How Much Will My 401(k) Be Worth at Retirement?
Your retirement balance depends on three things: how much you have now, how much you contribute, and how long compounding works. See projections by starting age and balance — including what maxing out your 401(k) can do.
How Much Will I Have at Retirement?
Adjust your starting age and current balance to see your projected retirement balance at 67.
Current Age
Current Balance
| Annual Contribution | At 5% return | At 7% return | At 9% return |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000/yr | $464K | $766K | $1280K |
| $5,000/yr | $615K | $987K | $1608K |
| $8,000/yr | $841K | $1318K | $2100K |
| $12,000/yr | $1142K | $1758K | $2757K |
| $18,000/yr | $1594K | $2420K | $3741K |
| $23,500/yr2026 max | $2008K | $3026K | $4643K |
Starting at age 35 with $50,000, retiring at 67 (32 years of growth).
How Much Will I Have If I Max Out My 401(k)?
The 2026 employee 401(k) contribution limit is $23,500 ($31,000 if age 50+). If your employer also contributes, the combined limit is $70,000. Maxing out is one of the most powerful retirement moves available.
| Start Age | Years to 67 | Total Contributed | Balance at 67 (7%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 42 | $987K | $5420K |
| 30 | 37 | $870K | $3768K |
| 35 | 32 | $752K | $2590K |
| 40 | 27 | $635K | $1750K |
| 45 | 22 | $517K | $1152K |
| 50 | 17 | $400K | $725K |
Employee contributions only at $23,500/yr. Real-world balances would be higher with employer match added in.
Are You on Track? Balance Benchmarks by Age
Fidelity recommends saving multiples of your salary at key ages. Use these as checkpoints — they assume you save 15% of your salary starting at 25.
| Age | Fidelity Target | $100K salary |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1× salary | $100K |
| 35 | 2× salary | $200K |
| 40 | 3× salary | $300K |
| 45 | 4× salary | $400K |
| 50 | 6× salary | $600K |
| 55 | 7× salary | $700K |
| 60 | 8× salary | $800K |
| 67 | 10× salary | $1000K |
Calculate Your Personalized Projection
401(k) Calculator
Key Takeaways
At 7% returns, maxing out your 401(k) starting at 25 can produce over $5 million by age 67.
The 2026 employee contribution limit is $23,500 ($31,000 age 50+, $34,750 age 60–63).
Fidelity recommends 10× your salary by retirement age — start benchmarking at 1× by age 30.
Your starting balance matters less than time — compounding is more powerful than catch-up.
Even contributing $5,000/yr starting at 25 beats $15,000/yr starting at 45.