It's very low. On average decent companies match 50% of contributions up to 3-6%. Some 100% up to 6-7% but that's considered very good. 20% doesn't sound right. Also some companies offer no match at all.
If you have an annual salary of $100,000 and contribute 6%, your contribution will be $6,000 and your employer's 50% match will be $3,000 ($6,000 x 50%), for a total of $9,000. If you only contribute 3%, your contribution will be $3,000 and your employer's 50% match will be $1,500, for a total of $4,500.
To get the maximum amount of match, you have to put in 6% of your salary. If you make $50,000, for example, and you decide to contribute the full 6%, that would be $3,000 a year — usually taken out gradually, with each paycheck — and then your employer would contribute half of that, or $1,500.
So if you, for example, contribute 5% of your salary to your 401(k), your employer will contribute the same amount. As employer matching is effectively free money, most experts will tell you to make sure you contribute enough to max out the match.
According to Fidelity, investors should aim to save 15% of their pre-tax income annually, including any match. 1 A common rule of thumb is to set aside at least 10% of your gross earnings.
A typical 401(k) employer match might be between 3% and 6% of an employee's salary, in which case the employee would receive a contribution of 6% of their salary from their employer after contributing 6% themselves.
According to the $1,000 per month rule, retirees can receive $1,000 per month if they withdraw 5% annually for every $240,000 they have set aside. For example, if you aim to take out $2,000 per month, you'll need to set aside $480,000.
Your employer can never take back your vested funds. However, if any portion of your 401(k) balance is not vested, your employer may reclaim this money under certain circumstances — for instance, when your employment status changes.
In this case, a good rule of thumb that still has a profound positive impact on your retirement savings is to contribute just enough to receive the full employer match. So if your employer will match up to 7% of your contributions, only contribute 7% so you can take full advantage of that extra money.
There are guidelines to help you set one if you're looking for a single number to be your retirement nest egg goal. Some advisors recommend saving 12 times your annual salary. 12 A 66-year-old $100,000-per-year earner would need $1.2 million at retirement under this rule.
Example 1: You contribute $1,200 from your $30,000 annual salary to your company's 401(k) plan. Your employer's 50% match on your contributions up to 5% of your salary means an additional $600 (50% x $1,200) would be added to your retirement account for the year.
Even with its drawbacks, the 401K can be a valuable tool in your retirement toolkit. The tax-deferred growth, employer matching, and compounding interest you can earn over time make it a powerful option—though it's far from perfect.
What does a 6% 401(k) match mean? A: This means that the employer is matching up to a total of 6% of an employee's overall compensation to his or her 401(k) account on top of what the employee is contributing. So, if an employee is earning $50,000 per year, the employer's match would not exceed $3,000.
The Bottom Line. If you leave your job, your 401(k) will stay where it is until you decide what you want to do with it. You have several choices including leaving it where it is, rolling it over to another retirement account, or cashing it out.
Automatic Enrollment
According to the Wall Street Journal, with 6% becoming the new normal, “Workers are putting a record share of their income toward retirement.” One of the big bonuses with doing so is that workers are able to take better advantage of matching employer contributions.
Once you leave a job where you have a 401(k), you can no longer make contributions to the plan and no longer receive the match. There may be better investment vehicles out there — 401(k) plans may have higher fees, limited investment options and strict withdrawal rules.
On each anniversary of your hiring, you are granted greater ownership over your employer's match contributions. Commonly, you'll own 0% in your first year of employment. Every year after that, you'll gain an additional 20%, becoming fully vested by year six.
Unlike a traditional IRA or a traditional 401(k), the Roth IRA is one of the few tax-advantaged accounts that allows you to withdraw the money you've contributed at any time for any reason without paying taxes or penalties.
If you have $400,000 in the bank you can retire early at age 62, but it will be tight. The good news is that if you can keep working for just five more years, you are on track for a potentially quite comfortable retirement by full retirement age.
“By the time you hit 33 years old, you should have $100,000 saved somewhere,” he said, urging viewers that they can accomplish this goal. “Save 20 percent of your paycheck and let the market grow at 5% to 7% per year,” O'Leary said in the video.
You can retire comfortably on $3,000 a month in retirement income by choosing to retire in a place with a cost of living that matches your financial resources. Housing cost is the key factor since it's both the largest component of retiree budgets and the household cost that varies most according to geography.
A study by Vanguard reported that the average employer match was 4.5% in 2020, with the median at 3% of salary. In 2023, if you're getting at least 4% to 6% in 401k employer matching, it's considered a “good” 401k match. Anything above 6% would be considered “great”.
For example, a job with a $100,000 salary and an employer 401(k) match of up to 5% of the employee's salary — $5,000 — could be seen as more advantageous than a job with a $102,000 salary and no employer 401(k) match option.