401(k) Match Calculator

About this calculator

An employer 401(k) match is money a company contributes to an employee’s retirement account on top of the employee’s own contributions, based on a formula the employer sets — common structures include a full 100% match up to 3% of salary, or a partial match like 50 cents on the dollar up to 6% of salary. This “free money” doesn’t count against most contribution limits the way employee deferrals do.

This calculator takes your salary, contribution percentage, and your employer’s match formula to show exactly how many dollars per paycheck and per year the employer adds to your account. Financial advisors near-universally recommend contributing at least enough to capture the full match before directing savings elsewhere, since failing to do so is effectively turning down guaranteed, immediate return that no other investment can match.