403b Calculator

Project your 403(b) balance at retirement from your salary, contribution rate, employer match, current balance, expected annual return, and years until retirement.

Quick Facts

Formula
FV = B(1+r)^n + C × [((1+r)^n − 1)/r]
B = current balance, C = annual contributions (yours + employer match), r = annual return, n = years. Assumes end-of-year contributions at a constant salary and return.
2026 IRS limit
$24,500 elective deferral
Plus an $8,000 catch-up at age 50+. Employer match does not count toward this limit.

Your Results

Calculated
Projected balance
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At retirement, pre-tax
Your contributions
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Total salary deferrals
Employer match
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Total match dollars
Investment growth
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Earnings from compounding

Ready

Enter your salary, contribution rates, and return assumption, then press Calculate.

How the 403(b) Calculator Works

A 403(b) is a tax-advantaged retirement plan for employees of public schools, certain 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and churches. This calculator projects your balance at retirement with the standard future-value formula: your current balance B compounds at the expected annual return r for n years, while each year's total contribution C (your salary deferral plus the employer match) grows as an ordinary annuity:

FV = B × (1 + r)n + C × [((1 + r)n − 1) / r]

The projection assumes contributions are invested once per year at year-end, your salary and contribution percentages stay constant, and returns compound annually. The result is in nominal, pre-tax dollars.

Critical variables to model carefully

  • Rate of return assumption: the S&P 500 has historically averaged roughly 10% nominal, around 7% after inflation. Use 5–7% for conservative planning.
  • Contribution rate: even a 1%-of-salary increase sustained over 20 or 30 years compounds into a substantially larger final balance.
  • Employer match: always contribute at least enough to capture the full match — it is an immediate 50–100% return on those dollars.
  • Years until retirement: time is the strongest lever in the formula. Because (1+r)^n grows exponentially, starting five years earlier often beats contributing more later.

Run multiple scenarios

Model three cases: a conservative case (5% return, retiring later), a base case (7% return), and an optimistic case (9% return, retiring earlier). The spread between the projected balances shows how sensitive your plan is to the return assumption.

What the projection leaves out

  • Income tax on traditional 403(b) withdrawals — the projected balance is pre-tax, not spendable income
  • Inflation — to see the answer in today's purchasing power, enter a real (after-inflation) return instead of a nominal one
  • Salary growth, investment fees, and any changes to your contribution rate along the way

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 403(b) plan?
A 403(b) is a tax-advantaged retirement plan offered by public schools, certain 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, and churches. It works much like a 401(k): you defer part of your salary before tax (or after tax in a Roth 403(b), if offered), investments grow tax-deferred, and traditional withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income.
How much can I contribute to a 403(b) in 2026?
The IRS elective deferral limit is $24,500 for 2026, plus an $8,000 catch-up contribution if you are age 50 or older. Some 403(b) plans also offer a separate 15-years-of-service catch-up of up to $3,000 per year. Employer matching contributions do not count against your elective deferral limit.
How does this calculator project my balance?
It applies the future-value formula FV = B(1+r)^n + C[((1+r)^n − 1)/r], where B is your current balance, C is the combined annual contribution (your salary deferral plus the employer match), r is the expected annual return, and n is years until retirement. Contributions are assumed to be invested once per year at year-end at a constant salary and return.
Does the projection include taxes or inflation?
No. The projected balance is in nominal, pre-tax dollars. Traditional 403(b) withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income, and inflation reduces future purchasing power. To approximate an inflation-adjusted balance, enter a real return (expected return minus expected inflation) instead of the nominal return.

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