401(k) by Age: How Much Should You Have Saved at 30, 40, 50, 60?

Retirement Published June 4, 2026 Updated June 4, 2026

Fidelity's widely cited rule of thumb says you should have saved 1 times your salary by age 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, and 10x by retirement age 67. For a worker earning $75,000 a year, that maps to roughly $75,000 saved by 30, $225,000 by 40, $450,000 by 50, $600,000 by 60, and $750,000 at retirement. Most Americans are well behind those targets, but the combination of higher 2026 contribution limits, the new SECURE 2.0 super catch-up at ages 60 to 63, and a few mid-career adjustments can close the gap faster than most savers realize.

The Fidelity Rule of Thumb in Dollars

Fidelity built its multiplier guideline on three assumptions: you save 15% of income each year (including any employer match), you retire at 67, and you maintain your pre-retirement lifestyle by replacing about 45% of income from savings (with Social Security covering the rest). For a $75,000 earner, the multipliers translate as follows:

The targets cover all retirement savings, not just a 401(k). Roth and traditional IRAs, HSAs earmarked for retirement, and after-tax brokerage savings count toward the same goal. The 10x figure is a floor, not a ceiling. If you plan to retire before 67, want a lifestyle that replaces more than 80% of pre-retirement income, or expect long-term-care expenses on top of routine spending, you need closer to 12x or 15x.

What the Average and Median American Actually Have Saved by Age

The Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances (the most recent comprehensive snapshot, released in October 2023 and still the working baseline for 2026 planning) shows just how far behind the typical household is. Averages are pulled up by very large balances, so the median is the more honest benchmark.

Compare the 55 to 64 median of $185,000 against the Fidelity target of 8x salary at 60 (roughly $600,000 for a $75k earner) and you can see why so many surveys describe a retirement readiness crisis. About half of households entering their 60s have less than a third of what Fidelity recommends.

2026 Contribution Limits: How Much Can You Actually Put In?

IRS Notice 2025-67 set the 2026 retirement contribution limits. These limits define the maximum legal catch-up math:

• 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), TSP elective deferral: $24,500 (up from $23,500 in 2025).
• Standard catch-up (age 50 to 59 and 64+): additional $8,000, for a total of $32,500.
• Super catch-up (ages 60, 61, 62, 63 only): additional $11,250 under SECURE 2.0 Section 109, for a total of $35,750.
• Total 415(c) annual additions limit (employee + employer + after-tax): $72,000, or $80,000 with standard catch-up, or $83,250 with super catch-up.
• IRA contribution limit: $7,500, plus $1,100 catch-up at 50+, for $8,600.
• Roth IRA income phase-out begins at $153,000 single / $240,000 MFJ MAGI in 2026.

A worker earning $150,000 who is 62 years old and gets a 6% employer match could legally save $35,750 elective + $9,000 match + after-tax contributions up to the $83,250 cap, for tens of thousands more per year than at any prior age. The SECURE 2.0 super catch-up window is the largest legal contribution opportunity in the US retirement system.

How to Catch Up If You're Behind

Behind for your age does not mean broke. The five-lever catch-up sequence:

1. Capture the full employer match first. A 50% match on the first 6% of salary is an instant 50% return. Skipping it to fund other goals almost never pencils out.
2. Raise your deferral rate by 1 percentage point per year until you hit 15% to 20% of gross. Auto-escalation features built into most 401(k) plans do this for you.
3. Open a Roth IRA alongside the 401(k) for tax diversification. Even at age 50, $8,600/year for 17 years at 7% real returns grows to roughly $270,000.
4. Use an HSA as a stealth retirement account if you have a qualifying high-deductible health plan. Triple tax advantages (deductible going in, tax-free growth, tax-free withdrawals for medical) make it more efficient than a 401(k) for healthcare expenses in retirement.
5. Hit the super catch-up window aggressively at 60 to 63. Front-loading $35,750 per year for four years adds about $158,000 to retirement at a 7% real return, plus growth on growth in the years after.

The Math on Closing the Gap

A 40-year-old with $50,000 saved (well below the 3x salary target for a $75k earner) needs to reach roughly $750,000 by 67. That requires saving about $935 per month at a 7% real return for 27 years. With a 50% employer match on 6% of a $75,000 salary, the employer contributes $187/month, leaving $748/month from the employee, which is roughly 12% of gross. Not easy, but achievable for most middle-income households.

A 50-year-old starting from $75,000 with the same target needs about $2,200/month at 7%. That is the hard scenario the super catch-up was designed for. By contributing the max $32,500 at ages 50 to 59 and $35,750 at ages 60 to 63, the same 50-year-old can reach $750,000 even with that late start.

Employer Match Math: The Free Money Calculation

The two common 401(k) match structures:

• 50% match on first 6%: For a $75k salary, employer contributes up to $2,250/year. You must contribute $4,500 to capture it.
• 100% match on first 3%, then 50% on next 2% (Safe Harbor): For a $75k salary, employer contributes up to $3,000/year. You must contribute $3,750 (5% of pay) to capture it fully.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the median employer match is about 4.7% of salary among private-industry workers who participate in a defined contribution plan. Over a 35-year career on a $75,000 salary, that match alone is worth roughly $330,000 in retirement assets, assuming 7% real returns and modest wage growth.

Asset Allocation by Age

The classic rule "100 minus your age in stocks" is too conservative for most modern retirees, who face 25 to 35 years of retirement after age 65. A more current heuristic uses 110 or 120 minus age. Vanguard's target-date fund glide paths illustrate the institutional consensus:

Target-date funds handle the glide path automatically and remain the default investment in most 401(k) plans for new enrollees under the Pension Protection Act's qualified default investment alternative (QDIA) rules.

Mistakes That Compound Faster Than Returns

• Cashing out at job change. About 41% of workers cash out at least partially when they leave a job, per a 2023 Vanguard study. A $30,000 cash-out at age 30 forfeits roughly $230,000 in retirement assets at a 7% real return over 35 years, plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty and ordinary income tax in the year of withdrawal.
• Holding company stock heavily. Single-stock concentration in the same employer that pays your salary doubles your risk. The Enron rule still applies.
• Picking a stable-value fund as a default. Younger workers who never adjust off the default cash-equivalent option give up the equity returns that drive retirement math.
• Borrowing from the 401(k). Loans aren't a tax event if repaid on schedule, but a job loss can convert the outstanding balance into a taxable distribution with a 10% penalty if under 59 1/2.
• Forgetting old 401(k)s. The Capitalize Lost Plan Report estimates 29 million 401(k) accounts holding $1.65 trillion are sitting forgotten with former employers as of 2023. Consolidate into a rollover IRA or your current 401(k) to avoid losing track.

Where to Save First When You Can't Save Everywhere

The standard priority order for retirement savings:

1. 401(k) up to the full employer match.
2. HSA to the annual limit ($4,400 single / $8,750 family in 2026) if eligible.
3. Roth IRA to the $7,500 limit if income permits, or backdoor Roth if it doesn't.
4. 401(k) up to the elective deferral limit ($24,500 in 2026).
5. Taxable brokerage in low-turnover index funds.
6. After-tax 401(k) contributions plus mega-backdoor Roth conversion if your plan allows it.

If you can do all six tiers, you are already well past the Fidelity targets. If you can only do the first two, you are already doing more than most of your peers.

Frequently Asked Questions