401(k) Match Calculator

2026 rules

Enter your salary, your contribution and your employer's match formula to see what the match is worth and whether you're getting all of it.

Your numbers

Annual salary

Your contribution (% of pay)

Employer match (cents per dollar you contribute)

100 is dollar-for-dollar, 50 is 50 cents per dollar.

Match applies up to (% of pay)

Find this in your plan's summary description.

Your age at the end of 2026

Result

Employer match you get$2,400

Your contribution$2,400
Match on contributions up to 4% of pay$2,400
Total in the plan$4,800
Contribution that earns the full match$3,200
Full match available$3,200
Match you are leaving unclaimed$800

Matches often vest over time. Check your plan's vesting schedule before counting the match as yours if you may leave soon.

Some plans match each paycheck separately, so front-loading your contributions can lose match; check whether your plan trues up.

How it works

Match formulas have two parts: how much the employer adds per dollar you contribute, and the share of your pay the match applies to. A common formula is 50 cents per dollar up to 6% of pay; another is dollar-for-dollar up to 4%.

Contributing less than the cap leaves part of the match unclaimed. The calculator shows the contribution that earns the full match and the match you would miss at your current percentage.

Your pay counts only up to $360,000, and your own contribution is limited to $24,500 ($32,500 at 50 or older, $35,750 at 60 to 63). The match does not count toward your limit.

2026 figures: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments); IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 retirement plan limits); CMS 2026 Medicare Parts A & B premiums and deductibles.

Questions

Is employer match taxed?

Match dollars are normally pre-tax, so they are taxed when you withdraw them. Plans that allow Roth employer contributions treat the match as taxable income in the year it is made.

What is vesting?

Vesting is how long you must stay before the match is fully yours. Some plans vest it immediately, others over several years. Your own contributions are always yours.