Bureau of Wealth

Retirement Savings Calculator

By the Bureau of Wealth team Updated

This calculator is general information, not financial advice. Check your own figures with the provider or a qualified adviser before acting on them.

Enter your age, savings, salary, 401(k) and IRA contributions to see what you could have by retirement, what that is worth in today's dollars, and an example yearly income.

Using 2026 rates rates checked 14 September 2026

Used only to illustrate an income.

Check the highlighted fields to see your results.

What this calculator assumes

  • Your 401(k) contribution and your employer's are percentages of your salary, which rises by the same raise every year. Contributions go in as 12 equal monthly amounts.
  • 401(k) deferrals are capped at the 2026 limit of $24,500 and IRA contributions at $7,500, with catch-ups of $8,000 and $1,100 from age 50. Those limits are assumed to rise with the inflation rate you enter, which is an assumption: the IRS sets new limits each year. The higher catch-up for ages 60 to 63 and the overall limit on yearly additions are not applied.
  • Returns are a steady yearly rate after fees. Real markets rise and fall, and a bad run of years near retirement can change the result a lot.
  • Your balance is treated as one pot. Taxes are not deducted, and the example income is before tax, so what you can spend depends on whether your savings are traditional or Roth.
  • Social Security, pensions, early withdrawals, loans from your plan and required minimum distributions are not included.

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How the projection works

The calculator starts with the retirement savings you have now. For each year until you retire, it works out your salary after raises, your 401(k) contribution, capped at that year's limit, your employer's contribution and your IRA contribution, also capped. The money goes in monthly, and the balance grows each month at the monthly equivalent of your yearly return.

At your retirement age it shows the balance in future dollars and in today's dollars, by removing inflation over the same years. It also splits the balance into what was paid in and what came from growth, and shows an example yearly income: the share of the balance you choose to withdraw each year.

A worked example

You are 35 with $50,000 saved and plan to retire at 67. You earn $75,000, contribute 6% to your 401(k), and your employer adds 3%. With 2.5% raises, a 6% return after fees and 2.5% inflation, you would have about $1,164,542 at 67. In today's dollars, that is about $528,435.

Of that balance, $375,014 is your starting $50,000 plus contributions, and $789,528 is investment growth. Withdrawing 4% a year gives about $46,582 before tax, or $21,137 in today's dollars.

What changes the result

The return you assume matters most over 32 years. At 5% the same plan reaches $945,475, and at 7% it reaches $1,443,445. Contributing 10% instead of 6% raises the total to $1,538,707. Adding $7,500 a year to an IRA as well brings it to $1,864,764. Retiring at 65 instead of 67 lowers it to $1,009,450, because you lose two years of contributions and growth.

Fees come straight out of your return, so use a figure after fund expenses. The investment fees calculator shows how much a difference of a fraction of a percent adds up to. If your employer matches contributions, the 401(k) match calculator shows what rate gets you the full match.

Contribution limits

For 2026, you can defer up to $24,500 into a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 plan or the Thrift Savings Plan, plus $8,000 in catch-up contributions if you are 50 or older. The IRA limit is $7,500, plus a $1,100 catch-up from 50. The IRS adjusts these limits for inflation, but the size and timing of future increases are not known, so treating them as rising with inflation is only an estimate. A note appears under the results if any of your contributions were capped.

Traditional or Roth: taxes when you withdraw

The balance shown is before tax, and how much of it is yours to spend depends on the type of account. With a traditional 401(k) or IRA, pre-tax or deductible contributions and the earnings on them are taxed as income when you withdraw them. With a Roth account, contributions are made after tax, and qualified withdrawals are tax-free. Withdrawals before 59½ may also face an additional 10% tax unless an exception applies.

Required minimum distributions apply to traditional accounts later in retirement but not to Roth IRAs or designated Roth accounts while the owner is alive. The example income is only an illustration of what your savings might support, not a safe withdrawal rate.

Frequently asked questions

What return should I assume?

Use a yearly return after fund fees, and try a lower and a higher figure to see the range. No return is guaranteed, and the value of investments can fall as well as rise, especially over short periods.

Why show savings in today's dollars?

Prices rise over the decades before you retire, so $1,164,542 in 32 years will buy much less than it would now. Today's dollars show what your savings and income would be worth at current prices, which makes them easier to compare with your spending.

Does this include my employer match?

Yes, if you enter it as the employer contribution. Use the match you actually receive as a share of your pay, which for a 50% match up to 6% is 3% if you contribute at least 6%.

Are withdrawals taxed?

Withdrawals from traditional 401(k)s and IRAs are generally taxed as income. Qualified withdrawals from Roth accounts are tax-free, so the same balance can leave you with different amounts to spend.

Does this include Social Security?

No. Social Security is paid on top of your savings, so estimate it with the Social Security calculator and subtract it from the income you need before judging whether your savings are enough.

Sources

Figures come from institutions millions of people rely on. How we keep calculators accurate.