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401(k) Calculator
Your 401(k) is the one deduction that pays you back twice: the money goes into your retirement pot, and your employer often adds money of their own on top. Put in your salary, your contribution, and your employer's match, and this 401k calculator shows what you save in a year — and what it does to your take-home pay.
Example filled in: $60,000 a year, you put in 5%, your employer matches 50% up to 6% of your pay — that is $4,500 saved in a year.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your annual salary.
- Enter the percent of your pay you put into your 401(k), and your employer's match percent and match limit.
- Pick your filing status, state, and pay frequency for the take-home pay check.
- Tap "Work out my 401(k)" — this 401k contribution calculator updates as you change any number, and shows your saving, your employer's match, and your take-home pay with and without the 401(k).
Worked example — $60,000, 5% in, 50% match up to 6%
$60,000 salary, you put in 5% ($3,000 a year), your employer matches 50% of what you put in, up to 6% of your pay. Your 5% is inside the 6% limit, so the match is 50% of $3,000 = $1,500 a year. Together that is $4,500 saved in a year — $375.00 a month, or $173.08 a paycheck. Your take-home pay, single, in Texas, paid every two weeks, with $120 health cover a paycheck, is $1,740.12 a paycheck with the 401(k), and $1,841.65 without it. So you give up $101.53 a paycheck, and $115.38 goes into your 401(k) — the $13.85 gap is federal tax you no longer pay, because 401(k) money comes out before federal tax.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put in at least enough to get the full match?
If you can, yes. The match is money your employer only pays if you put your share in first. In the example above, putting in 5% gets you $1,500 a year from your employer that you would not get at 0%. Put in less than the match limit and you leave part of the match on the table. Put your numbers into the 401k calculator above to see what the match is worth for your salary.
Why does my take-home pay fall by less than my 401(k) contribution?
Because 401(k) money comes out before federal income tax. In the example, $115.38 goes into the 401(k) each paycheck, but take-home pay only falls by $101.53 — the other $13.85 is federal tax you no longer pay that paycheck ($360.10 saved over the year). Social Security and Medicare still apply to 401(k) money, so they do not change.
What if I leave my job — do I keep the match?
Your own contributions are always yours. The employer match can be subject to a vesting schedule, which means you only keep all of it after you have worked there for a set time. Ask your employer how their vesting works before you count the match as yours.
How does 401k affect my paycheck?
It lowers your take-home pay, but by less than the amount you put in — because 401(k) money comes out before federal income tax. In the example above, $115.38 goes into the 401(k) each paycheck but take-home pay only falls by $101.53. Social Security and Medicare still apply to 401(k) money, so they do not change.
Sources and 2026 figures. IRS Publication 15-T; IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32. Standard deduction 2026: $16,100 single / $32,200 married filing jointly. Social Security wage base 2026: $184,500. Social Security 6.2%, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% over $200,000). Results are estimates, not tax advice.
Estimate, not tax advice. This calculator uses simplified 2026 tables for illustration. Verify your withholding with IRS Publication 15-T and a tax professional.