Retirement Calculators
TSP Retirement Calculator
A thrift savings plan retirement calculator that models the real TSP match formula and 2026 IRS contribution limits — not a generic 401(k) estimate with the name swapped.
Project your TSP balance
Assumes a flat contribution rate, flat salary, and one constant assumed rate of return — real TSP fund returns vary year to year. Doesn’t include taxes, loans, or withdrawals before retirement.
How the TSP match actually works
The part every generic 401(k) calculator gets wrong when you swap in “TSP.”
1% automatic
You get this whether you contribute anything or not — it’s not a match, it’s automatic.
Dollar-for-dollar to 3%
Your next 3% of contributions are matched 100%, adding another 3% of salary.
50 cents on the dollar to 5%
Your next 2% is matched at 50%, adding a final 1% — for 5% total agency money once you hit 5%.
What makes a TSP calculator different from a 401(k) calculator
A generic retirement calculator tsp users sometimes land on is really just a 401(k) calculator with the name changed — and it gets the government’s contribution wrong. A tsp calculator retirement tool needs to apply the exact tiered match formula and the exact IRS limits below, not a flat “we’ll match X%” assumption a private-sector 401(k) calculator would use. A proper thrift savings plan retirement calculator has to get both pieces right.
2026 TSP contribution limits
The IRS sets an annual cap on how much you can contribute — called the elective deferral limit — and federal employees get extra room to contribute once they hit certain ages:
| Age | 2026 limit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50 | $24,500 | Standard elective deferral limit |
| 50–59, or 64+ | $32,500 | $24,500 + $8,000 standard catch-up |
| 60–63 | $35,750 | $24,500 + $11,250 enhanced catch-up (SECURE 2.0) |
The enhanced catch-up for ages 60–63 is new territory created by SECURE 2.0 — it replaces, not stacks with, the standard catch-up, and it drops back to the standard $8,000 amount again at 64.
The front-loading mistake that costs you match
Traditional vs. Roth TSP
You can split contributions between Traditional (pre-tax, taxed on withdrawal) and Roth (after-tax, tax-free qualified withdrawals) TSP balances — the elective deferral limit applies to your combined total, not each separately. One fixed rule regardless of your election: agency automatic and matching contributions always go into your Traditional balance, even if 100% of your own contributions are Roth.
Starting in 2026, there’s a new wrinkle: if your prior-year wages were above the IRS threshold ($150,000 in 2025 wages, adjusted annually), any catch-up contributions you make must be Roth by law — you can no longer choose to make catch-up contributions pre-tax once you cross that earnings line.
TSP fund options
This calculator asks you to assume one overall annual return rather than modeling each fund separately, because your actual return depends entirely on how you allocate across the five core funds:
- G Fund — government securities, no risk of loss of principal, lowest long-run return
- F Fund — bond index, low-to-moderate risk
- C Fund — S&P 500 index, stock market risk and return
- S Fund — small/mid-cap stock index, higher volatility
- I Fund — international stock index
Most participants either pick a mix themselves or use a Lifecycle (L) Fund, which automatically shifts from stock-heavy to bond-heavy as your target retirement date approaches. Whatever mix you choose determines which growth-rate assumption is realistic to enter above.
Contribution limits and match structure verified against the official TSP 2026 contribution limits bulletin at tsp.gov. This is a planning estimate — confirm your actual contribution elections and match through your myPay or TSP account.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask before trusting a TSP projection.
Do I get the TSP match even if I contribute 0%?
Yes — the 1% automatic contribution is not conditional on you contributing anything. It’s the matching portion (the additional 4%) that requires you to contribute at least 5% of your own salary to fully capture.
What percentage should I contribute to get the full TSP match?
5% of your basic pay captures the entire match: 1% automatic, plus 100% match on your first 3%, plus 50% match on your next 2%. Contributing beyond 5% doesn’t earn any additional matching money, though it can still be worth doing to use more of your annual IRS contribution limit.
Does the TSP calculator account for catch-up contributions?
Yes — this calculator automatically applies the correct IRS limit for your age each year of the projection, including the standard $8,000 catch-up at 50+ and the enhanced $11,250 catch-up specifically for ages 60–63.
Is TSP calculator for retirement the same as a 401(k) calculator?
The compound-growth math is the same, but the contribution and match rules are different. A 401(k) plan sets its own match formula and limits by plan document; the TSP’s formula (1% automatic, then tiered matching to 5%) and its contribution limits are set by federal law and apply uniformly to every TSP participant.
Should Traditional or Roth TSP contributions change my projected balance?
No — the accumulation math is identical either way. Traditional and Roth differ in when you pay tax (now vs. at withdrawal), not in how the balance grows before retirement, which is what this calculator projects.