401(k) Match Calculator: Are You Losing Match by Maxing Out Early? (2026)
Most plans match each paycheck on that paycheck’s contribution. If you reach the $24,500 limit for 2026 before December, your contributions stop, and the match stops with them unless your plan makes a year-end true-up. The fix is the contribution rate that spreads the limit across every paycheck.
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Check your match
Assumes your plan matches each paycheck on that paycheck’s contributions, which is the most common design, and that equal paychecks run all year. Uses the 2026 limits: $24,500 in deferrals (IRC §402(g)), $8,000 catch-up from 50 or $11,250 at 60 to 63 (IRC §414(v)), and match counted on pay up to $360,000 (IRC §401(a)(17)), per IRS Notice 2025-67. Catch-up contributions are treated as matchable, which is true in most plans but not all. A bonus paid in one check can hit the limit early too.
A worked example
These are the calculator’s starting numbers. You earn $150,000, are paid every two weeks, and contribute 20% of each paycheck. Your employer matches 50% of the first 6% of pay.
| Contribution per paycheck: 20% of $5,769 | $1,154 |
| Paychecks 1–21: full match of 3% of pay each | $3,635 |
| Paycheck 22: only $269 left under the limit, so a partial match | $135 |
| Paychecks 23–26: no contribution, no match | $0 |
| Match you receive, against $4,500 available | $3,769 |
At 16% instead, you contribute $923 a paycheck, get matched on all 26, and receive the whole $4,500. You end the year $500 under the limit, which one larger contribution in the last paycheck can make up.
Why front-loading costs match
Your employer’s formula is usually applied paycheck by paycheck: 50% of what you contribute, up to 6% of that paycheck’s pay. Once you hit the 402(g) limit, payroll stops your contributions for the rest of the year. The pay you earn after that point still counts under the formula, but there’s no contribution for the match to attach to.
The higher your pay and your contribution rate, the earlier you hit the limit and the more match you lose. A large bonus paid in one check can do the same thing, because your percentage applies to the bonus too.
What a true-up is
Some plans recalculate the match after year end, on your whole year’s pay and contributions, and deposit whatever the paycheck-by-paycheck match missed. If your plan does this, front-loading costs you nothing except a wait of a few months. Your summary plan description says whether yours does. Look for “true-up” or for a match “calculated on an annual basis.”
Frequently asked questions
Should I front-load my 401(k)?
Only if your plan makes a year-end true-up, or if you get no match at all. Otherwise, contributing a rate that reaches the limit on your last paycheck gets you the same $24,500 and the whole match. Money invested a few months earlier is worth far less than a missed match.
What percentage should I contribute to max out my 401(k)?
Start with $24,500 divided by your yearly pay: 16.33% on $150,000. With whole percentages, round down to 16% so every paycheck is matched. If your plan takes decimals, 16.4% reaches $24,500 on the last paycheck, which still gets its match. The calculator finds this rate for your pay, age and formula.
Does the match count toward the $24,500 limit?
No. The $24,500 limit covers only your own contributions. Your employer’s match counts toward the separate $72,000 total limit for 2026, which few people reach.
Related reading
Sources: IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 limits) · IRC §402(g) · IRC §414(v) · IRC §401(a)(17)