401(k) Match Calculator
Enter your salary, contribution and your employer's match formula to see the free match you capture each year, and any match money you are leaving on the table.
Employee deferrals are capped at the 2026 IRS limit of $24,500 (2025: $23,500). Workers 50 and over can add an $8,000 catch-up. Employer match dollars do not count toward the deferral limit.
How employer matching works
A match formula has two parts: a match rate and a cap on the slice of pay it applies to. With 50% of the first 6%, an employer adds 50 cents for each dollar you contribute, but only on contributions up to 6% of salary. On an $80,000 salary, contributing 6% ($4,800) earns the full $2,400 match, while contributing 2% ($1,600) earns only $800 and leaves $1,600 of potential match unclaimed. Tiered formulas such as 100% of the first 3% plus 50% of the next 2% pay the full match on the first slice and half on the next, worth up to 4% of salary in total.
| Formula | Max match (% of salary) | Contribute at least |
|---|---|---|
| 100% of the first 3% | 3% | 3% |
| 100% of the first 4% | 4% | 4% |
| 50% of the first 6% | 3% | 6% |
| 100% of first 3% + 50% of next 2% | 4% | 5% |
The 2026 IRS limits
The IRS elective deferral limit for 2026 is $24,500, up from $23,500 in 2025. If you are 50 or older by the end of the year, you can add an $8,000 catch-up contribution, for $32,500 in total; workers aged 60 to 63 can add $11,250 instead if their plan allows. Employer matching contributions sit in a separate, larger bucket: combined employee and employer additions can reach $72,000 in 2026. This calculator caps your contribution at the $24,500 deferral limit and computes the match on the amount actually deferred.
Frequently asked questions
How does 401(k) matching work?
Your employer adds money to your 401(k) based on how much you contribute, up to a cap set in the plan. With a common formula like 50% of the first 6%, an employee on an $80,000 salary contributing 6% ($4,800 a year) receives a $2,400 match. Contributing only 2% captures $1,600 and leaves $800 of potential match unclaimed. Match formulas vary by plan, so check your summary plan description.
Is the employer match really free money?
In practical terms yes: it is extra compensation you only receive if you contribute. A 50% match is an instant 50% return on the matched slice of your contribution, before any investment growth, and no savings account comes close. The catches are that you must contribute to get it, you usually cannot touch it until retirement age without penalties, and it may not be fully yours until you are vested.
What is vesting and does it affect my match?
Vesting is the schedule that decides when employer contributions become permanently yours. Your own contributions are always 100% vested immediately, but the match may follow a cliff schedule (all yours after, say, 3 years) or a graded schedule (for example 20% more each year from year 2 to year 6). If you leave before you are fully vested, you forfeit the unvested part of the match. Many plans vest immediately; check yours.
What happens if I contribute more than the IRS limit?
The IRS elective deferral limit is $24,500 for 2026, and payroll systems usually stop your contributions once you hit it. If you contribute to plans at two employers, you must track the combined total yourself and ask one plan to return the excess by mid-April of the following year, or the excess is taxed twice. Workers aged 50 and over can add an $8,000 catch-up contribution in 2026, and those aged 60 to 63 can add $11,250 if the plan allows. Employer match money does not count toward the $24,500 deferral limit.
Is this 401(k) match calculator free?
Yes. It is completely free, requires no sign-up, and all calculations run locally in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.