A 401(k) is a tax-advantaged retirement account funded through your paycheck, often with free money from your employer on top. For women in their 40s and 50s — many of whom are catching up after career breaks, divorce, or years of part-time work — it is usually the single most powerful retirement tool available, because the match, the catch-up, and the tax deferral all push in the same direction. The calculator above projects all three, year by year, so you can see exactly where you are headed and which lever moves the number most.
The three forces inside your balance
Your projected balance is the sum of three things: your own contributions, your employer’s match, and the investment growth on both. With the numbers above, over 27 years you would contribute $356,619 of your own pay, your employer would add $103,810 in matched dollars, and compounding at 7.0% would turn all of that into $984,660 of growth — more than doubling what you and your employer put in.
- Your contributions are the part you control — and the only part that earns the match.
- The employer match is a 50–100% return on day one. A typical 50% match up to 6% of salary is worth $2,550 this year alone on a $85,000 salary.
- Investment growth is the biggest long-term contributor, but it only shows up if you stay invested — the curve above is flat for years before it bends steeply upward.
The match is the only guaranteed return in investing
If your employer offers a 50% match up to 6% of salary and you contribute less than 6%, you are leaving free money on the table — there is no other investment that pays a guaranteed 50% return the moment you make it. The single highest-value move most people can make is to contribute at least enough to capture the full match, even before paying down low-interest debt. Use the calculator to see how much that match compounds to by retirement.
Catch-up contributions at 50+
Once you turn 50, the IRS lets you contribute extra on top of the regular limit — $8,000 more per year at 50–59 and at 64+, and a super catch-up of $11,250 at ages 60–63. For anyone who got a late start, this is the catch-up mechanism designed for exactly that situation. Toggle it on above and watch the projected balance jump — especially in the last 15–17 years before retirement, when every extra contributed dollar still has time to compound.
One rule change for higher earners: starting in 2026, if you earned more than $150,000 in FICA wages from your employer in the prior year, your catch-up contributions must go into a Roth 401(k), so you pay tax on them now rather than in retirement.
Future dollars vs. today’s dollars
A projected balance of $1,525,089 sounds enormous — and it is, in future dollars. But 3.0% inflation a year erodes purchasing power, so the same balance is worth about $686,578 in today’s money. That is the number to compare against your current lifestyle costs, not the headline future figure. The chart above shows both so you can tell the real target from the nominal one.
Keep going
Wondering whether $686,578 is enough to retire on? Our Retirement Calculator turns that balance into a withdrawal plan with the 4% rule. And if you want to see how your 401(k) contributions change your actual paycheck, run our Take-Home Pay Calculator.
The caveat
This is an estimate only, not financial, tax, or investment advice. The projection assumes steady salary growth, a constant rate of return, flat IRS limits for every year, and contributions made every year without interruption — none of which is guaranteed. Real returns fluctuate, limits change annually, plans vary, and employer match rules differ. The 2026 limits shown are the published IRS figures; update them if newer limits apply. For numbers tied to your real plan, consult a licensed financial advisor or your plan administrator. Educational estimates, not financial advice.