October is a useful time to check whether payroll is taking out the amount you intended for retirement. There are still paychecks left to adjust, but a percentage that looked right in January may no longer fit after a raise, bonus, job change or unpaid leave.
Start with year-to-date employee deferrals, not the account balance. Investment gains, rollovers and employer contributions can make the balance much larger than the amount you have contributed from pay this year.
Reconcile the amount already contributed
Add the pre-tax and Roth 401(k) employee deferrals shown on your pay records. If you changed jobs during 2026, include the earlier employer's amounts. A new payroll system may not know what the previous one withheld.
Changing employers generally does not give you a second annual employee deferral limit. Different plan types can have different coordination rules, so someone combining a 401(k) with another type of plan should verify the relevant treatment rather than adding or separating everything automatically.
The standard 401(k) employee deferral limit for 2026 is $24,500. If your goal is to reach it and the confirmed total is $19,000, the remaining room is $5,500. With five eligible paychecks left, that implies $1,100 per paycheck, assuming sufficient pay and no further contributions outside those checks.
Use the catch-up category that actually applies
For 2026, plans permitting catch-ups generally allow an additional $8,000 for participants age 50 or older by year-end. Those turning 60, 61, 62 or 63 during the year may qualify for the higher $11,250 catch-up instead.
The higher age-60-to-63 amount replaces the ordinary catch-up; it is not added on top of it. Someone turning 64 in 2026 should not carry forward the higher category simply because it applied the previous year.
There is also a tax-treatment check. If your 2025 wages from the sponsoring employer exceeded $150,000, 2026 catch-up contributions generally must be Roth. Confirm the payroll treatment rather than assuming every extra dollar can be pre-tax. You can verify catch-up amounts and Roth requirements on the IRS website; our catch-up guide explains the categories.
Check what the remaining payroll can accommodate
A calculated target is not necessarily an amount payroll can withhold from one check. Taxes, insurance, other deductions and plan percentage limits may constrain the election. Ask which paycheck a submitted change will first affect, including any separate bonus election.
A payroll cutoff can arrive before the final payday. Waiting until December 31 to request a change may leave no eligible wages from which to defer it. Ordinary employee 401(k) deferrals generally cannot be topped up from a bank account after the payroll opportunity has passed.
Also consider the match. Reaching your personal limit early could leave later checks without employee contributions. Whether the employer restores a missed match through a true-up depends on the plan, as our 401(k) matching guide explains.
If the combined records suggest an excess contribution, contact the administrators promptly about the correction process. If they show a shortfall, choose an affordable adjustment and check the next paystub to confirm it took effect. The useful result is an accurate contribution total, not a maximum reached at the expense of bills you still need to pay.
