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STWLTH
Free Tool

Paycheck Allocation Optimizer

Answers the FIRE-community's first question: after your paycheck hits, which bucket do you fill first — 401(k) match, HSA, Roth IRA, Traditional 401(k), or brokerage? The honest math on after-tax value per $1,000 for your income and horizon.

Gross Income$120,000

Your annual W-2 gross salary. Drives the marginal tax rate and the employer match dollar amount.

Filing Status
Tax Year
Match Rate100¢/$

Employer 401(k) match rate. 100% means dollar-for-dollar (100¢ per $1 contributed); 50% means 50¢ per $1.

Match Cap %4%

Percent of gross income the employer will match up to. Common: 4% (100% match) or 6% (50% match).

Retirement Rate22%

Your expected marginal federal tax rate at withdrawal. FIRE retirees often expect a much lower rate than today; use 22% as a reasonable default.

Years to Retirement25 yr

How long the money compounds before withdrawal. Longer horizons make tax-free growth (HSA / Roth) worth more relative to the up-front tax break of a Traditional 401(k).

Return %6%

Assumed real annual investment return. Used as the growth multiplier for the after-tax present value math.

HSA Coverage
YOUR RECOMMENDED ALLOCATION ORDER
  1. 1.Employer 401(k) Match
  2. 2.HSA (triple tax-advantaged)
  3. 3.Roth IRA
  4. 4.Traditional 401(k)
  5. 5.Taxable Brokerage
Current Marginal Rate
22%
on your next dollar of wages
Tax-Advantaged Total
$41,200/yr
match + HSA + Roth + Trad 401k
Roth Status
Direct
under $168,000 ceiling
Annual Dollars into Each Bucket
Employer 401(k) Match$9,600/yr
HSA (triple tax-advantaged)$4,400/yr
Roth IRA$7,500/yr
Traditional 401(k)$19,700/yr
Taxable Brokerage$10,000/yr

Bar width shows annual contribution capacity per bucket. The brokerage bar is a placeholder — that bucket has no annual limit; the point of the recommended order is to fill everything above it first.

After-Tax Value per $1,000 Contributed
Bucket
Per $1,000
vs Best
Why
Employer 401(k) Match
$6,695
100%
Free money. Fill to 4.0% of income to capture the full 100¢/$ match.
HSA (triple tax-advantaged)
$5,564
83%
Pre-income-tax + pre-FICA in, tax-free out. The single most tax-advantaged bucket you have.
Roth IRA
$3,348
50%
After-tax in, tax-free forever. Wins over Traditional 401(k) whenever your retirement bracket is at least your current bracket.
Traditional 401(k)
$3,348
50%
Pre-tax at 22% today, taxed at 22% at withdrawal. Nets 0¢/$ of arbitrage.
Taxable Brokerage
$3,046
46%
Last resort after all tax-advantaged buckets are full. LTCG at 15% on the growth portion.
Assumptions & Limits
  • Value per $1,000 = after-tax present value at withdrawal, using the Years-to-Retirement horizon and Real Return slider as the growth multiplier.
  • Employer match is treated as pre-tax, taxed at withdrawal — same treatment as your own Traditional 401(k) contributions.
  • HSA is assumed to be used for qualified medical expenses (tax-free withdrawal). If you withdraw for non-medical after age 65, it becomes ordinary income — the value math for that case is closer to Traditional 401(k).
  • Roth IRA above the phase-out is treated as always accessible via the “backdoor” (nondeductible IRA → immediate conversion). The pro-rata rule can complicate this if you already hold pre-tax IRA money — check with a tax professional.
  • Traditional IRA is not modeled in v1 (workplace-plan deductibility phase-outs make it a niche case for FIRE users). Anyone with a 401(k) gets full Traditional benefit via that account.
  • Brokerage LTCG uses a two-part approximation: assumes 60% of the ending balance is embedded gain, taxed at a flat 15% at withdrawal. 20% band and NIIT are not modeled.
  • State tax not modeled — federal only. FICA is modeled correctly for the current marginal dollar (below/above SS wage base + additional Medicare threshold).

Estimation only. Not tax advice. Real bucket-order decisions depend on individual circumstances (existing pre-tax IRA balances, spouse plans, state tax, backdoor Roth pro-rata issues) that this tool does not model. Confirm any allocation change with a tax professional.

Estimation only. Not tax advice. Consult a professional for filing decisions.