Retirement Savings Calculator
Project what your retirement savings could grow to by the age you plan to stop work — including your employer match, the most valuable money in any retirement plan.
How much will I have saved by age 65?
Retirement savings: Retirement savings are funds built up during working years in accounts such as a 401(k) or IRA, growing through regular contributions, employer matching and compound investment returns. A 40-year-old with $50,000 already saved who contributes $500 a month plus a $250 employer match, growing at 8% a year, reaches about $1,080,000 by age 65 — roughly $805,000 of it pure investment growth. Starting the same plan at 50 instead cuts the outcome to roughly $425,000.
How to project retirement savings
- Enter your current savings, your monthly contribution and any employer match.
- Project the balance forward period by period at your expected annual return until your retirement age.
- Compare the final balance with the total contributed to see how much of it is growth.
- Stress-test the plan with a later start age or a lower return before relying on it.
Source: IRS — Retirement Plans · Investor.gov (SEC) — Compound Interest Calculator
Growth by year
Illustration only, at a constant return. Real markets move in uneven steps — the plan matters more than any single projection.
How this retirement calculator works
The calculator compounds three things together: the savings you already have, the contribution you make every month, and your employer's match, at the annual return you choose, from your current age to your retirement age. It shows the projected balance alongside an honest breakdown — how much of the final pile is your money, how much is your employer's, and how much is investment growth. That breakdown carries the real lesson of retirement saving: over long horizons, growth and the match together typically contribute more than half of the final balance, which is why starting early and never leaving match money unclaimed beat almost every other financial decision.
Worked example
A 40-year-old with $50,000 already saved, contributing $500 a month with a $250 employer match, growing at 8% a year until 65. Over 25 years she contributes $150,000 of her own money on top of the starting $50,000; her employer adds another $75,000. The projected balance at 65 is about $1,080,000 — meaning roughly $805,000, nearly three quarters of the final sum, is pure investment growth. Now move her current age to 50 in the calculator, keeping everything else the same: only 15 years of compounding remain and the finish line drops to roughly $425,000. A decade of delay costs more than half a million dollars. That is the single most persuasive table in personal finance.
The levers that matter, in order
- Start now. Compounding is back-loaded: most growth happens in the final third of the timeline. Every year of delay removes the most valuable year — the last one.
- Capture the full employer match. Contributing less than the match threshold is literally declining part of your salary. In the example, skipping the match costs $75,000 of contributions and several hundred thousand of final balance.
- Raise contributions with raises. Increasing your contribution by 1% of salary each year is nearly painless and compounds into a dramatically higher finish.
- Keep fees tiny. A 1% annual fee consumes roughly a quarter of a 25–30 year outcome in foregone growth. Low-cost index funds exist precisely to keep this drag near zero.
- Use a defensible return. 8% reflects long-run US stock-market history before inflation; balanced portfolios have returned less. Run a 6% case too, and build a plan that still works there — see the compound interest calculator for the pure mechanics.
How much will you need?
A common planning target is replacing 70–85% of your pre-retirement income, with Social Security covering part of it. Work backwards: the gap between that income and your expected Social Security and any pension is what savings must fund, and multiplying the annual gap by roughly 25 gives a classic savings target. Compare your projection above against that number early, while the levers — time, contribution rate, retirement age — can still move it. Working two extra years, for instance, adds contributions, adds compounding and removes two years of withdrawals: it is the most powerful adjustment of all, worth testing in the calculator before any drastic saving cuts.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I have saved by 40?
A common benchmark is about three times your salary by 40, rising to six times by 50 and eight to ten times by retirement. Treat benchmarks as a compass, not a verdict: what matters is whether your current trajectory — which this calculator shows — lands near your own target by your own retirement age.
How much will $500 a month grow to in 25 years?
At 8% annual growth, $500 a month for 25 years becomes about $475,000 — from $150,000 of contributions. Add a $250 employer match and the same habit reaches roughly $713,000 of contributions-plus-growth on that stream alone. Your starting balance compounds on top of both.
What return should I assume for my 401(k)?
Long-run US stock returns have averaged around 10% nominally (about 7% after inflation) over very long periods, while balanced portfolios have returned less. For planning, 6–8% is a defensible nominal range for a stock-heavy portfolio. Whatever you choose, also run a case 2% lower and make sure the plan still roughly works — projections are planning tools, not promises.
Is it better to contribute more or retire later?
Retiring later is usually more powerful per unit of effort: each extra year adds a year of contributions and compounding while removing a year the savings must support. In the worked example, delaying from 65 to 67 adds roughly $205,000 to the projection. Contributing more is the better lever when delay is not an option.
Does this calculator include Social Security or inflation?
No — it projects your savings accounts only, in today's nominal terms. Social Security will cover part of retirement income for most workers, and inflation will reduce what the projected balance buys. Use the result as the savings component of your plan, and compare it against a needs estimate that accounts for both.
Sources
- IRS — Retirement Plans — Account types, contribution rules and plan basics.
- Investor.gov (SEC) — Compound Interest Calculator — Long-run growth and compounding assumptions.