Retirement Calculator
Project your 401(k) or retirement balance to your target age — with employer match, salary growth, and expected return — then compare it against what you'll actually need (your income target minus Social Security, capitalized by the 4% rule). On track or not, you'll see the surplus or the exact extra monthly saving to close the gap — entirely in your browser.
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Year-by-year projection (nominal $)
| Year | Age | Salary | Balance |
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"What you'll need" assumes you want a set percentage of your final salary as retirement income (75% is a common planning default), subtracts expected Social Security (the 2026 average benefit is about $2,000/mo), and multiplies the rest by 25 — the 4% rule. The today's-dollars toggle deflates the headline and the needed/gap figures by your inflation rate; the year table stays nominal. Always contribute at least enough to get the full employer match.
Capture the full match — always
The single highest-return move in most retirement plans is the employer match. A 50% match is an immediate 50% return; a dollar-for-dollar match doubles your contribution on day one, before the market does anything. The breakdown bar shows the match as its own slice precisely because it's free money — and skipping it is the most common, most expensive retirement mistake. Contribute at least up to the match limit before anything else.
Growth eventually dwarfs contributions
Early on, your balance grows mostly from what you and your employer put in. But compounding takes over: given enough years, the "growth" slice becomes the largest part of the final number — your past contributions earning returns, and those returns earning more. The year-by-year table shows the curve bending upward. It's the strongest argument for starting early and never cashing out.
Projected vs needed: the gap is the answer
A big projected balance means nothing without a target. The "what you'll need" block builds one the way planners do: take a percentage of your final salary as the income you'll want (75% is the common default), subtract what Social Security will cover, and multiply the rest by 25 — the 4% rule in reverse. If your projection clears that nest egg, you'll see the surplus; if not, the calculator solves for the exact extra monthly saving that closes the gap by your retirement date. That single dollars-per-month figure is the most actionable number on the page.
Nominal vs today's dollars
A seven-figure projection decades away is exciting but partly an illusion of inflation — those future dollars buy less than today's. Use the Today's $ toggle to deflate the headline balance and the needed/gap figures by your inflation assumption (2.5% by default) into today's purchasing power, which is far more useful for deciding whether you're actually on track. The year-by-year table stays in nominal dollars so it matches your real statements.
Related
- Personal finance hub — all our money calculators and guides
- FIRE calculator — financial independence / retire early
- Compound interest calculator — the engine behind it all
- Inflation calculator — convert to today's dollars
FAQ
Is anything I enter sent to a server?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser — open DevTools → Network and confirm. Your salary and savings never leave the tab.
How does the employer match work?
Most employers match a portion of what you contribute, up to a cap. A common deal is "50% up to 6%" — for every dollar you put in, the employer adds 50 cents, until your contributions reach 6% of salary. Enter the match rate (50) and the limit (6) and the calculator adds the employer money to your balance each month. Contributing less than the limit leaves free money on the table.
Why is the employer match called free money?
Because it's an instant, guaranteed return on your contribution that you get nowhere else. A 50% match is an immediate 50% gain before any market growth; a dollar-for-dollar (100%) match doubles your money the moment it's contributed. No investment reliably beats that. The rule of thumb: always contribute at least enough to capture the full match, even when money is tight.
Should I use a nominal or real return?
By default this shows nominal dollars — the raw future balance, not adjusted for inflation. A big number decades out can be misleading because those dollars buy less. Flip the Today's $ toggle and the headline, the needed nest egg, and the gap are all deflated by your inflation rate into today's purchasing power (the year-by-year table stays nominal). Alternatively, enter a real return (expected return minus inflation) and leave the toggle on nominal.
How much do I actually need to retire?
A standard planning approach: aim for a retirement income around 75% of your final salary (you'll spend less on commuting, payroll taxes, and saving itself), subtract what Social Security covers (the 2026 average benefit is roughly $2,000/month), and multiply the rest by 25 — the 4% rule. The calculator does exactly that: needed nest egg = (income target − Social Security) × 25. Adjust the income percentage and Social Security figures to your situation.
What if I'm projected to fall short?
The gap badge tells you. If your projected balance is below the needed nest egg, the calculator solves the standard future-value-of-annuity formula backward to find the extra monthly saving that closes the gap by your retirement age. Starting earlier shrinks that number dramatically — the same gap costs far less per month at 30 than at 45.
Does this account for contribution limits or taxes?
No. The IRS caps annual 401(k) contributions (and the limit rises over time), and traditional vs Roth accounts are taxed differently — traditional is taxed on withdrawal, Roth on the way in. This tool projects growth without modeling those rules, so treat very high contribution rates as illustrative. For real planning, check the current limits and your account type.