TSP matching in 2026: how much your agency adds and how to get all of it
Enter your basic pay and the percentage you contribute: the calculator shows the agency money that goes into your Thrift Savings Plan account and what you leave behind below 5 %.
Agency money into your TSP each year
$4,250
You receive the full 4 % match plus the automatic 1 %.
| Your contributions | $4,250 |
| Agency automatic 1 % | $850 |
| Agency matching | $3,400 |
| Your 2026 limit at age 45 | $24,500 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · read on opm.gov, ecfr.gov and ssa.gov · not an official determination
Under FERS, your agency puts money into your Thrift Savings Plan account in two layers. First, an automatic contribution of 1 % of basic pay every pay period, even if you contribute nothing. Second, a match on your own contributions: dollar for dollar on the first 3 % of pay you put in, then 50 cents per dollar on the next 2 %. Contributing 5 % therefore brings 4 % of matching, for 5 % of agency money in total. On a basic pay of $85,000, that is $4,250 a year from the agency against $4,250 from you. At 3 % you would receive $3,400 and leave $850 of match on the table each year; at 1 %, $2,550. Anything above 5 % is not matched. In 2026 the IRS limit on your own contributions is $24,500, plus a catch-up of $8,000 from age 50 or $11,250 at ages 60 to 63. Agency money does not count toward that limit.
The two layers of agency money
5 U.S.C. 8432 sets both. The automatic contribution is 1 % of basic pay for each pay period, paid for every FERS employee whether or not you contribute. The matching contribution follows your own contribution: 100 % of what you put in up to 3 % of basic pay, then 50 % of what you put in between 3 % and 5 %. Contributions above 5 % of pay are not matched. Basic pay here is the same pay used for your FERS annuity: your rate including locality pay, without overtime or awards.
Each layer is computed pay period by pay period, so it is the percentage of each paycheck that counts, not your yearly total. The table shows the result on a basic pay of $85,000.
| You contribute | Your money | Automatic | Match | Agency total | Match missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 % | $0 | $850 | $0 | $850 | $3,400 |
| 1 % | $850 | $850 | $850 | $1,700 | $2,550 |
| 2 % | $1,700 | $850 | $1,700 | $2,550 | $1,700 |
| 3 % | $2,550 | $850 | $2,550 | $3,400 | $850 |
| 4 % | $3,400 | $850 | $2,975 | $3,825 | $425 |
| 5 % | $4,250 | $850 | $3,400 | $4,250 | none |
| 6 % | $5,100 | $850 | $3,400 | $4,250 | none |
| 10 % | $8,500 | $850 | $3,400 | $4,250 | none |
The jump is steep at the bottom. Going from 0 % to 1 % brings $850 of match for $850 of your money; going from 3 % to 5 % brings $850 more for $1,700. Every dollar up to 5 % earns at least 50 cents of agency money before any investment return, which no fund can promise.
An example on a GS salary
A GS-12 step 5 in Washington-Baltimore earns $116,071 in 2026. At 5 % the employee puts in $5,804 a year and the agency adds $5,804, about $223 per biweekly paycheck. At 2 % the agency adds only $3,482, so the employee gives up $2,321 a year. A step increase or a promotion raises the match automatically, because the percentages apply to the new basic pay.
How much match are you missing?
Agency money into your TSP each year
$3,482
| Your contributions | $2,321 |
| Agency automatic 1 % | $1,161 |
| Agency matching | $2,321 |
| Your 2026 limit at age 40 | $24,500 |
What the gap adds up to over a career
A missed match is small on one paycheck and large over a working life. Leaving $2,321 a year unclaimed for 20 years is $46,428 of agency money never deposited, before counting a single dollar of investment growth on it, and the figure rises with every raise because the match is a percentage of pay. An employee who contributes nothing still receives the automatic 1 %, $1,161 a year at this salary, but nothing more. The cost of the full match, on the other hand, is lower than it looks on the leave and earnings statement: traditional contributions come out before federal income tax, so 5 % of pay reduces take-home pay by less than 5 %.
The 2026 contribution limits
The IRS caps what you contribute yourself at $24,500 for 2026 (IRS, IR-2025-111). From the year you turn 50 you may add a catch-up of $8,000. For ages 60, 61, 62 and 63 the catch-up is higher, $11,250. Agency contributions sit outside these limits.
| Age in 2026 | Elective deferral | Catch-up | Your maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 50 | $24,500 | none | $24,500 |
| 50 to 59 | $24,500 | $8,000 | $32,500 |
| 60 to 63 | $24,500 | $11,250 | $35,750 |
| 64 and over | $24,500 | $8,000 | $32,500 |
Hitting the limit too early has a cost. If you contribute a large share of each paycheck, you can reach $24,500 before the last pay periods of the year; your contributions then stop, and the match stops with them because there is nothing left to match. Dividing the limit by the number of paychecks you still have, and keeping at least 5 % of pay in every one, avoids that.
Vesting and leaving federal service
Your own contributions and the matching money are yours immediately. The automatic 1 % is not, for most employees, until you complete 3 years of civilian service; leave before that and it is forfeited with its earnings. A few political and Executive Schedule appointments vest after 2 years. An employee who dies in service keeps it for the beneficiaries.
Where the TSP fits in FERS
FERS has three parts: the basic annuity, Social Security and the TSP. The annuity replaces about 1 % of your high-3 per year of service, so 30 years gives about 30 %. The TSP is what fills the rest, and the full match is the cheapest part of it. The employee contribution to the annuity itself is a separate deduction, set by your hiring date: see FERS contribution rates. To see what the annuity alone will pay, use the FERS retirement calculator, and the high-3 page explains the salary it is based on. If you plan to leave before 62, the FERS supplement covers part of the gap until Social Security, and TSP savings usually cover the rest.