Grow a 401(k) to retirement, then see the sustainable income it produces.
A 401(k) retirement income calculator projects your account balance to retirement, then shows the sustainable annual and monthly income it can produce at your chosen withdrawal rate.
A 401(k) balance is only meaningful as the income it produces. Applying a safe withdrawal rate, commonly 4%, converts the projected balance into a yearly income you could draw with reasonable confidence of not running out. This reframes 'how much have I saved' as the more useful 'how much can I spend.'
Withdrawals from a traditional 401(k) are taxed as ordinary income, so the sustainable income shown here is pre-tax, your spendable amount is lower. A Roth 401(k) flips this: contributions are taxed now and qualified withdrawals are tax-free. Factoring taxes in is essential when translating a balance into real spending power.
Project the balance to retirement and apply a withdrawal rate, about 4% a year is common. The calculator shows the annual and monthly income, before tax.
Traditional 401(k) withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income. Roth 401(k) withdrawals are tax-free if qualified. The income shown here is pre-tax.
Around 4% of the starting balance, adjusted for inflation, is a common guideline for a roughly 30-year retirement. Lower rates are more conservative.
See the exact formula and a worked example on our methodology page.