Catch-Up by Age
The 62–65 window is where the super catch-up burns off and Medicare enters the chat.
Ages 60–63 carry the $11,250 super catch-up (401(k) total $35,750, 2026); at 64 it reverts to the 50+ amount. If Medicare premiums are on your horizon, our sister decoder IRMAADecoded covers that separate puzzle.
What a monthly amount must be to reach a goal by age 67, starting now — at two assumed yearly returns. You pick the assumption; markets have landed inside this band and outside it. Projections are arithmetic, not promises.
| Goal by 67 | Monthly at an assumed 5% | Monthly at an assumed 7% |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $4,716 | $4,528 |
| $500,000 | $9,431 | $9,056 |
| $1,000,000 | $18,863 | $18,113 |
Shown for a start at age 63 (48 monthly contributions to 67). 2026 contribution limits checked October 23, 2026.
The same $400/mo invested from age 63 reaches about $22,084 by 67 at an assumed 7% return. Started at 25, it reaches about $1,217,483. The gap is real — it is compounding, and no product erases it. What closes it is the only lever you hold: a larger monthly amount, run through the right order, starting this month instead of next year.
Near Medicare age, a separate puzzle appears: the income-related premium adjustments. Our sister decoder IRMAADecoded covers that one — it is a different door from starting to invest, and it has its own rules.
The Filled Plan pack, the first-account walkthrough pack, the first-30-days plan, the full catch-up tables, the decoder card deck, and the order workbook — one pack, one-time payment.