Using the 401K Calculator
Enter the employer amount you expect actually to receive each month. A matching percentage in a plan document is not itself a monthly cash amount; convert it using eligible pay and the plan’s matching rules.
Worked example
Use the example inputs below to reproduce this result. These are the form's starting values, not recommended targets. Changing your inputs updates your result above; this worked example stays fixed for comparison. Results are rounded for display.
Example inputs
- Starting balance
- 10000
- Monthly contribution
- 200
- Annual nominal return (%)
- 5
- Years
- 10
- Employer monthly contribution (if any)
- 0
- Withdrawal tax assumption (%)
- 20
Example result
- Future balance
- 47,526.55
- Total contributions
- 34,000
- Growth
- 13,526.55
- After assumed withdrawal tax
- 38,021.24
Method and assumptions
Projection only. Contributions, employer match and tax treatment are user assumptions; eligibility, statutory limits, penalties and required distributions are not evaluated. Roth qualified withdrawals may be tax-free.
Use consistent assumptions over time
A retirement projection depends on when contributions or withdrawals happen, the rate used and the number of periods. Keep those assumptions visible when comparing scenarios. An amount expressed in future currency is not automatically equivalent to the same amount of purchasing power today. Tax treatment and account rules should be checked separately wherever the model does not include them.
Common question
Does the employer contribution belong in my own monthly contribution?
Keep the two separate. Enter your contribution in the regular contribution field and the employer’s amount in the employer field so it is not counted twice.
Guide updated .