401(k) Contribution Limit Calculator (2026)
The 2026 employee 401(k) limit is $23,500 — $31,000if you're 50 or older. Enter your age, salary, and contribution rate to see how much room you have left and what maxing out would add to your balance over the next decade.
401(k) Contribution Limit Calculator
Enter your age, salary, and contribution rate to see your 2026 IRS max, how much room you have left, and what maxing out would add over 10 years.
At 50+ you can add a $7,500 catch-up contribution.
≈ $4,500 this year.
Dollar-for-dollar up to this % of pay — e.g. 4% means 4% matched.
Your 2026 Max Limit
$23,500
Employee deferral, under age 50
Annual Gap to Max
$19,000
contributing 19% of the limit
10-Year Gain if Maxed
+$274,051
extra balance at 7% return
$19,000 of unused contribution room
You're putting in $4,500 of your $23,500 limit. Closing that gap and investing it for 10 years at 7% would add about $274,051 to your balance.
2026 401(k) Contribution Limits
The IRS sets two numbers that matter here: how much of your own salary you can defer, and the total that can land in the account from all sources. For 2026:
| Limit | Under 50 | Age 50+ |
|---|---|---|
| Your contributions (employee deferral) | $23,500 | $31,000 |
| Catch-up contribution | — | $7,500 |
| Combined limit (you + employer) | $72,000 | $80,500 |
The headline $23,500 cap is only on your money. Employer match and profit-sharing are extra and count toward the much higher combined limit, so a generous match never reduces how much you can personally contribute. One wrinkle for older savers: under SECURE 2.0, workers aged 60 to 63get a larger “super catch-up” of $11,250 in 2026 in place of the standard $7,500.
How Employer Match Affects Your Growth
Your contribution limit and your employer match are two separate levers, and the match is the one you should never leave on the table. A typical “100% match up to 4% of salary” on a $75,000 income is $3,000 a year of free money — a guaranteed 100% return before the market does anything. Skip it for 30 years of compounding at 7% and you walk away from roughly $300,000.
Notice the order in the calculator: getting the full match is cheaper than maxing out. The match maxes out at a low contribution rate (often 4–6% of pay), while reaching the full $23,500 takes a much higher rate unless you earn a large salary. That's why the smart sequence is: contribute up to the match first, then decide whether to push toward the full limit with the gap the calculator shows you. Model the full 30-year picture, including raises and vesting, in the 401(k) growth calculator.
Traditional vs Roth 401(k) Contribution Strategy
The contribution limit is the same whether you choose Traditional or Roth — the $23,500 cap is combined across both buckets, not per bucket. The difference is purely when you pay tax:
- Traditional:contributions are pre-tax and cut this year's taxable income; withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income. Best when you expect a lower tax bracket later.
- Roth 401(k): contributions are after-tax; qualified withdrawals — including all growth — come out tax-free. Best when you expect the same or higher bracket in retirement, which is common for younger or fast-rising earners.
Two things to remember: the employer match always lands in the Traditional (pre-tax) bucket regardless of which you pick, and many people split contributions between both to hedge against not knowing future tax rates. If you want a fully tax-free slice of retirement, pair this with a Roth IRA — it has its own separate contribution limit on top of your 401(k).
Related Tools & Articles
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 401(k) limit for 2026?
For 2026, the employee deferral limit is $23,500. If you're age 50 or older, you can add a $7,500 catch-up contribution for a total of $31,000. These caps apply to your own contributions only — employer match is on top of them, under a separate, much higher combined limit.
How much can I contribute to my 401(k)?
You can defer up to $23,500 of your own salary in 2026 (or $31,000 if you're 50 or older). Whether you can hit that depends on your pay: at a 6% contribution rate you'd need to earn about $392,000 to reach $23,500, so most people are well under the cap and have room to contribute more. Enter your salary and rate above to see your exact number and the gap to the limit.
Does the employer match count toward the 401(k) limit?
No. The $23,500 / $31,000 caps apply only to your own elective deferrals. Employer match and profit-sharing are separate and fall under the much larger combined 415(c) limit ($72,000 in 2026, or $80,500 with the 50+ catch-up). In practice that means you can always contribute the full employee limit regardless of how generous your match is.
What is the 401(k) catch-up contribution for 2026?
If you turn 50 or older during 2026, you can contribute an extra $7,500 above the standard limit — $31,000 total. Under SECURE 2.0, savers aged 60 to 63 get an even larger "super catch-up" of $11,250 in 2026 in place of the regular $7,500. The catch-up is use-it-or-lose-it each year; unused room doesn't carry forward.
Should I max out my 401(k) or just get the match?
Always contribute at least enough to capture the full employer match — that's an instant 50–100% return you can't get anywhere else. Beyond the match, the common order of operations is to max a Roth IRA next (if eligible), then come back and max the 401(k). Maxing the 401(k) is most valuable if you're in a high tax bracket now and want the upfront deduction.
What happens if I contribute more than the 401(k) limit?
Excess deferrals must be withdrawn (with earnings) by April 15 of the following year, or they're taxed twice — once in the year contributed and again when withdrawn. This usually only happens if you switch jobs mid-year and both plans don't know about each other, so track your year-to-date total across employers.