Retirement · Calculator

401(k) match
optimizer.

Find the contribution percentage needed to capture your full employer 401(k) match. This tool also shows how a missed match affects a thirty-year projection.

The question it answersWhat percentage do I need to contribute to get my full 401(k) match?

Privacy: runs in your browser. What you enter stays on your device unless you copy a share link, which puts your inputs in the link.

This page covers US-specific retirement accounts. The 401(k) is US-only; the general logic (employer matchemployer matchAn employer contribution linked to qualifying employee contributions under a plan formula. Eligibility, vesting and plan terms determine what you receive and keep. The match ratio is not an annual investment return, and the invested balance can fall.Full definition is free money, capture it first) applies to UK workplace pensions, Canadian RRSPsRegistered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)A Canadian tax-deferred retirement account; contributions reduce taxable income and growth is tax-deferred until withdrawal.Full definition, Australian Super, etc.

THE ANSWER
Enter your numbers and hit calculate.
YOUR CURRENT MATCH
$0/yr
FULL MATCH (OPTIMAL)
$0/yr
FREE MONEY YOU MISS
$0/yr
OVER THE YEARS YOU ENTERED
The compound cost of the gap appears here.
What this tool assumes
  • Your salary is constant over the years entered (no raises). Real salaries typically grow, so the long-term gap is conservatively estimated.
  • Match formula is single-tier (no multi-step formulas). If your plan has multiple tiers, use the effective dollar value in the custom field.
  • Long-term projection compounds monthly at the annual rate divided by 12.
  • VestingvestingThe schedule by which you earn the right to keep employer contributions or stock grants. You usually need to stay at the company for a set period before the money is fully yours.Full definition schedule is not modeled; assumes you stay long enough to vest the match.

Free-money rule: always contribute at least the match threshold. Educational only; not financial advice.

Check ownership before relying on the match

The displayed match is a formula estimate. It does not simulate your service history, vesting or future investment returns: vesting is not a promise that you will keep every employer dollar if you leave. Read the plan’s matching and vesting schedule, payroll timing, true-up rules and participant fee disclosure. Your own salary deferrals are vested; employer ownership can depend on the plan.

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HOW THIS IS CALCULATED

This tool runs entirely in your browser: no data is sent to any server. The assumptions and default values behind the result are listed under “What this tool assumes” on this page. Verify the methodology or inspect the source code in your browser's dev tools.

Where to go from here

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Sources

Bracketed numbers in the text link to these sources. Figures, rates and rules change: check each source’s date before acting on it.

  1. DOL: 401(k) Plans For Small Businesses ↩

Calculators are educational estimates, not financial advice. Disclosures · How pages are reviewed