2026 IRS limits · Catch-up contributions · Employer match · Growth projection
| Year | Age | Salary | Your Contrib | Match | Growth | Balance |
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This 403(b) Calculator projects your retirement savings using 2026 IRS limits, age-based catch-up contributions, the 15-year rule for long-tenure employees, and employer match. Enter your age, salary, contribution rate, current balance, expected return, and match structure. The tool returns a year-by-year growth table, a final balance estimate, and a breakdown of your contributions versus employer match and investment growth. Get a clear, no-guesswork retirement projection.
A 403(b) plan is the retirement vehicle for teachers, nurses, nonprofit staff, and clergy yet its rules differ from a 401(k) in ways that matter. The 15-year catch-up, for instance, exists only in 403(b) plans. This calculator models those distinctions. You supply your age, years until retirement, salary, salary growth, contribution percentage, current balance, expected return, years at your employer, and the employer match formula. The tool then runs an annual compounding projection, applying IRS limits that change as you cross age 50 and age 60, and flagging whether you’re leaving match money on the table. It is designed for anyone who wants a realistic, transparent look at how a 403(b) could grow.
Select a display currency from the dropdown. This changes the symbol shown, not the conversion.
Enter your current age and the number of years until retirement.
Type your current annual salary and the expected annual salary increase.
Set your contribution percentage of salary and your current 403(b) balance.
Enter the expected annual return and your years at this employer.
Define the employer match rate and the match cap as a percentage of salary.
Review the IRS limit cards, projection summary, growth bar, and year-by-year table.
Use Calculate, Reset, Copy, Share, or Embed to work with the result.
The calculator projects your 403(b) balance year by year, applying IRS contribution limits that vary with age and tenure, plus an employer match formula you define.
Formula: Employee contribution = min(salary × contribution %, IRS limit for that year)
Formula: IRS limit = $24,500 base + age catch-up + 15-year catch-up
Formula: Age catch-up = $8,000 if age 50–59 or 64+; $11,250 if age 60–63
Formula: 15-year catch-up = $3,000 if tenure ≥ 15 years
Formula: Matched salary portion = min(salary × contribution %, salary × match cap %)
Formula: Employer match = min(matched salary portion × match rate, salary × match cap %)
Formula: Investment growth = beginning balance × expected annual return %
Formula: New balance = beginning balance + growth + employee contribution + employer match
The calculator treats negative inputs as zero. Age is clamped to a minimum of 18, years to retirement to a minimum of 1. The contribution percentage and return rate are used as entered, but employee contributions are capped at the IRS limit for that specific year. The 15-year rule is applied whenever tenure reaches 15 years, adding $3,000 per year with no lifetime cap enforced in this version. The currency selector only changes the displayed symbol; it does not convert values. If salary is zero, the badge shows a neutral prompt and the analysis asks for details.
Suppose you are 55 years old with 5 years until retirement. Your salary is $100,000, growing 3% annually. You contribute 10% of salary, have a current balance of $200,000, expect a 6% annual return, and have 10 years at your employer. The employer matches 50% of contributions up to 5% of salary.
Year 1 calculation:
Employee contribution = min($100,000 × 10%, $24,500 + $8,000) = min($10,000, $32,500) = $10,000.
Matched salary portion = min($100,000 × 10%, $100,000 × 5%) = min($10,000, $5,000) = $5,000.
Employer match = min($5,000 × 50%, $100,000 × 5%) = min($2,500, $5,000) = $2,500.
Growth = $200,000 × 6% = $12,000.
New balance = $200,000 + $12,000 + $10,000 + $2,500 = $224,500.
Repeating this process for years 2 through 5, with salary increasing 3% each year and the age-50+ catch-up remaining $8,000, produces a final balance of approximately $342,208. The growth bar shows that starting balance, your contributions, employer match, and investment growth each contribute to that total. The analysis confirms you are capturing the full employer match every year, since your 10% contribution exceeds the 5% match cap.
A 403(b) Calculator projects retirement savings for employees of schools, nonprofits, hospitals, and religious organizations. It uses your age, salary, contribution rate, employer match, and expected return to estimate a future balance and show year-by-year growth.
The calculator checks your age in each projection year. Ages 50–59 and 64+ receive an $8,000 catch-up. Ages 60–63 receive an $11,250 super catch-up. If you have 15 or more years at your employer, an additional $3,000 per year is added.
The 15-year rule is a 403(b)-only provision that allows an extra $3,000 annual contribution for employees with 15 or more years of service at the same employer. In the actual tax code it has a $15,000 lifetime cap, but this calculator applies a flat $3,000 annual addition once tenure reaches 15 years.
Yes. The base elective deferral limit is $24,500. The age-50+ catch-up is $8,000, the super catch-up for ages 60–63 is $11,250, and the 15-year rule adds $3,000. The combined employee and employer limit is $72,000.
The calculator matches the lesser of your contribution percentage and the match cap percentage, multiplied by the match rate. It then caps the match at salary times the match cap percentage. For example, a 50% match up to 5% of salary on a $100,000 salary gives a maximum match of $2,500.
Return rates vary by investment mix. A diversified portfolio might assume 5% to 8% annually, but future returns are uncertain. The calculator lets you enter any rate from 0% to 20%. Use a conservative figure if you want a lower-bound estimate.
The math is similar, but the 15-year rule does not apply to 401(k) plans. The base limits and age-based catch-ups are the same, so you can use the calculator for a rough 401(k) projection if you ignore the 15-year component.
Plan providers may use different return assumptions, fee structures, and contribution timing. This calculator assumes contributions and match are added at year-end and applies a single annual return rate. Provider tools may compound monthly or account for fees, which can produce different results.
The growth bar breaks your final balance into four parts: starting balance, your contributions, employer match, and investment growth. It helps you see which component drives the result. A long horizon usually makes investment growth the largest segment.
Yes. The tool is free to use, and all calculations run in your browser. Your salary, balance, and contribution details are not sent to a server. No account or email address is required.
Yes. You can change the match rate and match cap inputs and recalculate instantly. This is useful when comparing job offers or evaluating whether your current contribution rate captures the full available match.
If your contribution percentage is below the employer match cap, you are not receiving the full match. The calculator estimates the total match dollars you forgo over the projection period and displays that figure in the detail rows and analysis.
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