What is the 401(k) contribution limit for 2026?

The 2026 employee 401(k) contribution limit is $24,500. Those age 50 and older can add a $8,000 catch-up contribution for a total of $32,500. A SECURE 2.0 provision gives those age 60, 61, 62, or 63 a higher catch-up of $11,250, for a total of $35,750.

What is the SECURE 2.0 Roth catch-up rule starting in 2026?

Starting January 1, 2026, employees whose prior-year FICA wages from the plan sponsor exceeded $150,000 must make any catch-up contributions as Roth (after-tax) contributions. Employees below this threshold may still choose pre-tax or Roth.

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401(k) & Retirement Calculator (2026)

Uses verified 2026 IRS limits including SECURE 2.0 catch-up rules. Project your 401(k) balance at retirement.

Fidelity retirement benchmark — by age 30

Target: 1× salary = $70,000 · You have: $20,000

⚠ Behind benchmark

📋 Your details

Current age

Retirement age: 67

ℹSocial Security full retirement age is 67 for those born 1960 or later.

Current annual salary

Current 401(k) balance

Your contribution

2026 limit: $24,500 — your contribution: $5,600/yr

Employer match

Expected annual return

ℹS&P 500 long-run nominal average is ~9.5-10.5%; 7% is a conservative default accounting for diversification and fees.

Annual salary growth

ℹNerdWallet and Bankrate both use 2% as their default assumption.

✓ Projected balance

Estimated balance at age 67

$2,067,766

Your total contributions$302,592

Employer total contributions$151,296

Investment growth$1,593,878

Years until retirement37 years

Estimated salary at retirement$145,648

Estimated retirement income (rough)

401(k) @ 3.9% withdrawal$80,643/yr

SS rough estimate ⚠$26,453/yr

Estimated total / year$107,096/yr

⚠ SS is an order-of-magnitude estimate based on current salary and SSA 2026 bend points. Actual benefit depends on your full 35-year earnings history. Get your real number at ssa.gov/myaccount. 3.9% withdrawal = Morningstar 2026 conservative rate.

Balance growth over time

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2026 IRS 401(k) limits — verified

Source: IRS IR-2025-103 (Nov 13, 2025) + IRS catch-up contributions page (May 7, 2026) + SECURE 2.0 Act

Who	Employee limit	Catch-up	Total max
Under 50	$24,500	None	$24,500
Age 50-59 and 64+	$24,500	$8,000	$32,500
Age 60-63 (SECURE 2.0)	$24,500	$11,250 ⭐	$35,750

⭐ Age 60-63 higher limit introduced by SECURE 2.0 Act, effective Jan 1 2025. Combined limit (employee + employer): $72,000 ($83,250 for ages 60-63). High earners (>$150K prior-year FICA wages) must make catch-up as Roth starting Jan 2026.

Fidelity salary multiplier benchmarks

Source: Fidelity Investments retirement readiness guidelines. Assumes 15% savings rate (incl. employer match) and retirement at age 67. These are guidelines, not guarantees — individual circumstances vary.

By age	Target (× salary)	At your salary	Status
30 ← your benchmark	1×	$70,000	⚠ $50,000 gap
40	3×	$210,000
50	6×	$420,000
60	8×	$560,000
67	10×	$700,000

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IRData: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 · Verified June 2026