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How much does a career break cost your retirement? Time out for caregiving, parenting, or sabbatical means lost contributions, lost employer match, and decades of foregone compound growth. See the numbers.
Lost contributions
$12,000
Lost employer match
$6,000
Lost at retirement
$104,536.55
Opportunity cost
$104,536.55
2 years off = $12,000 in lost contributions + $6,000 match. With 7% growth over 25 years to retirement: $104,536.55 less in your nest egg.
Source: FinCalc server-rendered example using the same formulas as the interactive calculator.
FinCalc AI
Suggested questions:
You lose contributions, employer match, and decades of compound growth. At $500/month + 50% match, 2 years off = $18,000 in lost contributions. At 7% for 25 years to retirement, that becomes ~$100,000 less in your nest egg. The calculator shows the exact impact.
If you have taxable income (spouse, part-time work, freelance), you can contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA. Even $200/month helps. If you have no income, you generally cannot contribute to an IRA. A spousal IRA may apply if married filing jointly.
Increase contribution rate when you return. 50+ can use catch-up contributions ($7,500 extra for 401k in 2024). Consider maxing out for a few years. The lost balance is real—aggressive saving post-return can partially offset it.
Yes. Two years of $500/month + 50% match = $18,000 not contributed. At 7% for 25 years, that's ~$100,000 less at retirement. The earlier the break, the more compounding you lose. The calculator quantifies it for your situation.
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