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401(k) Contribution

The match is part of your salary. Take all of it.

A 401(k) decision is three numbers: what you defer, what the employer adds, and what the tax saving refunds. This calculator runs all three against the official 2026 IRS limits — $24,500 under 50, $32,500 with the age-50 catch-up, $35,750 at ages 60–63 — and shows the per-paycheck amount, any employer match left on the table, and what the contribution really costs your take-home pay after the pre-tax deduction.

Why people use this

Employees use it at open enrollment and after every raise: what does 1% more actually cost per check, and is the full match being captured? It is the answer to the two most common 401(k) questions — "how much should I put in" and "what will my paycheck look like."

How it works

1. Enter your salary and contribution percentage, and pick your age bracket — the 2026 IRS deferral limit adjusts automatically.
2. Model the employer match (e.g., 50% of the first 6% of salary) to see the free-money dollars and anything left on the table.
3. Enter your combined marginal tax rate — pre-tax contributions cost less than face value because they skip that tax.
4. Read annual and per-check contributions, tax savings, real take-home cost, and the percentage needed to max the limit.

Common questions

What is the 401(k) contribution limit for 2026?

$24,500 for employee elective deferrals under IRS Notice 2025-67, up $1,000 from 2025. Workers 50 and older add an $8,000 catch-up ($32,500 total), and ages 60–63 get a super catch-up of $11,250 ($35,750 total) if the plan offers it. The limit is per person across all plans, not per account.

Does the employer match count toward my limit?

No. The match never counts against your $24,500 deferral limit — it counts only toward the §415(c) annual-additions cap of $72,000 (2026), which covers deferrals plus all employer money. Example: $85,000 salary at 10% defers $8,500, and a 50%-of-6% match adds $2,550 — total $11,050 into the plan, all under both caps.

What does contributing actually cost my paycheck?

Less than the contribution. Pre-tax deferrals skip your marginal tax rate, so $8,500 deferred at a 22% marginal rate saves $1,870 in tax and costs $6,630 of take-home — $326.92 per biweekly check on an $85,000 salary. And contributing below the match threshold is worse than any fee: at 4% with a 50%-of-6% match, you leave $850 a year of pay unclaimed.

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