How Much Of My Paycheck Should Go To 401k

Learn How Much Of Your Income You Should Saveand How To Get Started

Having a savings can help give you peace of mind when times are tight. Thatâs why setting aside a portion of every paycheck is a good goal.

But if thereâs not much extra cash after you pay your bills and buy groceries, youâre not alone. In fact, 76% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.1 Sixty-nine percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in the bank and 34% have nothing in savings at all.2 If you can relate, thatâs OK. Any step you take to increase your savings helps, no matter how small.

Over time, that nest egg can help you pay for the fun stuff , as well as your retirement and your kidsâ college funds. With so many goals to reach, itâs no wonder youâre thinking, âhow much of my salary should I save?â Hereâs the breakdown.

How To Calculate Your Monthly 401 Contribution

In 2021, the 401 contribution limit is $19,500 for those under age 50 this increases to $20,500 for 2022. Workers age 50 or older can make an additional catch-up contribution of $6,500 in both 2021 and 2022. You and your employers combined contributions cant exceed $58,000 in 2021 or $61,000 in 2022, excluding catch-up contributions.

However, few people actually contribute these amounts. Only 12% of plan participants made the maximum contribution in 2020, when the limit was $19,500, according to Vanguard’s 2021 How America Saves report.

To determine how much you should be saving, you can use Social Securitys retirement estimator and see what monthly benefit you can expect from that fund. You also can use a retirement calculator to estimate how much youll need each month on top of Social Security. Choose a calculator that allows you to personalize as many factors as possible, including your current age and account balance, anticipated contributions, other sources of income, and expected rates of return.

How Much Do I Deduct From My Paycheck To Be Ok In Retirement

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In America you are mostly on your own for retirement. You would be totally on your own if it werent for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. But Social Security replaces only about 40-50% of income and you will need about 70-80% in retirement. *

How much do you need to save to be OK in retirement? You need to calculate a target number for retirement how much youll need to have saved and then translate that target number into a weekly amount to be deducted from your paycheck.

You have to make a lot of assumptions in determining how much to deduct from every paycheck in order to retire well. If you are a median worker, you need about $350,000 in addition to Social Security. If you are a typical college-educated professional, you will need over a million or two.

Lets assume that you replace 80% of your preretirement income in retirement you earn a little above average you work and save consistently for 42 years no taking breaks, no getting laid off or fired, no divorces, no getting sick you earn 5% on your investments after fees you live until 95 and you collect Social Security. Whew, lots of assumptions.

People dont have enough saved for retirement

The New School for Social Research

You need to save 5% of every paycheck if you start at age 25. You need to save 10% if you start at age 35, 22% if you start at age 45, and 52% of every paycheck if you start at age 55.

The Fantasy Play in American Retirement Planning

Bottom line

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Provisions For Changing Jobs

Most 401 plans permit the employee who terminates employment the options of receiving the 401 balance in a lump sum or to receive periodic payments or to roll over the proceeds to an IRA or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. Additionally, some 401 plans permit the terminated employee to retain their 401 balance in their former employers plan. Amounts that are retained in a former employers 401 plan or transferred to another employers plan or IRA postpone the taxation until amounts are subsequently distributed from the plan or IRA the money was rolled into.

When receiving funds from a 401 with the intention to roll the amount to an IRA:

• The rollover must be completed in 60 days.
• Employers must withhold 20% of the proceeds as a withholding tax. It is up to the participant to make up this 20%, or it will be treated as a distribution. The money withheld will be used as a credit against any income tax liability.
• Neither the 60-day rule nor the 20% withholding apply to amounts directly transferred to an IRA or other qualified plan.

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It Never Hurts To Save More

Twenty percent is a great goal, but some retirement experts actually suggest saving more like 25% or even 30. Why?

You know that saying, Past returns are no guarantee of future performance? Thats why. Its true that the annual average return of the S& P 500 between 1928 and 2014 was 10%. But that doesnt mean well get that average return over the next 86 years.

Jack Bogle, the father of index funds and founder of Vanguard, says that investors should plan on lower returns in the coming decade and other commenters suggest lower yields even beyond that.

We have no way of knowing what future returns will bethey could be 8%, they could be 4%. But the only way to hedge against an uncertain future is to save more money. The more you have, the less you need jaw-dropping returns to meet your goals.

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Think About How Much You’ll Need In Retirement

Contributing the maximum to your 401 requires a lot of money especially as an ongoing, year-after-year commitment. It may or may not be enough to fund your retirement, or it could be even more than you need. Your 401 contribution amount should be guided by your retirement savings goal.

How much money you’ll need in retirement depends on when you plan to retire, how much of your current income youd like to replace and how much you want to rely on Social Security.

Most experts recommend saving 10% to 15% of your income, but our suggestion is to get a more detailed goal from a retirement calculator.

If you need to start at a lower contribution and work your way up, that’s fine. Aim to contribute at least enough to grab the match, then bump up the percent you contribute by 1% or 2% each year.

Where To Invest If You Don’t Have A 401

Don’t worry if your employer doesn’t offer a 401 there are still ways you can save for retirement on your own.

Many big banks and brokerages offer Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs, that allow you to put your retirement money into a range of investments, such as individual stocks, bonds, index funds, mutual funds and CDs. Just like with a 401, you can set up automatic contributions into your IRA from a checking or savings account.

When shopping around for an IRA, choose an account that has no minimum deposits, offers commission-free trading and provides a variety of investment options. Taking these factors into account, Select narrowed down our favorites for every type of retirement saver.

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Plan To Replace About 80% Of Income

When you stop working, aim to replace about 80% of pre-retirement earnings from all income sources combined, such as 401s and IRAs, Social Security, and pensions.

You can anticipate spending less because youll no longer be paying payroll taxes or making 401 contributions. You may also spend less on things like gas and clothing because youre no longer working. The actual amount youll need in order to replace your working income depends on how frugal or luxurious you want your retirement to be.

Build Your Emergency Fund

You want to save as much as you can for retirement, but you shouldnt put all of your savings toward retirement. You should always have enough cash reserves to cover necessary expenses like food and rent. Its also a good idea to create an emergency fund.

An emergency fund will protect you from unexpected expenses or difficult financial situations. What would you do if you lost your job or didnt have a regular salary for a month? What if a family member got sick and you had medical bills to pay? A strong emergency fund allows you to get through tough times. Withdrawing money from your retirement accounts should be an absolute last resort. Just as importantly, an emergency fund will ease your mind by providing a sense of security. Its always nice to know that you have a backup plan in case something goes wrong.

Again, there is no perfect answer for how much you should have in an emergency fund. It depends on your situation. In general though, you want enough to cover at least a few months of expenses. That may sound like a lot if currently have no emergency fund, but you can build your fund over time by adding a little each week or month.

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Could You Increase Your 401 Contribution

How often you can adjust your 401 or 403 contribution is generally determined by your employer and your retirement planit may be once a year or as often as youd like.

If youre able, reducing non-essentials or allocating new income could allow you to bump up the amount youre saving.

A 1% increase only makes a small difference in your paycheckbut may make a big difference down the road. Consider the example below for a $35,000 annual income:1

1 This example is for illustrative purposes only. It assumes $35,000 in annual income, 3.5% annual wage growth, 30 years to retirement, 7% annual rate of return and a 25% tax bracket. Estimated monthly retirement income calculations assume a 4.5% annual withdrawal in retirement. The assumed rate of return is hypothetical and does not guarantee any future returns nor represent the return of any particular investment option. Reduced take-home pay is accurate for the initial year and would change based on participants annual pay. Estimated savings amounts shown do not reflect the impact of taxes on pre-tax distributions. Individual taxpayer circumstances may vary.

2 Contributions are limited to the lesser of the annual plan or the IRS limit as indexed annually.

3 Some plans may not allow catch-up contributions to the plan.

This document is intended to be educational in nature and is not intended to be taken as a recommendation.

Get Help With Your 401

Already have a 401? While youre researching contributions, take a minute to analyze your current holdings toothere could be big savings to be found.

is a free app that creates easy-to-understand visuals of the investments you own in your 401, IRA, and other investment accounts. It then provides recommendations for how to rebalance your portfolio for maximum results and reduced expensesit can even show you how changing funds within your existing 401 might save you thousands. or read our review.

Blooom is a new tool that can automatically manage and optimize your 401 for just $10 a month. Designed especially for 401 accounts, blooom works with your available investments to find the lowest-cost and best allocation for your goals. You can get a free 401 analysis from Blooom or learn more in our review. Plus they have a special promotion where you can get $15 off your first year of Blooom with code BLMSMART

is a great all-in-one financial app that allows account holders to take control over their finances, automate saving and investing, and manage their accounts all in one place. Wealthfronts Self-Driving Money tool continuously monitors your cash flows to ensure that bills are paid and savings are instantly routed into the right investment accounts. Wealthfront account holders can also take advantage of the apps automated investment services, like daily rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting.

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Start Earning More For A Better Financial Future

The answer to How much should I have in my 401k? is an important one but its not the only way to ensure your financial future.

We are going to let you in on a little secret. It is one that has helped thousands of people live their Rich Life:

Theres a limit to how much you can save, but theres no limit to how much money you can earn.

Bonus:

Many people dont understand this and because of that, theyre content with contributing very little to their retirement accounts. When they actually retire, theyre surprised when their nest egg is a lot smaller than they thought and they have to get a job as a Walmart greeter to pay for their condo.

If you realize that your earning potential is LIMITLESS, you can truly get started working toward living a Rich Life today.

We recommend three ways to start earning more money:

1. Negotiate a salary raise. 99% of people are content with not asking for a salary raise. So if you are willing to negotiate, that puts you in the 1% and showcases to your boss that youre a Top Performer willing to work hard for more money.

2. Start a side hustle. One of my favorite money-making tactics is starting your own side hustle. We all have skills. Why not leverage those skills to start earning more money in your free time?

We want to help you get started on one of these tactics today: Starting a side hustle.

Thats why we want to offer you my Ultimate Guide to Making Money.

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What Percentage Of My Salary Should Go To A 401

Keep in mind that your 20% savings goal includes the money youâre saving for retirement. If your employer is automatically depositing money into your 401, you can put less into savings.

Determine how much youâre putting toward retirement each month by looking at your pay stub or electronic payment record. Then, subtract that number from the monthly savings goal you figured out above, and voilà , thereâs your new monthly savings target.

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How Do I Invest 15% For Retirement

The first place to start investing is through your workplace, especially if it offers a company match. If your employer offers a Roth 401 or Roth 403, then you can invest the entire 15% of your income there and youre done. With a Roth option, you contribute after-tax dollars. That means your money grows tax-free, plus you dont pay taxes on that money when you take it out at retirement . Talk about making investing super easy!

If your employer matches your contributions to your 401, 403 or Thrift Savings Plan , you can reach your 15% goal by following these three steps:

For example, if your company will match 3% of your 401 contributions, invest 3% in that account and then put the remaining 12% in a Roth IRA. If that remaining 12% would put you over the annual contribution limit for a Roth IRA , max out the Roth IRA and then go back to your workplace 401 to finish out investing 15%.7

Here are two key takeaways: First, you need to invest 15% of your gross salary, not your take-home pay. Second, do not count the company match as part of your 15%. Consider that extra icing on the cake!

Why You Can Trust Bankrate

Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. Weve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next.

Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that were putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts, who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy.

Our reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most how to save for retirement, understanding the types of accounts, how to choose investments and more so you can feel confident when planning for your future.

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The Four Levels Of Retirement Savings

The lesson is: Figure out what percentage of your income you can save in total, and allocate it appropriately:

Level 1: Max out your employer match in your 401.

Level 2: Max out your emergency savings .

Level 3: Max out your Roth IRA .

Level 4: Max out your 401 .

This flowchart from my post on creating an automated investing program will also help:

Invest In Iras And Roth Iras

If you remember the rule of thumb earlier, experts advise saving 10% to 20% of your gross salary each year for retirement. You could put this all in your 401, but you should consider some other options once you cover your 401 match.

If you earn less than $122,000, you qualify for a Roth IRA in 2019. Youll qualify for a Roth IRA in 2020 if you earn less than $124,000. This is a retirement savings vehicle that you can open at virtually any bank or financial institution. You fund these with after-tax dollars. So your contributions wont reduce your taxable income. However, eligible withdrawals you make after turning 59.5 are tax free. Its good to have a mix of taxable and non-taxable income in your retirement.

Roth IRAs are particularly useful for young people who are just starting their careers. Chances are that if you just graduated from college, youre in a lower tax bracket than you will be in when you retire. Paying the income tax now instead of later can save you money, especially when you need it the most

In 2019, you can contribute up to $6,000 to a Roth IRA. The $1,000 catch-up contribution for those who are at least 50 years old applies here too. You can also contribute up to $6,000 in 2020.

You can also invest in a traditional IRA, which takes pre-tax dollars and lessens your taxable income just like a 401. Some people also have an IRA because when they left a previous employer, they moved their 401 funds into an IRA via an IRA rollover.

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