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2026 401(k) Contribution Calculator

Estimate how much to contribute per paycheck to stay on track for the 2026 401(k) employee contribution limit, with separate employer match awareness.

Calculate Your 401(k) Pacing

Use salary, remaining paychecks, and year-to-date employee contributions to estimate your required payroll contribution.

Required Information

Approximate gross yearly salary before taxes.

Common examples: 12 monthly, 24 semi-monthly, 26 biweekly.

How many paychecks are left before year-end.

Amount already contributed this calendar year.

IRS contribution limits vary by age.

Optional: Employer Match Awareness

Leave blank if you do not know your employer match formula.

Current payroll or HR contribution setting.

Example: If your employer matches contributions up to 5% of salary, enter 5.

This tool supports simple 100% or 50% match estimates.

How This Calculator Works

  1. Determines the 2026 IRS employee contribution limit based on your age group.
  2. Subtracts year-to-date employee contributions.
  3. Divides the remaining allowable amount by remaining paychecks.
  4. Separately checks employer match awareness using your current payroll contribution percentage.

Example Scenario

If your salary is $100,000, you have 10 paychecks left, and you already contributed $12,000, the calculator estimates how much to contribute per paycheck to reach the annual limit. If your current payroll setting is 6% and your employer matches up to 5%, the employer match awareness section treats those as separate facts from the max-out pacing math.

Educational disclaimer: Employer matching rules and true-up provisions vary by plan. Check your plan documents before making changes.

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