401k Employer Match Calculator
Calculate your 401k employer match value. See how much free money you are leaving on the table. Free calculator.
Why Employer Match Is Free Money
A 401k match is a guaranteed 50-100% return on your contribution — the best return available in all of investing. If your employer matches 50% up to 6% of salary, contributing 6% on an $85K salary means: you put in $5,100, employer adds $2,550. That is $2,550 in free money per year. Over 30 years at 8% returns, that match alone grows to approximately $300,000.
Maximize Your Match First
Before funding any other investment (IRA, brokerage, crypto), contribute enough to capture the full employer match. Not doing so is literally declining a raise. After capturing the match, prioritize: Roth IRA (tax-free growth), then increase 401k to the maximum ($23,500 in 2025), then taxable brokerage. The match is step one — never skip it.
According to Vanguard, 25% of eligible employees do not contribute enough to capture their full employer match — collectively leaving $24 billion per year in free money on the table.
