Retirement and savings sources and dates

Where the starting numbers for the calculators in this group come from, and the date we checked each one. They are examples, not quotes.

Sources by Calculator

Back to all sources and dates. Each table lists a calculator's starting numbers, source links and check dates.

529 college plan vs brokerage account

Assumption / InputStarting valueSourceChecked
K-12 limit for 529 withdrawals (page text only)Up to $20,000 a year per beneficiary from 2026Internal Revenue Service Topic No. 313 Qualified tuition programs (QTPs)2026-10-16
Federal 529 qualified withdrawal tax rules, non-qualified 10% penalty, and SECURE 2.0 $35,000 Roth IRA rollover0% tax on qualified withdrawals, 10% penalty + income tax on non-qualified earnings, up to $35,000 lifetime Roth IRA rolloverInternal Revenue Service Publication 970 Tax Benefits for Education2026-04-01
Direct-sold 529 plan asset-weighted expense ratio vs low-cost index ETF expense ratio0.20% 529 expense ratio vs 0.05% brokerage ETF expense ratioMorningstar 529 College-Savings Plan Landscape Report2026-04-01
State 529 income tax deduction caps and marginal state income tax rates$10,000 annual deduction cap at 5.0% state marginal rateSavingforcollege and Tax Foundation State 529 Tax Deduction Guide2026-04-01
Taxable brokerage dividend yield and federal long-term capital gains tax rate1.5% annual dividend yield, 15% long-term capital gains tax rate (federal rates are 0%, 15% or 20%)Internal Revenue Service Topic No. 409 Capital Gains and Losses2026-10-16

Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA

Assumption / InputStarting valueSourceChecked
Employee deferral limit (section 402(g)(1))$24,500IRS Notice 2025-67,; repeated in IRS news release IR-2025-111,2026-10-17
Catch-up, age 50 or over (section 414(v))$8,000IRS Notice 2025-67 and IR-2025-111 (same links)2026-10-17
Catch-up, reaching age 60, 61, 62 or 63 in 2026$11,250 (confirm the plan offers it)IRS Notice 2025-67 and IR-2025-111 (same links)2026-10-17
Annual additions limit (section 415(c)(1)(A))$72,000IRS Notice 2025-67; IRS "401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits",2026-10-17
Compensation cap (section 401(a)(17))$360,000IRS Notice 2025-67; IRS 401(k) and profit-sharing limits page (same link)2026-10-17
Employer contribution rate, sole proprietor20% of plan pay (25% reduced)IRS Publication 560, (Rate Table for the Self-Employed, 25% plan rate gives 0.200000; Deduction Worksheet for the Self-Employed)2026-10-17
Employer contribution rate, S-corp owner25% of W-2 payIRS one-participant 401(k) plans, (last reviewed 2026-04-09); IRS Publication 5602026-10-17
Owner deferral up to 100% of pay100% of plan payIRS one-participant 401(k) plans; IRS Publication 560 worksheet (step 12)2026-10-17
Self-employment tax rates and wage base12.4% up to $184,500, 2.9%, 0.9% above $200,000, 92.35% factorIRS Topic 751,2026-10-17
Self-employed contribution steps and worked examplenet profit $100,000, SE tax $14,130, plan rate 10%, contribution $8,449IRS "Self-employed individuals: calculating your own retirement plan contribution and deduction",2026-10-17
SEP IRA deadlinereturn due date, including extensionsIRS Publication 5602026-10-17
New Solo 401(k) adopted after year endsole proprietor with no employees; first-year deferrals by the return due date, no extensions; employer contributions by the due date, with extensionsIRS issue snapshot,2026-10-17
Form 5500-EZover $250,000 in plan assets at year end (confirm)IRS one-participant 401(k) plans; IRS Publication 5602026-10-17
Designated Roth contributionsallowed if the plan allows it (confirm)IRS Publication 5602026-10-17
Roth catch-up wage threshold$150,000 (note only, not in the math; confirm)IRS Notice 2025-672026-10-17
SEP minimum compensation$800IRS Notice 2025-672026-10-17
Federal marginal tax rate24%Typical, edit this. Same default as w2-vs-1099 and side-hustle-profit.2026-10-17
State tax rate0%Typical, edit this.2026-10-17
20% pass-through deduction (QBI)offTypical, edit this.2026-10-17
Roth share of deferral and catch-up0%Typical, edit this.2026-10-17
Growth per year5%Typical, edit this.2026-10-17
Years of saving10Typical, edit this.2026-10-17
Early withdrawalextra tax before age 59 and a half, in most casesGeneral knowledge, not fetched today.2026-10-17

Roth vs traditional 401(k) or IRA

Assumption / InputStarting valueSourceChecked
2026 401(k), 403(b) and most 457 plan elective deferral limit (under age 50)$24,500 a yearIRS Notice 2025-672026-10-18
2026 401(k) catch-up contribution limit (age 50 and over, except 60 to 63)+$8,000 a year ($32,500 total)IRS Notice 2025-672026-10-18
2026 401(k) higher catch-up limit for ages 60, 61, 62 and 63+$11,250 a year ($35,750 total)IRS Notice 2025-672026-10-18
2026 IRA contribution limit (under age 50) and age 50+ catch-up$7,500 under age 50; +$1,100 catch-up at age 50 and over ($8,600 total)IRS Notice 2025-672026-10-18
Traditional and Roth IRA rules and qualified distributionsStatutory rulesIRS Publication 590-A and IRS Publication 590-B2026-10-18
Federal marginal tax rate now and effective federal rate in retirement24% now, 18% in retirement (typical, edit this)IRS Federal Income Tax Rates and Brackets2026-10-18
State tax rate now and in retirement6.5% now, 0% in retirement (typical, edit this)NY State Department of Taxation and Finance: Personal income tax rates and Form IT-201-I pension and annuity income exclusion2026-10-18
Long-term capital gains tax rate on invested tax break15% (typical, edit this)IRS Topic No. 409, Capital Gains and Losses2026-10-18
Annual contribution, years to retirement, and annual return$10,000 a year, 25 years, 7.0% a year (typical, edit this)Typical planning assumptions2026-10-18

Social Security claiming age break-even

Assumption / InputStarting valueSourceChecked
Full Retirement Age (FRA) by birth yearAge 67 for birth year 1960 and later; age 66 and 10 months for birth year 1959SSA Retirement Benefits by Year of Birth and 20 CFR 404.4092026-10-18
Early retirement reduction formula (claiming between age 62 and FRA)5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months early (20% over 3 years), plus 5/12 of 1% per month for each additional month beyond 36 (10% over 2 additional years)SSA Benefit Reduction for Early Retirement and 20 CFR 404.4102026-10-18
Delayed Retirement Credits (claiming after FRA up to age 70)2/3 of 1% per month delayed (8.0% per full year) for birth year 1943 and laterSSA Delayed Retirement Credits and 20 CFR 404.3132026-10-18
Period life expectancy at ages 62, 67 and 70Actuarial context (planning horizon default: age 85, typical, edit this)SSA Actuarial Life Table2026-10-18
Primary Insurance Amount (monthly benefit at FRA)$2,400 a month (typical, edit this)SSA Monthly Statistical Snapshot2026-10-18
Real after-inflation return on invested early checks and tax rate on benefits0.0% real return and 0% tax rate by default (typical, edit this)IRS Publication 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits2026-10-18

Invest HSA vs spend on medical bills

Assumption / InputStarting valueSourceChecked
2026 HSA contribution limits$4,400 self-only coverage, $8,750 family coverage, plus $1,000 catch-up at age 55 or older. Default contribution $6,500 a year (typical family contribution, edit this).IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-19 and IRS Publication 9692026-10-18
Delayed HSA reimbursement ("shoebox" rule)No federal deadline to reimburse qualified medical expenses incurred after the HSA was established.IRS Notice 2004-50, Q&A-39 and IRS Publication 9692026-10-18
Qualified medical bills a year$2,500 a year. Typical, edit this.IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses and IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-192026-10-18
Starting HSA balance and horizon$5,000 starting balance and 20 years. Typical, edit this.Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) HSA Database context; round typical values2026-10-18
Yearly investment return and dividend yield7% total yearly return, including a 1.5% dividend yield in the taxable brokerage account. Typical, edit this.Historical U.S. equity and balanced portfolio benchmark convention; round typical values2026-10-18
HSA required cash buffer and cash interest rate$1,000 cash minimum earning 0.5% a year. Typical, edit this.Typical HSA custodian schedule (many employer plans require $1,000 to $2,000 in cash before investing; some direct custodians require $0)2026-10-18
Capital gains and dividend tax rate15%. Sourced statutory middle bracket; edit to add your state rate or enter 0%.IRS Topic 409, Capital Gains and Losses2026-10-18
State tax rate on HSA earnings0% default (48 states including New York, plus D.C.); 9.3% in the California/New Jersey preset.California FTB Publication 1001 and New Jersey Division of Taxation GIT-52026-10-18
Non-medical HSA withdrawals at age 65+22% ordinary income tax rate in retirement, 0% penalty after age 65. Typical marginal bracket, edit this.IRS Publication 969 and IRS Form 8889 Instructions2026-10-18

401(k) match vs high-interest debt payoff

Assumption / InputStarting valueSourceChecked
2026 401(k) elective deferral and total contribution limits$24,500 employee elective deferral limit ($32,500 at age 50+, or $35,750 at ages 60 to 63); $72,000 total employer plus employee limit under IRC Section 415(c).IRS Notice 2025-672026-10-18
Debt APR21.6%. Sourced benchmark, edit this.Federal Reserve Statistical Release G.19, Consumer Credit2026-10-18
Debt balance and monthly budget$8,000 debt balance and $600 monthly after-tax cash budget. Typical, edit this.Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances2026-10-18
Employer match rate and salary cap100% match up to 4% of an $85,000 annual salary ($3,400 a year). Typical, edit this.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey and Vanguard How America Saves plan design benchmarks2026-10-18
Expected vesting percentage100% default; 20% in the unvested job-changer preset. Typical, edit this.IRS Retirement Topics, Vesting2026-10-18
Marginal income tax rate24%. Typical federal plus state bracket, edit this.IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-322026-10-18
Yearly investment return and comparison horizon7% yearly return over 5 years. Typical, edit this.Historical U.S. balanced portfolio convention; round typical values2026-10-18

Pension lump sum vs monthly annuity

Assumption / InputStarting valueSourceChecked
Monthly pension check$2,800 a month ($33,600 a year). Typical, edit this.Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) Maximum Monthly Guarantee Tables2026-10-18
Lump-sum offer$420,000 one-time rollover. Typical, edit this.IRS Minimum Present Value Segment Rates2026-10-18
Retirement age and planning ageRetire at 62, plan to age 86 (24 years). Typical, edit this.Social Security Administration Period Life Table2026-10-18
Survivor benefit share and extra years0% default (single-life annuity), 5 extra survivor years when active. Typical, edit this.Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) guide to pension lump-sum payouts2026-10-18
Yearly COLA raise0% a year default. Typical, edit this.Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) guide to pension lump-sum payouts2026-10-18
Expected IRA return5.5% a year. Typical, edit this.IRS Minimum Present Value Segment Rates2026-10-18
Effective tax rate on payouts20%. Typical, edit this.IRS Publication 575, Pension and Annuity Income2026-10-18

Treasury bill vs CD or HYSA after tax

Assumption / InputStarting valueSourceChecked
State and local tax exemption on US Treasury obligationsExempt from all state, county, and municipal income taxes; subject to federal income tax.31 U.S.C. 3124, Exemption from taxation and TreasuryDirect: Treasury Bills2026-10-18
Bank CD or HYSA APY4.50% APY default (competitive online CD or HYSA). Typical, edit this.FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps2026-10-18
US Treasury bill annualized yield (APY)4.35% investment yield. Typical, edit this.TreasuryDirect: Treasury Bills2026-10-18
Cash invested and holding term$50,000 for 12 months. Typical, edit this.TreasuryDirect: Treasury Bills2026-10-18
Federal marginal income tax rate24% default. Typical, edit this.IRS Federal Income Tax Rates and Brackets2026-10-18
State and local marginal income tax rates6.0% state default (New York typical), 0% local default. Typical, edit this.New York State Department of Taxation and Finance: Personal Income Tax Tables2026-10-18
Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT)0% default (3.8% when applicable).IRS Questions and Answers on the Net Investment Income Tax2026-10-18