401(k) Match Calculator
Are you leaving free employer-match money on the table? Enter your salary, your contribution, and your plan's match formula to see exactly how much free match you capture, what you're leaving behind, and the contribution percentage that claims every last dollar — plus what the gap quietly costs you by retirement.
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How the employer match works — and why it's the first dollar to chase
When you contribute to a 401(k), many employers add money on top, based on how much you put in — up to a cap. The most common shape has two tiers: a full (100%) match on the first slice of salary you contribute, then a partial (often 50%) match on the next slice. Once you contribute past the top of that cap, the match stops growing.
Here's the part people miss: you only get a matched dollar if you actually contribute enough to earn it. Contribute below the cap and the rest of the match simply isn't paid — it's left on the table, every single year. This calculator splits your result into two numbers:
- Captured: the free match you're getting at your current contribution.
- Left on the table: the match you'd get if you contributed up to the cap, minus what you capture now.
The match is an immediate, guaranteed return — often an instant 100% or 50% on the dollars you contribute, before the market does anything. No ordinary investment matches that, which is why capturing the full match usually comes before paying down most debt or investing elsewhere. And because it then compounds for decades, the calculator also shows the multi-year cost of the gap: a small annual shortfall can quietly grow into six figures by the time you retire.
Common questions
- What contribution percentage do I need to get the full match?
- Add up the percentage of salary across every tier of your match formula. With a 100%-up-to-3% plus 50%-up-to-5% plan, the full match kicks in once you contribute 5% of salary — that's the floor. Below it, part of the match goes uncaptured; the calculator has an "Apply" button that sets your contribution straight to the floor.
- My plan only has one tier — can I still use this?
- Yes. Check the "single-tier plan" box to zero out the second tier, then set the first tier to your match rate and cap (for example, 50% on the first 6%). The math, the bar, and the long-term projection all adjust automatically.
- Is anything saved or sent anywhere?
- No. Every number runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored, or shared — and you can export the year-by-year projection to CSV with one click.
Finding room to contribute is the hard part
Taly auto-splits every paycheck across your budget — so the few extra percent it takes to claim the full match shows up on its own, instead of you hunting for it. Your paycheck does the math.