See what your employer's 401(k) match is worth and how much free money you're leaving on the table.
Enter your numbers to see the results.
Limit reached
This paycheck is your rate times pay. The yearly totals above stop at the IRS limit.
| Paycheck | Pay | Your deferral | Match |
|---|
Real payroll systems stop your deferrals once you reach the annual limit, so your last checks may be smaller than shown.
Estimates only, not tax, legal or investment advice. Your plan document sets the real match formula, timing, vesting and whether catch-up contributions are matched. Check it with your HR team or plan administrator. This tool assumes catch-up contributions are matched like any other deferral.
Last reviewed: October 28, 2026
Enter your salary, how much you put in, and your employer's match formula. You'll see what the match is worth this year, the most you could get, and how much of it you're missing. It handles the common formulas, like dollar-for-dollar up to 6%, 50% up to 6%, and tiered plans such as 100% of the first 3% plus 50% of the next 2%. If your plan matches each paycheck, there's a mode that shows what happens when you hit the IRS limit early.
| Limit | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Your own deferral (under 50) | $24,500 |
| Catch-up, age 50 and older | +$8,000, so $32,500 |
| Higher catch-up, ages 60 to 63 | +$11,250, so $35,750 |
| Pay the plan can count for the match | $360,000 |
| Total additions, you plus employer (not counting catch-up) | $72,000 |
Sources: IRS announcement of the 2026 limits, Notice 2025-67, the IRS cost-of-living table and the IRS catch-up contributions page. SIMPLE 401(k) plans have their own, lower limits that this tool doesn't cover: for 2026, $17,000 in most plans and $18,100 in certain smaller-employer plans. SIMPLE catch-up is $4,000 ($3,850 in those smaller-employer plans), or $5,250 at ages 60 to 63 (Notice 2025-67 and the IRS announcement above).
The tool works out your yearly contribution, capped at the IRS limit for your age, then applies the match formula to that share of your pay. Pay above $360,000 isn't counted. Each line is rounded to the cent.
$60,000 salary, 3% contribution, 100% match up to 6%, paid every two weeks. You put in $1,800 and the employer adds $1,800. The most it could add is $3,600, so you're leaving $1,800 behind. To get all of it, contribute 6% of pay, or $138.47 per paycheck ($3,600 ÷ 26, rounded up).
$85,000 salary, 6% contribution, 50% match up to 6%. You put in $5,100 and the employer adds $2,550, which is 3.00% of your pay. Nothing left on the table.
$72,500 salary, 4% contribution, 100% of the first 3% plus 50% of the next 2%. The first tier gives $2,175.00 and the second gives $362.50 on the 1% you put in, so the match is $2,537.50. The most available is $2,900.00, so $362.50 is unclaimed. Contributing 5% closes the gap.
$200,000 salary, 20% contribution, 100% match up to 5%, with a yearly true-up. Your 20% would be $40,000, but the limit is $24,500, so you contribute $24,500. The match is $10,000.00, the whole thing, because you passed 5% of pay long ago.
Pay is $7,692.31 per paycheck. At 20%, you reach the $24,500 limit on paycheck 16. After that, you contribute nothing, so you get no match for the last ten paychecks. The match is 16 × $384.62 = $6,153.92 instead of $10,000.12, which leaves $3,846.20 unclaimed. If you contributed 12.24% instead, you'd put in $941.54 a paycheck, $24,480.04 for the year, which stays under the limit, and you'd get the full $10,000.12. Check your plan for a "true-up" and ask HR before you front-load.
$150,000 salary, 25% contribution, 100% match up to 4%. The limit is $35,750 at ages 60 to 63 and $32,500 at 50 to 59, so you'd contribute that much. The match is $6,000.00 either way, since the formula only reaches 4% of pay.
$400,000 salary, 10% contribution, 100% match up to 6%. The plan only counts the first $360,000, so 6% is $21,600.00, which is the match, even though 6% of your real salary would be $24,000. You contribute $24,500, the limit.
$360,000 salary, 10% contribution, 100% match up to 10%. The $24,500 limit stops you at 6.81% of pay, so the match is $24,500.00. You can't get the top of the formula, no matter what percent you choose.
$100,000 salary, 6% contribution, 50% match up to 6%. The formula says $3,000, but the plan caps the match at $2,000, so you get $2,000.00. With the cap, you only need to contribute 4% ($153.85 per biweekly paycheck) to reach it, since 50% of 4% already equals the cap at $100,000.
$50,000 salary, 0%, 100% of the first 4% plus 50% of the next 2%. The match is $0 and $2,500.00 is left on the table. Contributing 6% ($115.39 per paycheck, biweekly) would capture it.
Your employer adds money to your 401(k) based on what you contribute. A common formula is 50% of the first 6% of your pay. If you earn $85,000 and put in 6%, your employer adds about $2,550 a year.
At least the percent where your formula ends. For "100% up to 6%" or "50% up to 6%," that's 6%. For "100% of 3% plus 50% of the next 2%," it's 5%. The tool shows that percent and the dollar amount per paycheck.
It's part of your compensation, so it's close to it. An immediate 50% or 100% return on the contributed dollars is hard to beat. Vesting rules may mean you only keep part of the match if you leave early, so check your plan.
Many people take the full match first, because the match is an instant return, then pay down high-interest debt. Whether that works for you depends on your rates and your budget. The credit card payoff calculator shows what a faster payoff saves.
No. The limit applies to your own deferrals. The match counts toward a separate total of $72,000 for the year, which covers your contributions plus the employer's, not counting catch-up. The tool shows a warning if you pass it.
A true-up is a payment at year-end that gives you the match you missed if you contributed unevenly. Without one, a plan that matches each paycheck only matches what you put in on that paycheck. Contributing the maximum early in the year can cost you match in the paychecks after you hit the limit.
Usually, though plans define "compensation" differently, for example whether bonuses or overtime count. Use the pay your plan counts for the match.
It depends on the plan. This tool assumes they do. If your plan excludes them, look at the result for the under-50 limit.
Sometimes. Starting in 2026, if your pay from this employer was more than $150,000 in 2025 (Social Security wages, box 3 of your W-2), your catch-up contributions must go in as Roth, which means after tax. The match calculation is the same either way, but ask your plan administrator how your catch-up is handled. This rule doesn't apply to SIMPLE plans. Source: IRS Notice 2025-67.
That depends on your plan. Employer contributions can be pre-tax or, if the plan allows it, Roth. This tool doesn't estimate taxes.
The IRS doesn't let plans count more than that much pay when they figure contributions in 2026. A salary over that limit gets the same match as one at $360,000.