Retirement Savings Calculator
Project retirement savings with employer match, compound growth, and inflation-adjusted value.
Last reviewed: June 2026Quick Answer
A retirement calculator projects the savings you'll have at retirement from your current balance, ongoing contributions, expected return, and years until you retire, using compound growth. Small increases in your monthly contribution compound significantly over decades. Enter your age, current savings, monthly contribution, and expected return above to see your projected nest egg and whether you're on track.
How the Retirement Savings Calculator Works
This calculator projects accumulation, not a full retirement plan. It starts with current retirement savings, adds your monthly contribution and employer match each month, applies the monthly share of the expected annual return, and repeats until the retirement age you enter. It then shows the nominal future balance, the inflation-adjusted value in today's dollars, total contributions, total growth, and a rough 4% monthly income estimate.
The default example starts at age 30, retires at 65, begins with $50,000, contributes $500 per month, and receives a 50% employer match up to 6% of a $60,000 salary. That creates a $150 monthly employer match. At a 7% annual return and 3% inflation assumption, the default projection reaches about $1,752,822 nominal, or about $622,924 in today's dollars.
Employer Match Formula
The match calculation is capped by the match-up-to percentage of salary. With a $60,000 salary and a 6% match cap, the maximum matchable employee contribution is $3,600 per year. A 50% match on that amount equals $1,800 per year, or $150 per month. If your plan has vesting rules, true-up provisions, Roth versus pre-tax differences, or contribution limits, check your plan documents before treating the projection as final.
What Happens If You Change Inputs
Increasing monthly contribution or employer match raises both total contributions and compounding base. Increasing expected return raises projected growth but also increases risk if the assumption is too optimistic. Raising the selected inflation assumption lowers the today's-dollar result. Lowering retirement age shortens the compounding period, while delaying retirement gives contributions and returns more time to accumulate.