403(b) Calculator

A 403(b) is the retirement plan run by public schools, hospitals, churches and other tax-exempt employers, and this tool projects what yours is worth on the day you stop working. Enter your salary, the share of pay you defer, the employer match, an expected return and the years left, and it returns the balance, your own contributions, the match and the growth separately. It also applies the catch-up a 403(b) has and a 401(k) does not: after 15 years with the same qualifying employer you may defer an extra amount on top of the age 50 catch-up, and a second action works out the most you may put in this year. A return is an assumption rather than a forecast, so treat the balance as a direction, not a number.

Calculator Type

Annual Salary ($) *

Your Contribution (% of pay) *

Employer Match (% of what you put in) *

A 50% match means 50 cents for every dollar you defer.

Match Applies Up To (% of pay) *

Current 403(b) Balance ($)

Expected Annual Return (%) *

Your Age Today *

Age You Retire *

Annual Pay Raise (%, optional)

Years of Service With This Employer

Full years with the same qualifying organisation. Under 15 and the service catch-up does not exist yet.

Elective Deferrals Already Made to This Plan ($)

Everything you have ever deferred into this 403(b). Used by the $5,000 per year of service test.

Basic Elective Deferral Limit ($)

The IRS indexes this every year. Enter 0 to ignore all limits.

Age 50 Catch-Up Limit ($)

Also indexed. Ages 60 to 63 get a higher figure under SECURE 2.0, so enter that one instead if it applies.

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