--- title: This is How Much Workers Are Saving in Their 401(k) at Every Age. See How You Compare description: Financial advisors recommend contributing around 10% of your pay to your 401(k), but only older workers get close, Vanguard says. authors: - name: Alix Langone url: https://money.com/author/alix-langone/ at_money_since: 2018 articles: 187 covers: - Retirement - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Personal Finance - Pets - Shopping - Taxes - Technology former_staff: true published: '2019-06-24T20:35:19.000Z' modified: '2020-02-14T13:57:19.000Z' section: Retirement tags: - Retirement word_count: 196 canonical: https://money.com/this-is-how-much-workers-are-saving-in-their-401k-at-every-age-see-how-you-compare/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![190624_401K-Contribution](https://img.money.com/2019/06/03-halftone-zine-machine_401k.jpg) Financial advisors generally recommend contributing around 10% of your paycheck to your 401(k), but Americans in all age groups are falling short of that goal. The good news is that three-quarters of Americans with access to a company retirement plan are contributing something to it; the bad news is most aren't putting in enough to set themselves up for a comfortable retirement, according to the recently released [How America Saves 2019](https://pressroom.vanguard.com/nonindexed/Research-How-America-Saves-2019-Report.pdf) report from Vanguard. ## Seeking expert financial help but lack the time? ### Select your state to find an Online Financial Advisor that adjusts to your budget and needs. [Start Now](https://money.com/pr/u3ff7ce67d5b?ap_referrer=%2Fthis-is-how-much-workers-are-saving-in-their-401k-at-every-age-see-how-you-compare%2F) The saving rates in the chart below reflect employees' contributions only -- they don't include any matching contributions that their company might offer. A typical worker should aim for a total 401(k) contribution rate of 12% to 15% of pay, including both employee and employer deposits, according to Vanguard's estimates. Most people aren't there yet: when you factor in the company match, the average participant contribution rate over the past 15 years was 10.6% in 2018, Vanguard says. There's still time to sock away more savings, whatever your age or stage in your career. For 2019, you can contribute up to $19,000 a year to your 401(k), and those age 50 and over can put in an additional $6,000 in “catch-up” contributions. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/this-is-how-much-workers-are-saving-in-their-401k-at-every-age-see-how-you-compare/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Retirement", "item": "https://money.com/retirement/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "401(k)", "item": "https://money.com/401k/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This is How Much Workers Are Saving in Their 401(k) at Every Age. 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