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Available{{ resultsReady ? formatCurrency(computation.values.maximum_annual_employer_match) : '—' }} Foregone{{ resultsReady ? formatCurrency(computation.values.foregone_employer_match) : '—' }} Full-match rate{{ resultsReady ? formatPercent(computation.values.full_match_contribution_rate) : '—' }}
$/ year
Enter only compensation the plan treats as eligible for matching.
Use regular paychecks; confirm special payroll periods with the plan administrator.
%
The slider covers 0%–20%; use the exact field for a higher plan election.
Copy the cumulative “through” thresholds and match rates from the current plan document.
Employee contribution bandEmployer matchRemove
{{ formatPercent(tierStart(index)) }} to% of pay
%
Keep 0 for a projection from the first paycheck.
$
Keep $0 when no pay periods have been completed.
$
Use contributions eligible for this employer match.
$
Use the amount already credited, not an expected later amount.
$
Keep $0 when the tier formula is the only cap.
Keep “No or not confirmed” unless the plan explicitly provides a true-up.
Match outlook
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Calculation method:
match = Σ eligible pay × contribution band × employer rate

Each tier applies only to the contribution band above the previous threshold. A supplied cap and confirmed true-up are applied after the pay-period projection.

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The chart renderer is unavailable. The same amounts remain available in the payroll ledger.

ScopeEligible payEmployeeEmployerAvailableForegoneCopy
{{ row.label }}{{ formatCurrency(row.eligible_compensation) }}{{ formatCurrency(row.employee_contribution) }}{{ formatCurrency(row.employer_match) }}{{ formatCurrency(row.available_match) }}{{ formatCurrency(row.foregone_match) }}
TierContribution bandEmployer rateEmployee in next-pay bandNext-pay matchAnnual maximumCopy
{{ row.label }}{{ formatPercent(row.from_percent) }}–{{ formatPercent(row.to_percent) }}{{ formatPercent(row.match_rate_percent) }}{{ formatCurrency(row.next_paycheck_employee_band) }}{{ formatCurrency(row.next_paycheck_employer_match) }}{{ formatCurrency(row.annual_maximum_employer_match) }}
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An employer match can turn part of an employee’s retirement contribution into additional plan money, but the formula is not universal. One plan may match every contributed dollar through a stated percentage of pay. Another may use several rates, a dollar cap, or paycheck-by-paycheck rules that make contribution timing important.

The plan document controls which compensation and contributions are eligible. Gross salary is not always the same as eligible compensation, and bonuses or other special pay may follow different rules. Employer contributions can also have a vesting schedule, so a projected match is not necessarily the amount an employee could keep after leaving the job.

Contribution band
The slice of employee contribution rate to which one employer rate applies, such as 0% through 3% of pay.
Full-match rate
The employee contribution rate needed to reach the maximum match under the entered tiers and cap.
True-up
An annual reconciliation some plans use to correct a shortfall caused by uneven contributions across paychecks.

Front-loading contributions or changing the deferral rate midyear can reduce a paycheck-based match when the plan has no true-up. Conversely, assuming a true-up that the plan does not provide can overstate the year-end result. Current plan language and payroll records should settle both questions.

This is an educational estimate, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Confirm contribution limits, eligible compensation, matching rules, vesting, true-up policy, and payroll treatment with the current plan administrator.

How to Use This Tool:

Start with the current plan document because the calculation intentionally does not assume a standard employer formula or statutory limit.

  1. Enter Annual eligible compensation, choose the regular pay frequency, and set the employee contribution rate expected on each remaining paycheck.
  2. Copy each cumulative contribution threshold and employer match rate into Employer match tiers. Add tiers in ascending order and apply each employer rate only to the band above the preceding threshold.
  3. Open Advanced for a midyear projection. Enter completed pay periods, year-to-date eligible pay, employee contributions, credited employer match, any separate annual dollar cap, and a true-up only when the plan confirms one.
  4. Review Projected annual employer match, Foregone, and Full-match rate. Use the tier audit to compare the entered formula with the plan document before changing payroll elections.

Interpreting Results:

Projected annual employer match combines the match already credited with the modeled match on remaining paychecks and any confirmed true-up. Available is the maximum under the entered tiers and dollar cap, while Foregone is the difference between that maximum and the projection.

  • If Foregone is greater than $0, compare the required future contribution rate with payroll and plan limits before treating the shortfall as recoverable.
  • A full-match rate shows how much employee contribution is needed to capture the entered formula. It is not a recommendation about how much to save.
  • A zero foregone amount means the supplied inputs capture the modeled match; it does not verify contribution limits, vesting, payroll accuracy, or the plan document.

Technical Details:

A tiered match applies each employer percentage to a distinct band of employee contributions. The thresholds are cumulative: a tier ending at 5% after a tier ending at 3% covers only the 3% to 5% band. Eligible compensation, not gross compensation, is the pay base.

Formula Core:

For compensation C, each tier contributes the pay in its applied employee-contribution band multiplied by that tier’s employer match rate.

M= C ∑j=1n (bj100) (mj100)

bj is the portion of the employee contribution rate that falls inside tier j, and mj is the employer match percentage for that tier. A separate annual cap, when greater than $0, limits the sum. Dollar outputs are rounded to cents after the model completes its calculations.

Rule Core:

Stage Rule
Remaining payAnnual eligible compensation minus year-to-date eligible compensation is spread evenly across the remaining regular pay periods.
Paycheck matchThe selected future contribution rate is applied to each remaining paycheck, then the entered tier formula is applied.
Annual capA positive dollar cap limits projected employer match; $0 means the tier formula is the only entered cap.
True-upWhen confirmed, the annual formula is compared with the paycheck projection and only a positive reconciliation is added.
Foregone matchMaximum available match minus projected match, with negative differences replaced by $0.

The remaining target is marked reachable only when the calculated future employee contribution rate is no more than 100% and the supplied tier formula can produce the required employer amount. This mathematical check does not apply statutory, plan, or payroll deferral limits.

Worked Example:

Two-tier match from the first paycheck

Annual eligible compensation is $78,000 over 26 paychecks. The employer matches 100% of contributions through 3% of pay and 50% from 3% through 5%. At a 4% employee contribution rate, the next $3,000 paycheck contributes $120 and earns $105 of match: $90 from the first band and $15 from the second. The projected annual match is $2,730, compared with a $3,120 maximum at a 5% employee rate, leaving $390 foregone under the entered formula.

Limitations:

The result models the plan details entered by the user. It does not determine the legally permitted contribution, tax treatment, vesting, nondiscrimination testing, special-pay treatment, payroll corrections, investment returns, or whether the employer will make a discretionary contribution.

  • Remaining eligible compensation is distributed evenly across remaining regular pay periods.
  • Use amounts already credited for year-to-date employer match, not expected future credits.
  • Confirm a true-up in the current plan document rather than inferring it from prior years.

References: