457(b) Calculator
Free 457(b) calculator for government and nonprofit plans: project your balance with the 2026 limits, age 50+ catch-up and the special 3-year catch-up.
Before tax, e.g. 60,000
Pre-tax or Roth deferrals
Held fixed every year
50 = 50¢ per $1 you put in
% of salary you contribute
After fees; hypothetical
For the today’s-dollars figure
Year-by-year projection
| Year | Age | Salary | You | Employer | Growth | End balance |
|---|
About this calculator
A 457(b) is a deferred compensation plan offered mainly by state and local governments — to teachers, police officers, firefighters, city and county staff — and by some tax-exempt organizations. You defer part of your salary, it is invested, and it grows tax-deferred (or tax-free in a Roth 457(b)) until you take it out.
This 457b calculator projects your balance at retirement from your age, current balance, salary, contribution and any employer contribution, with yearly raises and monthly compounding. It checks every year against the 2026 457(b) limit of $24,500, applies the age-50 and age 60–63 catch-ups for governmental plans, and can model the special catch-up allowed in the three years before normal retirement age.
The 457(b) has features no other workplace plan has. The sections below explain them, because they change how much you can save and when you can reach the money.
How a 457(b) differs from a 403(b) or 401(k)
Separate limit. The 457(b) limit is not combined with your 401(k) or 403(b) deferrals. Someone with both a 403(b) and a 457(b) — common for public-school and university staff — can defer $24,500 into each plan in 2026, $24,500 twice over, plus catch-up in each if eligible.
No 10% early-withdrawal penalty in governmental plans. Distributions from a governmental 457(b) are not subject to the 10% additional tax on early distributions, except for money you rolled in from a 401(k), 403(b) or IRA. Once you leave the employer you can withdraw at any age, paying ordinary income tax on pre-tax money. That makes a governmental 457(b) especially useful if you retire before 59½.
Special 3-year catch-up. In the three tax years ending before the plan’s normal retirement age, you may be able to defer up to twice the normal limit — up to $49,000 for 2026 — if you under-used your limit in earlier years. You cannot use it in the same year as the age-50 catch-up; you get whichever allows more.
Employer contributions share the limit. In a 457(b), employer contributions count toward the same $24,500 limit as your own deferrals, unlike a 401(k) or 403(b). The calculator accounts for this when it checks your contributions.
Governmental vs non-governmental 457(b) plans
Governmental 457(b) plans (state and local governments) hold assets in trust for participants, allow age-50 and age 60–63 catch-up contributions, can be rolled over to an IRA, 401(k) or 403(b), and have no 10% early-withdrawal penalty.
Non-governmental 457(b) plans are offered by tax-exempt organizations such as hospitals and charities, usually only to a select group of management or highly paid employees. The money legally remains the employer’s property until it is paid out and is available to the employer’s general creditors if it runs into financial trouble. These plans do not allow the age-50 catch-up, and they generally cannot be rolled over to an IRA or other plan type. Choose “Non-governmental” in the calculator to apply these rules.
IRS contribution limits for 2026
| Limit (2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Employee elective deferrals — 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b) | $24,500 |
| Catch-up contribution, age 50 and over | $8,000 |
| Higher catch-up, ages 60, 61, 62 and 63 | $11,250 |
| Total annual additions (employee + employer) — 401(k), 403(b) | $72,000 |
| Maximum compensation counted for employer contributions | $360,000 |
| Special 457(b) catch-up ceiling (last 3 years before normal retirement age) | $49,000 |
| Prior-year wages above which catch-up contributions must be Roth | $150,000 |
Limits are the IRS figures for tax year 2026, last checked October 5, 2026. Projections hold them flat in later years; the IRS normally raises them for inflation, so a capped projection is on the conservative side.
Sources: IRS: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026 · IRS: COLA increases for dollar limitations on benefits and contributions · IRS: Retirement topics — catch-up contributions · IRS: Section 457(b) plans — catch-up contributions
How to use it
- Pick the plan type: governmental (state or local government) or non-governmental (tax-exempt employer). Check your plan summary if you are not sure.
- Enter your current age, the age you plan to retire, your current 457(b) balance and your annual salary.
- Enter your contribution as a percentage of salary or as a fixed dollar amount per year.
- Enter any employer contribution as a match rate and cap. Many government employers do not contribute to the 457(b); leave the match at 0 if yours does not.
- Set an expected return after fees, a yearly raise and inflation.
- Tick “Add catch-up contributions” to contribute the extra amount you are eligible for each year. In a governmental plan you can also tick the special 457(b) catch-up, which applies in the last three years before the retirement age you entered.
- Read the projected balance, limit check, chart and year-by-year table.
How the calculation works
Growth and contributions
r = (1 + R)^(1/12) − 1 balance = balance × (1 + r) + (E + M) ÷ 12 (each month)The same engine as the 403(b) calculator: contributions are spread over 12 months and the balance compounds monthly at the rate equivalent to your annual return, so a balance with no contributions grows by exactly R a year.
457(b) limit (2026)
E + M ≤ $24,500 (+ $8,000 at 50+, or $11,250 at ages 60–63, governmental plans only)Your deferrals E and any employer contributions M share one limit. If they exceed it and the cap is on, the calculator reduces your deferral until the total fits — the employer’s match falls with it if it is tied to your contribution.
Special 3-year catch-up
limit = min( 2 × $24,500, $24,500 + unused limit from earlier years )Available in the three years before normal retirement age. Twice the 2026 limit is $49,000. The calculator assumes you have at least that much unused limit from earlier years; if you have contributed close to the maximum all along, your actual special catch-up will be smaller.
Worked examples
Example 1: a city employee saving 10% with no employer money
You are 40, work for a city and earn $70,000. You have $25,000 in a governmental 457(b), contribute 10% of pay and get no employer contribution. You assume a 6% return and 3% raises, and plan to retire at 60.
- First-year contribution: 10% × $70,000 = $7,000, or $583.33 a month — $17,500 under the 2026 limit of $24,500.
- Monthly growth rate: (1 + 6%)^(1/12) − 1 = 0.4868%.
- Each year the salary rises 3%, so the contribution rises with it. Over 20 years you contribute $188,093.
- Investment growth over the same period adds $202,887.
Result: A projected balance of $415,979 at 60, about $253,860 in today’s dollars at 2.5% inflation. Because this is a governmental 457(b), you could start withdrawing as soon as you leave the job at 60 without the 10% early-withdrawal penalty that would apply to a 401(k) or 403(b) before 59½.
Example 2: the special catch-up before retirement
You are 59, earn $110,000 and have $300,000 in a governmental 457(b) whose normal retirement age is 62. You never contributed much before, so you have plenty of unused limit. You plan to contribute the maximum for the 3 years until you retire, with a 5% return.
- The special catch-up years are the three years before normal retirement age: the years you are 59, 60, and 61.
- With the age-based catch-up only, the limit would be $32,500 at 59 and $35,750 at 60 and 61, for total contributions of $104,000.
- With the special catch-up, the limit in each of those years is 2 × $24,500 = $49,000, because that is larger than the age-based limit. Total contributions: $147,000.
- Projected balance at 62 without the special catch-up: $458,885. With it: $505,269.
Result: The special catch-up adds $46,384 to the balance at retirement in just 3 years. It is worth asking your plan administrator to calculate your unused limit before you reach the window.
Assumptions
- Returns are a constant hypothetical rate after fees; actual returns vary and can be negative.
- Contributions are monthly and stop at the retirement age you enter. For the special catch-up, the calculator treats that age as the plan’s normal retirement age.
- Limits are the 2026 amounts, held flat in future years. Age-based catch-up uses the age you reach in each projection year.
- The special catch-up assumes you have enough unused limit from prior years to use the full $49,000. Your plan calculates the real figure.
- Taxes are not modelled. Pre-tax withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income; qualified Roth withdrawals are tax-free.
- For non-governmental plans, the calculator does not model the risk that plan assets are claimed by the employer’s creditors.
What the result means
The projected balance is a what-if under steady returns. Compare scenarios rather than relying on one figure: try a lower return, or contributions at the limit, and see how the result moves.
If you also have a 403(b) or 401(k), run that account separately in the 403(b) calculator — the limits are independent, so your total retirement savings can be much larger than either plan alone.
If you plan to retire before 59½, the 457(b) is often the account to draw from first, because governmental 457(b) withdrawals avoid the 10% early-withdrawal tax. The savings withdrawal calculator shows how long a given balance lasts.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the 457(b) and 403(b) limits are combined. They are not; you can max out both.
- Forgetting that employer contributions count toward the 457(b) limit. If your employer adds money, your own maximum deferral is lower than $24,500.
- Planning on the age-50 catch-up in a non-governmental plan, which does not allow it.
- Claiming the special catch-up and the age-50 catch-up in the same year. You get one or the other, whichever is larger.
- Rolling 457(b) money into an IRA or 401(k) without thinking: once rolled, it loses the governmental 457(b) exemption from the 10% early-withdrawal tax.
- Ignoring creditor risk in a non-governmental 457(b). The balance is an unsecured promise from your employer until it is paid.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 457(b) contribution limit for 2026?
The 2026 limit is $24,500 (or 100% of includible compensation, if less), up from $23,500 in 2025. Governmental plans also allow a $8,000 catch-up from age 50 and $11,250 at ages 60–63. In the three years before normal retirement age, the special catch-up can raise the limit to as much as $49,000.
Can I max out a 457(b) and a 403(b) or 401(k) in the same year?
Yes. The 457(b) limit is separate from the deferral limit shared by 401(k) and 403(b) plans, so you can defer $24,500 into each in 2026, plus any catch-up each plan allows.
Is there a penalty for early withdrawal from a 457(b)?
Distributions from a governmental 457(b) are not subject to the 10% additional tax on early distributions, except for amounts rolled in from another type of plan or an IRA. They are still taxed as income if they came from pre-tax contributions. You can generally take money out only after you leave the employer, reach the age set by the plan, or have an unforeseeable emergency.
How does the 457(b) special catch-up work?
In the three tax years that end before the plan’s normal retirement age, you can defer the lesser of twice the annual limit ($49,000 in 2026) or the normal limit plus the limit you did not use in earlier years. You cannot combine it with the age-50 catch-up in the same year.
What is the difference between a governmental and a non-governmental 457(b)?
Governmental plans hold assets in trust for participants, allow catch-up contributions from age 50 and can be rolled over to other plans. Non-governmental plans are usually limited to highly paid employees of tax-exempt organizations, do not allow the age-50 catch-up, generally cannot be rolled to an IRA, and their assets remain subject to the employer’s creditors.
Do employer contributions count toward the 457(b) limit?
Yes. In a 457(b) the limit covers all deferrals, including employer contributions. If your employer contributes $3,000, the most you can defer yourself in 2026 is $24,500 minus $3,000, before any catch-up.
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Disclaimer
This calculator is for education and illustration only. Results are hypothetical projections that depend entirely on the inputs and the constant rate of return you enter; real investment returns vary from year to year and can be negative. Nothing on this page is investment, tax or legal advice. Check your plan’s documents and consider speaking with a qualified financial professional or tax adviser before making decisions.