Free calculator · 2026 limits
Account Order Calculator: Where Your Next Dollar Should Go
Put in what you can save this year and the accounts your job offers. See how much goes to each one, in order, and where your next dollar lands.
Hospital and clinic paychecks come with a menu of accounts: a 403(b) or 401(k), maybe a 457(b), an HSA, a Roth IRA and, if you pick up 1099 shifts, a solo 401(k). Each has its own limit and its own rules. This calculator follows the order in which retirement account to fill first and turns it into dollars for your situation.
Pick an example, then put in your own numbers. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
| Account | This year | Still open |
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How to read the results
The table pours what you can save into each account in order, up to that account’s 2026 limit, and the rest goes to a taxable brokerage account. Still open is the room left in each one. The highlighted row is where your next dollar would go if you could save more this year.
The order is the match first, then high-interest debt and your emergency fund, then the HSA, the rest of your 403(b) or 401(k), the Roth IRA, a government 457(b), a solo 401(k) for 1099 income and, last of the tax breaks, a nonprofit 457(b). If you plan to stop full-time work before 59½, a government 457(b) moves ahead of the Roth IRA, because you can take money out of it without the 10% penalty as soon as you leave that job.
My take: the order matters most for the first few thousand dollars. Missing the match or skipping an HSA you qualify for costs real money every year. Past the 403(b), the right order depends more on when you’ll need the money than on squeezing out one more tax break. If you’re aiming for early retirement, put real money in the accounts you can reach before 59½ too. The early retirement bridge calculator shows whether you have enough there.
What the calculator assumes
- 2026 limits: 403(b) or 401(k) $24,500 for your own contributions, plus $8,000 at 50 and older or $11,250 instead at ages 60 to 63. HSA $4,400 self-only or $8,750 family, plus $1,000 at 55 and older, with your employer’s HSA money counted against it. Roth IRA $7,500, plus $1,100 at 50 and older. 457(b) $24,500, plus the age-50 catch-up only in a government plan. Solo 401(k) up to $72,000 in all. Sources: IRS Notice 2025-67, IR-2025-111 and Rev. Proc. 2025-19.
- The match is a share of what you put in, up to a share of your pay, and goes on top of your own limit. Vesting rules aren’t checked.
- Roth IRA income limit (MAGI, modified adjusted gross income): under $153,000 single or $242,000 married filing jointly you can contribute directly; the amount shrinks to zero at $168,000 or $252,000. The calculator estimates MAGI from your pay, 1099 profit and other household income, minus pre-tax 403(b) and HSA money. Above the range it points to the backdoor Roth.
- Solo 401(k): the employer side is about 20% of 1099 profit after half of self-employment tax. Your own deferral shares one $24,500 limit with every 403(b) and 401(k), so it only adds room you haven’t used at work.
- Left out: Roth or traditional choices inside the 403(b), the 403(b) 15-year catch-up, the special 457(b) catch-up in the three years before the plan’s retirement age, after-tax and mega backdoor contributions, and state taxes.
FAQ
Should I max my 403(b) before a Roth IRA?
In the usual order, the match comes first, then an HSA if you qualify, then the 403(b), then the Roth IRA. Some people put the Roth IRA ahead of the rest of the 403(b) when their 403(b) funds are expensive or they’re in a low tax bracket, and that’s a reasonable choice. The calculator follows the order on our account order guide.
Is an HSA better than a 403(b)?
For most people with an HSA-eligible plan, yes. HSA money goes in before tax, grows without tax and comes out tax-free for medical costs, and payroll contributions usually skip Social Security and Medicare tax too. The 2026 limits are $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage.
Can I contribute to both a 403(b) and a 457(b)?
Yes. A 457(b) has its own $24,500 limit in 2026, separate from the 403(b), so if your employer offers both you can put up to $24,500 in each. A government 457(b) can be reached without the 10% penalty after you leave that job. A nonprofit hospital 457(b) belongs to the hospital until it pays you.
When do I need a backdoor Roth?
When your MAGI is above the Roth IRA range, $153,000 to $168,000 single or $242,000 to $252,000 married filing jointly in 2026. You put after-tax money in a traditional IRA and convert it to a Roth. If you have pre-tax money in traditional IRAs, part of the conversion is taxed under the pro-rata rule, so many people roll that money into their 403(b) or 401(k) first.
What if I have 1099 income too?
A solo 401(k) adds room on top of your work plan: about 20% of your 1099 profit after half of self-employment tax, plus any of your $24,500 deferral you haven’t used at work. On $30,000 of side income with a maxed 403(b), that’s about $5,600 to $5,900 more, depending on your other pay.
Keep going
Sources (checked October 2026)
- 2026 limits: IRS Notice 2025-67; IR-2025-111 (Roth IRA phase-out ranges and IRA limits); Rev. Proc. 2025-19 (HSA).
- 457(b) plan types: IRS, “Comparison of tax-exempt 457(b) plans and governmental 457(b) plans.” Early access: IRS Topic 558.
- Backdoor Roth and the pro-rata rule: IRS Form 8606 instructions. Solo 401(k): IRS, “One-participant 401(k) plans.”
- Pay: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 medians.
I’m an emergency physician, not a CPA, financial advisor or attorney. This calculator is an educational estimate, not tax or investment advice, and your plans’ own rules come first. Check with your benefits office or a professional before you change your contributions.