401(k) Paycheck Calculator 2026
See exactly how your 401(k) contributions affect your take-home pay, tax savings, and retirement growth. The 2026 contribution limit is $24,500 ($32,500 with catch-up for age 50+, $35,750 for ages 60-63).
How 401(k) Paycheck Calculator Works
Calculate how 401(k) contributions affect your paycheck. 2026 limit is $24,500 with $8,000 catch-up for 50+. See tax savings and take-home pay. Enter your values into the form above and the calculator processes them instantly in your browser — no data is sent to any server.
2026 401(k) Contribution Limits
IRS Limits for 2026
- Employee contribution limit: $24,500
- Catch-up contribution (age 50+): $8,000 (total $32,500)
- Super catch-up (ages 60-63): $11,250 (total $35,750)
- Employer + employee total limit: $70,500
- High earners ($145,000+ prior year): catch-up must be Roth
How 401(k) Contributions Reduce Taxes
Traditional 401(k) contributions are pre-tax, meaning they reduce your taxable income for the year. If you earn $80,000 and contribute $10,000 to your 401(k), you are only taxed on $70,000. This means every dollar you contribute saves you money at your marginal tax rate. For someone in the 22% bracket, a $10,000 contribution saves $2,200 in federal income taxes.
Employer Match
Many employers match a percentage of your 401(k) contributions. A common match is 50% of the first 6% of salary, or 100% of the first 3%. Employer matches do not count toward your $24,500 employee limit. Not taking full advantage of an employer match is leaving free money on the table.
Example
$75,000 salary, 10% contribution, 50% match on first 6%
- Your annual contribution: $7,500
- Employer match: $2,250 (50% of $4,500)
- Total going to 401(k): $9,750/year
- Tax savings at 22%: $1,650/year
- Paycheck reduction: ~$446/month (not $625, because of tax savings)
Tips for Getting Accurate Results
For the most accurate results, use up-to-date numbers from official sources. Double-check your inputs before calculating — small errors in the starting values can lead to significantly different outputs. If you are comparing scenarios, keep all variables the same except the one you are testing. Save or screenshot your results for future reference. This calculator uses standard formulas and is designed to give you a reliable quick estimate, though professional advice may be needed for complex situations.
2026 401(k) Catch-Up Rules — SECURE 2.0 Mandatory Roth for High Earners
Critical 2026 change: under SECURE Act 2.0 §603, employees who earned more than $145,000 in FICA wages in the prior year (2025) must make their catch-up contributions on a Roth (after-tax) basis, not traditional pre-tax. This rule took effect 1 January 2026 after a 2-year IRS administrative delay. If your employer's plan does not yet offer a Roth catch-up option, you cannot make catch-up contributions at all for 2026. The "super catch-up" of $11,250 (ages 60–63, totaling $35,750 limit) is also subject to this Roth requirement for high earners. Workers below the $145,000 prior-year threshold retain the choice of traditional or Roth catch-up. Check with your HR or plan administrator before maxing out a catch-up — getting it wrong triggers a corrective distribution by 15 April of the following year.
Roth 401(k) vs Traditional 401(k) Math at $100K Salary
The "Roth or Traditional?" decision drives 6-figure differences over a 30-year career. Worked example: a 35-year-old earning $100,000 contributing $24,500 (the 2026 limit), 30-year horizon, 7% annual return, 22% current marginal tax bracket, assumed 24% retirement bracket. Traditional 401(k): $24,500/yr contribution saves $5,390 in current tax (so net out-of-pocket $19,110). After 30 years at 7% compound: $2,311,000 balance. Withdrawing at 24% retirement bracket leaves $1,756,000 after tax. Roth 401(k): $24,500/yr contributed post-tax (no current tax break, full $24,500 out of pocket). After 30 years at 7%: $2,311,000 balance, tax-free at withdrawal → $2,311,000 after tax. Apparent Roth advantage = $555,000. BUT if you invest the $5,390 annual tax savings from Traditional in a taxable brokerage at 7%, that side-account grows to roughly $508,000 (after long-term capital gains tax of 15%). Net Traditional position becomes ~$2,264,000. The decision often comes down to whether you actually invest the tax savings. If you spend them, Roth almost always wins. Last updated: 2026-06-06.
How Much of My Paycheck Should Go to 401(k)? — Age-Based Targets
A common rule industry-published by Fidelity (used as the de-facto US retirement benchmark) is the 1× / 3× / 6× / 8× / 10× rule: aim to have your annual salary saved by 30, 3× by 40, 6× by 50, 8× by 60, and 10× by 67. To stay on that curve, the per-paycheck 401(k) contribution needs to be roughly:
- Ages 20–29: 10–15% of gross pay (counting employer match toward the total).
- Ages 30–39: 15% if you started saving in your 20s — 18–20% if you are starting fresh at 30+.
- Ages 40–49: 20–25% to make up for lost compounding years.
- Ages 50+: Max the $24,500 base limit AND the $7,500 catch-up ($32,000 total), plus the 60–63 super catch-up of $11,250 if eligible — totaling up to $35,750 of the 2026 IRS limits per IRS 401(k) Contribution Limits.
The single highest-leverage rule: always contribute enough to get the full employer match. A typical 100% match up to 3% of pay is an instant 100% return on every dollar — the only guaranteed risk-free return in personal finance. Anything less is leaving free money on the table. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey, 56% of US private-sector workers are eligible for a 401(k) match but only 41% contribute enough to capture all of it.
Updated 2026-06-13. Source: IRS Retirement Topics — 401(k) Contribution Limits 2026; BLS National Compensation Survey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2026 401(k) contribution limit?
The IRS set the 2026 employee contribution limit at $24,500, up from $23,500 in 2025. With catch-up contributions, those 50+ can contribute $32,500 and those aged 60-63 can contribute $35,750.
Why does my paycheck drop less than my contribution?
Traditional 401(k) contributions are pre-tax. A $500 contribution doesn't reduce your paycheck by $500 — it reduces it by $500 minus the tax you would have paid. At a 22% rate, a $500 contribution only costs you about $390 in take-home pay.
What is the super catch-up for ages 60-63?
The SECURE 2.0 Act allows workers aged 60 through 63 to make catch-up contributions of $11,250 (instead of the standard $8,000), bringing their total limit to $35,750 in 2026.
Does 401(k) reduce Social Security and Medicare taxes?
No. FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) are calculated on your gross salary before 401(k) deductions. Only federal and state income taxes are reduced.
Do employer matching contributions count toward my limit?
No. The $24,500 limit applies only to your employee contributions. Employer matches are separate and fall under the combined limit of $70,500 (employee + employer) for 2026.
What about Roth 401(k) catch-up contributions?
Starting in 2026, if your prior year FICA wages exceeded $145,000, your catch-up contributions must be made on a Roth (after-tax) basis.
Roth or Traditional 401(k) — which is better at $100K salary?
For a 35-year-old in the 22% bracket maxing $24,500/year for 30 years at 7% return: Traditional yields ~$1,756,000 net after retirement tax at 24%; Roth yields the full $2,311,000 tax-free. Roth wins by ~$555,000 UNLESS you invest the $5,390 annual Traditional tax savings in a taxable brokerage (which grows to ~$508,000 after 15% LTCG tax). Most people spend the savings, which is why Roth often wins in practice. The decision is really: will you actually invest the tax break, or spend it?
Why was the SECURE 2.0 mandatory Roth catch-up delayed to 2026?
SECURE 2.0 §603 originally took effect 1 January 2024, but the IRS issued Notice 2023-62 granting a 2-year administrative transition period through 31 December 2025. The delay gave plan sponsors time to add Roth provisions and update payroll systems. Effective 1 January 2026, employees who earned over $145,000 in FICA wages in 2025 must make catch-up contributions to a Roth account, or skip catch-up entirely if their plan does not offer Roth.
How much of my paycheck should I contribute to my 401(k)?
Fidelity's widely-used benchmark: 10-15% in your 20s, 15% in your 30s if you started early or 18-20% starting fresh, 20-25% in your 40s, and max the limits in your 50s ($32,000 with catch-up; $35,750 ages 60-63 super catch-up). The single most important rule: always contribute enough to capture the full employer match. A typical 100% match on the first 3% is an instant 100% return — anything less leaves free money on the table.
Should I prioritize the employer match before everything else?
Yes. The full employer match is the highest-return investment in personal finance — typically 100% return on the matched dollars, risk-free. Per BLS, 56% of US private-sector workers have access to a 401(k) match but only 41% capture all of it. Contribute up to the match first, then build an emergency fund, then increase 401(k) contributions toward the IRS limit. The exception: if you have credit card debt at 18%+, pay that down to the match level only, then attack the debt.