Civilian TSP planning · 2026 rules
TSP growth, contribution and match calculator
Project your balance to retirement, set a 2026 paycheck pace, and see employee deposits, Agency Automatic (1%) Contributions, matching and investment growth as separate lines.
Projection updated. Estimated retirement balance $861,771.
Projection ready
Through the beginning of 2047.
Estimated balance at retirement
$861,771
$519,954 in today’s dollars after 20.5 modeled years.
Employee deposits
$126,225
Automatic 1%
$25,244
Agency match
$100,981
Investment growth
$489,322
Balance ledger
- Opening balance
- $120,000
- Employee contributions
- $126,225
- Agency automatic contributions
- $25,244
- Agency matching contributions
- $100,981
- Investment growth
- $489,322
- Estimated retirement balance
- $861,771
Current-year check
2026 contribution plan
Uses the exact 2026 IRS limits and the remaining pay periods you entered.
- Base elective-deferral limit
- $24,500
- Available catch-up limitBased on age at the end of 2026
- $0
- Total 2026 employee limit
- $24,500
- Already deferred in 2026
- $6,500
- Remaining employee capacity
- $18,000
- Projected remaining deposits
- $2,308
- Projected catch-up deposits
- $0
- Projected annual catch-up required as RothIncludes any modeled catch-up already deferred; triggered only when prior-year eligible wages are strictly above the threshold
- $0
- Recommended whole-dollar paycheck electionCeiling needed to use the remaining annual capacity
- $1,500
- Last non-zero deductionReduced when needed to land on the modeled annual target; later checks can be $0 when little capacity remains
- $1,500.00
- Annual cap reached
- Not in modeled periods
Agency contributions for remaining 2026 pay periods
These amounts cover only the pay periods still modeled. Your current balance already includes agency deposits made before today.
Automatic 1%
$462
Captured match
$1,846
Available remaining match
$1,846
Uncaptured match
$0
Review projection assumptions
- Expected net annual return: 6%.
- Annual basic-pay growth: 2%.
- Annual inflation: 2.5%.
- Modeled future employee-limit growth: 2%.
- Annual pay is divided evenly across 26 pay periods, with deposits modeled at each period end.
- The projection runs to the beginning of the year you reach the selected retirement age. Future returns and IRS limits are not guaranteed.
Year-by-year projection
Scroll within the table to inspect every contribution and growth component.
| Year | Age | Opening | Employee | Automatic 1% | Match | Growth | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 · partial | 41 | $120,000 | $2,308 | $462 | $1,846 | $3,328 | $127,944 |
| 2027 | 42 | $127,944 | $5,100 | $1,020 | $4,080 | $7,968 | $146,111 |
| 2028 | 43 | $146,111 | $5,202 | $1,041 | $4,162 | $9,064 | $165,580 |
| 2029 | 44 | $165,580 | $5,306 | $1,061 | $4,245 | $10,238 | $186,430 |
| 2030 | 45 | $186,430 | $5,412 | $1,082 | $4,330 | $11,495 | $208,749 |
| 2031 | 46 | $208,749 | $5,520 | $1,104 | $4,416 | $12,840 | $232,630 |
| 2032 | 47 | $232,630 | $5,631 | $1,126 | $4,505 | $14,279 | $258,171 |
| 2033 | 48 | $258,171 | $5,743 | $1,149 | $4,595 | $15,818 | $285,476 |
| 2034 | 49 | $285,476 | $5,858 | $1,172 | $4,687 | $17,463 | $314,656 |
| 2035 | 50 | $314,656 | $5,976 | $1,195 | $4,781 | $19,221 | $345,828 |
| 2036 | 51 | $345,828 | $6,095 | $1,219 | $4,876 | $21,098 | $379,115 |
| 2037 | 52 | $379,115 | $6,217 | $1,243 | $4,974 | $23,102 | $414,651 |
| 2038 | 53 | $414,651 | $6,341 | $1,268 | $5,073 | $25,241 | $452,575 |
| 2039 | 54 | $452,575 | $6,468 | $1,294 | $5,175 | $27,524 | $493,035 |
| 2040 | 55 | $493,035 | $6,598 | $1,320 | $5,278 | $29,959 | $536,189 |
| 2041 | 56 | $536,189 | $6,729 | $1,346 | $5,384 | $32,556 | $582,203 |
| 2042 | 57 | $582,203 | $6,864 | $1,373 | $5,491 | $35,324 | $631,255 |
| 2043 | 58 | $631,255 | $7,001 | $1,400 | $5,601 | $38,275 | $683,533 |
| 2044 | 59 | $683,533 | $7,141 | $1,428 | $5,713 | $41,420 | $739,235 |
| 2045 | 60 | $739,235 | $7,284 | $1,457 | $5,827 | $44,770 | $798,573 |
| 2046 | 61 | $798,573 | $7,430 | $1,486 | $5,944 | $48,339 | $861,771 |
Exact for 2026
Employee contribution limits
Age is measured on December 31, 2026. Traditional and Roth employee contributions share these limits. Agency money is displayed separately.
| Age at year-end | Regular limit | Catch-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 50 | $24,500 | — | $24,500 |
| 50–59 or 64+ | $24,500 | $8,000 | $32,500 |
| 60–63 | $24,500 | $11,250 | $35,750 |
Inspectable method
How the projection is built
The calculator uses official contribution mechanics for 2026 and keeps future market and limit assumptions editable. It does not fetch balances, prices or payroll records at runtime.
- 01
Build the 2026 paycheck plan
The calculator finds your age-at-year-end limit, subtracts employee deferrals already made, and caps each remaining deduction at both basic pay and remaining annual capacity.
- 02
Calculate the match each pay period
For eligible civilian FERS participants, it adds the Agency Automatic (1%) Contribution, matches the first 3% dollar for dollar, and matches the next 2% at 50 cents per dollar.
- 03
Compound one transparent scenario
The selected annual return becomes an effective pay-period rate. Existing assets grow first, then that period’s employee and agency deposits enter the account.
- 04
Separate deposits from market growth
Every result reconciles opening balance, employee deposits, automatic contributions, matching contributions and investment growth instead of presenting one opaque ending number.
Agency Automatic (1%)
Eligible FERS employees receive 1% of basic pay each pay period even when their employee contribution is zero.
Matching contribution
The first 3% is matched dollar for dollar. The next 2% is matched at 50%, producing a 4% maximum match at 5% employee contribution.
No year-end true-up
Hitting the employee cap before the last paycheck can leave later match on the table. The result flags that pacing risk.
Read the estimate correctly
Assumptions and limits
- Annual basic pay is divided evenly across 26 or 27 pay periods; real payroll can include partial periods and pay changes.
- TSP accounts are valued daily. This planning model compounds by pay period and places deposits at period end.
- The retirement result is measured at the beginning of the calendar year in which the selected retirement age is reached.
- Only 2026 contribution limits are official. Later limits grow by your assumption and are not IRS forecasts.
- One expected return is a scenario, not a guarantee. Compare more than one return and review the today-dollar result.
Not modeled in this version
BRS and other uniformed-service rules, combat-zone tax-exempt contributions, TSP loans, withdrawals, rollovers, Roth conversions, RMDs, taxes, vesting, court orders, fund-specific forecasts, Monte Carlo probability and unusual multi-plan annual-additions cases.
CSRS and other civilian users can model employee deposits and growth by switching agency contributions off. This is a planning estimate, not financial or tax advice and not an official TSP or agency payroll calculation.
Primary references
Official sources
Statute, regulation and current IRS/OPM guidance control the calculator. Payroll-office examples are used only to check whole-dollar paycheck arithmetic.
- IRS Notice 2025-67Official 2026 elective-deferral and catch-up limits.
- IRS catch-up contribution guidanceAge-at-year-end and Roth catch-up rules.
- OPM Benefits Administration Letter 26-101Federal payroll treatment of the 2026 Roth catch-up requirement.
- 5 C.F.R. § 1600.19Civilian automatic and matching contribution formula.
- 5 U.S.C. § 8432Statutory employee and agency contribution rules.
- TSP Bulletin 20-1Spillover contributions and matching treatment.
- Interior Business Center 2026 guidance26-pay-period contribution pacing and early-cap warning.
- GSA 2026 TSP contribution chartOfficial 27-pay-period whole-dollar examples.
Common questions
TSP calculator FAQ
Does the FERS agency match count toward my TSP contribution limit?
No. The $24,500 elective-deferral limit and age-based catch-up limit apply to your employee Traditional and Roth contributions combined. Agency contributions are tracked separately. Unusual multi-plan or annual-additions-limit cases are outside this calculator.
Why can contributing too much per paycheck reduce my match?
The ordinary FERS match is calculated each pay period and TSP does not provide a year-end true-up. If employee contributions hit the annual cap early, later pay periods can have no employee contribution to match. The calculator shows captured and uncaptured remaining-year match under the entered pace.
Who must make 2026 catch-up contributions as Roth?
For 2026, catch-up contributions must be Roth when prior-year TSP-eligible federal wages are above $150,000. The threshold is strictly greater than $150,000. OPM says eligible wages generally align with Medicare wages in W-2 box 5 and can include wages from more than one federal payroll office.
What investment return should I enter?
Use a planning assumption you are willing to stress-test, net of fees. No single rate predicts TSP fund performance. Try a lower and higher scenario and compare the result in today’s dollars rather than treating the default as a forecast.
Does this calculator support military BRS participants?
No. Version 1 models civilian pay periods and civilian FERS agency contributions. BRS timing, service-entry rules, special and incentive pay, combat-zone contributions and the BRS contribution cutoff require a different contract.
Are the future contribution limits official IRS limits?
No. Only the 2026 limits are authoritative here. Later limits grow by the assumption you enter so the long-range projection does not freeze contributions forever. The calculator labels those values as modeled, not predicted IRS limits.
Planning beyond the balance
See what your federal experience can earn outside government
FedUp.work translates your federal background and surfaces private-sector roles that fit. Use the TSP estimate as one input—not the whole decision—when evaluating a transition.