less than the same number today. Dividing by inflation turns the future balance into today's money, so you can compare it with what you earn and spend now.
Do I have to make catch-up contributions as Roth?
From 2026, if your wages from the employer were over $150,000 the year before, any catch-up contributions in a plan that offers Roth must go in as Roth. Some governmental plans have a later start date. The amount you can save is the same either way.