Introduction
A 403(b) plan is a retirement savings account for people who work at schools, hospitals, churches, and other nonprofit groups. It works a lot like a 401(k), but it is built for public service and tax-exempt workers. You put money in from each paycheck, your employer may add money too, and your savings grow over time thanks to compound interest.
This free 403(b) calculator shows you how much money you could have when you retire. Enter your age, salary, contribution rate, and employer match to get a full projection in seconds. The tool accounts for IRS contribution limits, age 50+ catch-up contributions, annual salary raises, investment growth, inflation, and taxes. You can also compare pre-tax (traditional) and Roth 403(b) options side by side to see which one saves you more money.
Use the results to find out how small changes — like raising your contribution by just 1% — can add tens of thousands of dollars to your retirement. A year-by-year breakdown table and charts make it easy to see exactly where your money comes from and how fast it grows.
How to Use Our 403(b) Calculator
Enter your age, salary, and contribution details below. The calculator will show how much your 403(b) account could grow by the time you retire, including charts, tax savings, and a full year-by-year breakdown.
Current Age — Enter how old you are right now. This tells the calculator how many years you have left to save before retirement.
Planned Retirement Age — Enter the age when you plan to stop working. This must be higher than your current age.
Years of Service — Enter how many years you have worked at your current employer. If you have 15 or more years, you may qualify for an extra catch-up contribution under IRS rules.
Current 403(b) Balance — Enter the total amount of money already in your 403(b) account today. If you have not started one yet, enter zero.
Current Annual Salary — Enter your gross yearly pay before taxes. This is used to figure out your dollar contributions each year. If you need help converting an hourly wage, try our salary calculator.
Expected Annual Salary Increase (%) — Enter the percent raise you expect to get each year. A common estimate is 2% to 3%. You can use our pay raise calculator to see how raises affect your take-home pay over time.
Employee Contribution Rate (%) — Enter the percent of your salary you put into your 403(b) each year. The calculator will cap this at the IRS annual limit if it goes too high.
Employer Contribution Rate (%) — Enter the percent of your salary your employer contributes to your account. Set this to zero if your employer does not contribute.
Employer Match Cap (%) — Enter the maximum percent of your salary your employer will match. For example, if they match up to 5% of your pay, enter 5.
Contribution Type — Choose Pre-Tax (Traditional) if your contributions lower your taxable income now but get taxed when you withdraw in retirement. Choose Roth 403(b) if you pay taxes now but withdraw the money tax-free later. Our Roth conversion calculator can help you evaluate switching between traditional and Roth accounts.
Age 50+ Catch-Up Contribution — This option appears if you are age 50 or older. Turn it on to add the IRS catch-up amount on top of the standard contribution limit each year.
Expected Annual Return (%) — Enter the average yearly growth rate you expect from your investments. A common long-term estimate for a balanced portfolio is 6% to 8%. You can use the Rule of 72 calculator to quickly estimate how long it takes your money to double at a given rate.
Current Marginal Tax Rate (%) — Enter your current federal income tax bracket. This is used to estimate how much you save in taxes each year with pre-tax contributions. Our tax bracket calculator can help you find the right rate.
Retirement Tax Rate (%) — Enter the tax rate you expect to pay in retirement. Most people fall into a lower bracket after they stop working.
Inflation Rate (%) — Enter the expected rate of inflation. This is used to show what your future balance would be worth in today's dollars. A typical estimate is 2% to 3%.
What Is a 403(b) Plan?
A 403(b) plan is a retirement savings account for people who work at public schools, churches, hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations. It works a lot like a 401(k), but it is designed specifically for employees of tax-exempt employers. Money you put into a 403(b) grows over time through compound interest, which means your earnings make even more earnings year after year.
How a 403(b) Works
Each paycheck, a portion of your salary goes into your 403(b) account. You pick how much to contribute, usually as a percentage of your pay. Many employers also add money to your account through a match, which is essentially free money on top of what you save. The funds in your account are then invested, and they grow tax-deferred until you withdraw them in retirement. To see how your overall investments stack up across all your accounts, consider looking at the bigger picture with a net worth calculator.
Traditional vs. Roth 403(b)
There are two main types of 403(b) contributions. With a traditional (pre-tax) 403(b), your contributions lower your taxable income now, so you pay less in taxes today. You then pay taxes later when you take the money out in retirement. With a Roth 403(b), you pay taxes on your contributions now, but all your withdrawals in retirement — including the growth — are completely tax-free. If you also have a Roth IRA, combining the two can give you even more tax-free income in retirement.
403(b) Contribution Limits
The IRS sets a yearly cap on how much you can put into your 403(b). For 2025, the standard limit is $23,500. If you are age 50 or older, you can make an extra catch-up contribution of $7,500 per year, bringing your total to $31,000. Some workers with 15 or more years of service at the same qualifying employer may also be eligible for an additional catch-up amount under the IRS 15-year rule.
Why Start Saving Early
The sooner you start contributing to a 403(b), the more time your money has to grow. Even small contributions can turn into a large nest egg over 20 or 30 years thanks to compound growth. Waiting just a few years to start can cost you tens of thousands of dollars by the time you retire. If your employer offers a match, try to contribute at least enough to get the full match — otherwise, you are leaving free money on the table. The Coast FIRE calculator can show you when your existing savings may be enough to grow on their own to meet your retirement goal without further contributions.
How This Calculator Helps
This 403(b) calculator shows you how much your account could be worth by the time you retire. Enter your age, salary, contribution rate, employer match, and expected investment return. The calculator then projects your balance year by year, accounts for IRS contribution limits, adjusts for inflation, and compares your results with and without employer contributions. Use it to test different scenarios and find the savings strategy that works best for your retirement goals. Once you have a target balance, tools like the 4% rule calculator and the retirement withdrawal calculator can help you plan how much you can safely spend each year after you stop working. You may also want to estimate your Social Security benefits and factor in any pension income to get a complete picture of your retirement finances. If you have other tax-advantaged accounts, our IRA calculator, HSA calculator, and TSP calculator can help you optimize your full savings strategy.