401(k) Paycheck Calculator
See how a 401(k) contribution changes each 2026 paycheck: take-home drop after tax savings, employer match, the percent to max out, and projected growth.
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Putting 6% of a $75,000 salary into your 401(k) takes $173.08 from each paycheck, but your take-home pay drops by only $126.35. Your employer adds $115.38, so $288.46 goes into your account every payday.
Take-Home Drop per Paycheck
$126.35
for $173.08 contributed
Into Your 401(k) per Paycheck
$288.46
You $173.08 + employer $115.38
Income Tax Saved This Year
$1,215
Federal $990 + state $225
Your Pay
Your 401(k)
Your employer matches every dollar on the first 3%, 50% of the next 2% of pay.
Growth
Your Paycheck, With and Without the 401(k)
Every 2 weeks (26) paychecks, averaged over 2026
| Per paycheck | Without | With 401(k) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,884.62 | $2,884.62 |
| Pre-tax 401(k) | $0.00 | −$173.08 |
| Roth 401(k) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$295.00 | −$256.92 |
| State income tax | −$144.23 | −$135.58 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$220.67 | −$220.67 |
| Take-home pay | $2,224.71 | $2,098.37 |
Employer match
You get the full match: $3,000 this year. It takes a contribution of 5% or more.
Your 2026 limit: $24,500
To max it out, contribute 32.67% of pay, or $942.31 a paycheck.
Balance at 65: $880,862
$7,500 a year in today’s pay, 6% return, 2% raises
Today you have 0.3× your salary saved. Fidelity’s guideline is 3× by age 40 (1× by 30, 3× by 40, 6× by 50, 8× by 60, 10× by 67).
How a 401(k) Changes Your Paycheck
A pre-tax 401(k) contribution comes out of your pay before federal income tax is figured, and in most states before state income tax too. So each dollar you put in costs you less than a dollar of take-home pay. The gap is your income tax rate. A Roth contribution is the opposite: it comes out after tax, so it costs a full dollar now and the money comes out tax-free in retirement.
Social Security and Medicare are different. Both pre-tax and Roth contributions are still counted as wages for those taxes, so that line of your paystub doesn’t move.
The Formula
Take-home drop = contribution − income tax saved
Income tax saved = tax on (salary − standard deduction) − tax on (salary − pre-tax 401(k) − standard deduction), plus state rate × pre-tax 401(k)
Worked example. Take a single filer earning $75,000, paid every two weeks, contributing 6% pre-tax, with a 5% state income tax and the common safe harbor match (100% of the first 3% of pay, then 50% of the next 2%). Each paycheck is $2,884.62, so 6% is $173.08. Over the year that’s $4,500, which lowers taxable income from $58,900 to $54,400. All of it falls in the 22% bracket, so federal tax drops by $990, and state tax by $225. Take-home pay falls by $4,500 − $990 − $225 = $3,285 a year, or $126.35 a paycheck. The employer adds 4% of pay, $115.38 a paycheck, so $288.46 goes into the account every payday. That’s $7,500 a year for a take-home cost of $3,285.
Maxing out too early. Now take someone earning $150,000 who contributes 25% to reach the limit fast. That’s $1,442.31 a paycheck, which reaches $24,500 on paycheck 17. With a per-paycheck match and no true-up, the last nine paychecks get no match, a loss of $2,076.92. Contributing about 16.33% instead ($24,500 ÷ $150,000) puts $942.31 in every paycheck, reaches the limit on the last one, and keeps the full $6,000 match.
What this doesn’t cover
- Your exact withholding. The tax figures are your full-year 2026 federal income tax on this salary with the standard deduction, spread evenly across paychecks. Your employer withholds from your W-4 using IRS Publication 15-T, so a real paystub can differ by a few dollars.
- Other deductions and credits, such as health insurance premiums, an HSA or FSA, other income, itemized deductions and tax credits.
- State rules. The state rate is applied as a flat percent. A few states, including Pennsylvania, don’t exclude 401(k) contributions from state income tax.
- Your plan’s rules. Match formulas, vesting schedules and whether a true-up exists vary by plan. Check your plan’s summary plan description.
- Future limits. The projection keeps your contribution capped at the 2026 limit. The IRS raises the limit with inflation, so real room will likely be higher.
Limits come from IRS release IR-2025-111 and IRS Notice 2025-67. For advice on your own plan, talk to your plan administrator or a fee-only financial planner.
Frequently Asked Questions
?Does a 401(k) contribution cut my paycheck by the full amount?
No, not for pre-tax (traditional) contributions. The money comes out before federal income tax and, in most states, before state income tax, so your take-home pay falls by less than you contribute. In the default example, $173.08 goes in and take-home pay drops by $126.35. A Roth 401(k) contribution is taken after tax, so it lowers take-home pay dollar for dollar.
?Do 401(k) contributions lower Social Security and Medicare tax?
No. Pre-tax and Roth 401(k) contributions are both still wages for Social Security and Medicare, so those taxes are the same whether you contribute or not. Only income tax is deferred. That is why this calculator shows the Social Security and Medicare line unchanged.
?What is the 401(k) limit for 2026?
You can contribute $24,500 in 2026. At 50 or older you can add a $8,000 catch-up ($32,500 total), and at ages 60 to 63 the catch-up is $11,250 instead ($35,750 total). Your contributions plus your employer's cannot pass $72,000, not counting catch-ups.
?How much do I need per paycheck to max out my 401(k)?
Divide your limit by the number of paychecks: $24,500 ÷ 26 is $942.31 every two weeks, or $1,020.83 twice a month. As a percent, divide the limit by your salary. On a $75,000 salary that is 32.67%. Spreading it evenly across the year keeps you from running out of room early and missing match.
?Can I lose my employer match by maxing out too early?
Yes, if your plan matches each paycheck and has no year-end "true-up". Once you hit the limit, your contributions stop, and so does the match on the rest of the year’s paychecks. Ask HR or check your plan document for a true-up. If there isn’t one, contribute a percent that reaches the limit on your last paycheck.
?What percent of my pay should I put in my 401(k)?
At the very least, enough to get the full employer match, since that is money you give up otherwise. Fidelity suggests saving 15% of pay a year for retirement, counting the employer match, to reach about 10 times your salary by 67. What fits you depends on your age, other savings and budget.
?Do I have to make catch-up contributions as Roth?
From 2026, yes, if your Social Security wages from this employer were over $150,000 in 2025. Your regular contributions can still be pre-tax; only the catch-up part must go in as Roth. This calculator flags the rule when you are 50+ and your salary is above that line, using this year’s salary as a stand-in for last year’s wages.
About this calculator. Results are estimates for education and planning, based on the inputs you enter and the published formula described above. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent to us or stored. It is not financial, tax, legal or medical advice. Read the disclaimer and our methodology.
Spotted an error or an out-of-date figure? Tell us and we will correct it and note the change in the update log.