What this calculator does
Enter your yearly pay, how often you are paid, the percentage you put into your 401(k), your age and your employer's match. The calculator shows how much comes out of each paycheck, what your employer adds, your 2026 limit, how much room is left under it and the percentage of pay that would reach the limit. Figures come from the IRS announcement of the 2026 limits and Notice 2025-67.
2026 401(k) limits
- $24,500 is the most you can put in from your pay in 2026 (pre-tax and Roth together). The same limit applies to 403(b) plans, most governmental 457 plans and the Thrift Savings Plan.
- Catch-up: if you are 50 or older by December 31, 2026, you can add $8,000 more, for $32,500. If you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 in 2026, the catch-up is $11,250, for $35,750.
- Roth catch-up rule: starting in 2026, if your 2025 Social Security (FICA) wages from the employer were over $150,000, your catch-up contributions must be Roth (after-tax).
- $72,000 is the most that can go into your account in one year from you and your employer together, not counting catch-up contributions, and never more than your pay.
- $360,000 is the most pay a plan can count, for example when it works out a match.
How it is worked out
Your contribution = pay × your percentage, but no more than your limit. Per paycheck = your contribution ÷ paychecks in the year. Employer match = match rate × the part of your contribution up to the match limit (as a percentage of pay). Example: on $75,000 a year paid every two weeks, 6% is $4,500 a year or $173.08 a paycheck. A 50% match on the first 6% of pay adds $2,250. To reach the $24,500 limit you would need about 32.7% of pay.
Getting the full match
A match is part of your pay package. If you put in less than the percentage your employer matches, you leave some of it unclaimed; the calculator shows how much. If you plan to reach the limit, check whether your plan matches each paycheck and whether it makes a "true-up" at year end. Without a true-up, reaching the limit early in the year can mean missing the match on later paychecks.
Some plans match in two steps, for example 100% of the first 3% of pay you put in and 50% of the next 2%. Enter the first step in the first two match boxes and the second step in "Then matches" and "On the next". With that formula and a 5% contribution, the match equals 4% of your pay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 401(k) limit for 2026?
$24,500 from your pay, plus an $8,000 catch-up from age 50, or an $11,250 catch-up for people who turn 60 to 63 in 2026.
Does the employer match count toward the $24,500 limit?
No. The $24,500 limit is for your own contributions. Your contributions and your employer's together are limited to $72,000 in 2026, not counting catch-up contributions.
What percentage should I contribute to max out my 401(k)?
Divide your limit by your yearly pay. On $75,000, the $24,500 limit is about 32.7% of pay. The calculator works it out for your pay and age.
I have two jobs. Do I get two limits?
No. The $24,500 limit covers all your 401(k), 403(b) and Thrift Savings Plan contributions together. A governmental 457(b) plan has its own separate limit.
Do 401(k) contributions lower my taxes?
Pre-tax contributions lower the income that is taxed now. Roth contributions do not, but qualified withdrawals later are tax-free. Social Security and Medicare taxes are taken out of both.