Updated · Built and checked by the PlinzoTools team, formulas tested against published sources
Calculate your employer's 401(k) match and check whether you're leaving free matching money on the table.
This tool calculates your employer's 401(k) match based on your own contribution rate, your employer's match percentage, and the match limit (the maximum percentage of salary your employer will match) -- and flags exactly how much free match you're leaving unclaimed if you're contributing below the match limit.
Enter your salary, your own contribution percentage, your employer's match rate, and the match limit (check your plan's summary description for these -- e.g. "50% match up to 6% of salary"). Your annual employer match and total contribution appear instantly, with a warning if you're leaving match money unclaimed.
The calculator produces an employer match per year, a total that goes into your account per year (your own contribution plus the match), and, when relevant, a warning showing the yearly match dollars you are not capturing. Internally, it takes the smaller of your contribution percentage and the match limit, multiplies that share of salary by the match rate, and treats the result as the employer match. Any contribution above the limit still goes into your account, but it earns no additional match.
Employer match = salary x min(your contribution %, match limit %) x match rate %. Unclaimed match = the maximum possible match minus the match you are receiving.
Take a hypothetical salary of 80,000 dollars and a plan that matches 50 percent of contributions up to 6 percent of pay.
Now a dollar-for-dollar plan: 100 percent match up to 4 percent. At the same salary, contributing 4 percent (3,200 dollars) earns a 3,200 dollar match, doubling your contribution instantly.
Employer matches are worded in several ways, and the numbers you type must match the wording:
If you are contributing less than your match limit and cash flow feels tight, try raising your rate gradually, for instance by one percentage point after each raise, until you reach the limit. Treat the output as a planning estimate and confirm details in your plan's summary description.
Because your employer only matches contributions up to that limit -- if you contribute less than the limit, you forfeit the portion of the match you would have received on the difference, which is effectively free compensation you're not claiming.
Generally no. Employee deferrals and employer contributions are subject to separate IRS limits. The calculator only shows how much match you receive; check IRS.gov for current limits that apply to you.
This tool uses one match rate and one limit. For tiered formulas, calculate each tier separately using the same formula and add the results together.
Match dollars in a traditional 401(k) are usually taxed when withdrawn, not when contributed. The tool does not calculate taxes, so confirm treatment with your plan documents or a tax professional.
The total is your yearly deferral plus the employer match, which represents everything flowing into the account for that year before any investment growth.
Reference: Social Security Administration