Originally published June 21, 2023. Updated October 5, 2026.
401(k)s are a valuable employee benefit. They’re also a benefit employees have to make quite a few decisions about: How much should I contribute? What does the company match? Traditional or Roth? Am I saving enough? And what does “vesting” mean again?
Good 401(k) communication helps employees answer those questions without turning HR into a retirement-planning hotline.
The goal isn’t to tell every employee exactly what to do with their money. It’s to make the plan easier to understand, give people the context they need to make informed decisions, and point them toward trustworthy help when their questions get more personal.
Below, we’ll cover the 2026 401(k) contribution limits, strategies to make retirement communications more relevant, and sample 401(k) communications HR teams can adapt throughout the year.
What are the 401(k) contribution limits for 2026?
First, one number worth making easy for employees to find: the IRS increased the employee contribution limit for most 401(k) plans to $24,500 for 2026, up from $23,500 in 2025.
Employees age 50 and older may be able to make an additional $8,000 catch-up contribution, bringing their potential employee contribution to $32,500. Under SECURE 2.0, employees who are ages 60 through 63 in 2026 may qualify for a higher catch-up contribution of $11,250, if their plan permits catch-up contributions.
There’s another 2026 change HR teams should have on their radar: certain employees with prior-year FICA wages above $150,000 who make catch-up contributions will generally need to make those contributions on a Roth basis.
Because contribution limits and retirement rules can change annually, link employees directly to current IRS guidance and your own plan information rather than relying on old PDFs or last year’s email.
Quick reference for 2026:
- Standard employee 401(k) contribution limit: $24,500
- Age 50+ catch-up contribution: $8,000
- Ages 60–63 catch-up contribution: $11,250
- Total annual contribution limit from employee and employer contributions: generally $72,000, excluding applicable catch-up contributions
Of course, knowing the limits and knowing what they mean for your retirement plan are two different things.
That’s where benefits technology can help. ALEX Home brings current benefits information and an employer’s plan details together so employees can ask questions like “How much can I contribute to my 401(k)?” or “Does our plan offer Roth contributions?” and get answers grounded in their actual benefits.
And not every question belongs with a chatbot. When a situation calls for additional context, personal guidance, or a conversation with HR, ALEX Home can point employees toward the right human resource rather than trying to answer something it shouldn’t.
Better 401(k) communication starts with context
Getting employees to pay attention to retirement savings has never exactly been easy. Today, that message competes with an especially crowded attention economy and a long list of more immediate places employees need their dollars to go.
At the same time, employees are at very different points in their financial lives. A 24-year-old making their first contribution has different questions from a 62-year-old thinking about catch-up contributions, Medicare, and retirement income.
Effective 401(k) communication has to account for both realities. It needs to earn employees’ attention and share information that feels relevant when they need it.
Sample 401k communication to employees
Retirement communication doesn’t have to arrive as one comprehensive explainer. Shorter messages tied to specific moments can make the information more relevant and give employees one clear action to consider at a time.
We’ve shared four comms examples, ready to copy-and-paste into an email. We also switched it up with a few subject line options. Depending on your organization, consider using more personality-forward language to get your employees to actually open your emails.
Sample 1: Annual contribution limit update
When to send: Early in the year after new IRS contribution limits take effect, or when communicating annual plan updates.
Subject line options:
- Your 2026 401(k) limits, in 30 seconds
- New year, new 401(k) numbers
- Your 401(k) got a little more room
- The 2026 401(k) numbers to know
The IRS increased the 401(k) employee contribution limit to $24,500 for 2026.
If you’re age 50 or older, you may also be eligible to make additional catch-up contributions. Employees aged 60–63 have a higher catch-up limit for 2026.
You don’t have to max out your 401(k) to make progress. But the start of a new year is a good time to check your current contribution and make sure it still works for you.
Review your contribution: [LINK]
Questions about how our 401(k) works? Visit [ALEX HOME/RETIREMENT RESOURCE] or contact [HR/BENEFITS CONTACT].
Sample 2: Explain the employer match
When to send: During onboarding, after an employee becomes eligible for the plan, or as a periodic reminder for employees who may not be taking full advantage of the match.
Subject line options:
- A quick refresher on your 401(k) match
- How our 401(k) match actually works
- Your employer match, explained
- Are you leaving part of your benefits package on the table?
A quick 401(k) check-in: Do you know how our company match works?
[INSERT PLAIN-LANGUAGE DESCRIPTION OF COMPANY MATCH.]
If you haven’t looked at your contribution recently, take a few minutes to see what you’re currently contributing and how that compares with the match available to you.
Check your contribution: [LINK]
For questions about eligibility, vesting, or how our plan works, head to [ALEX HOME/RETIREMENT RESOURCE].
Sample 3: After a raise or promotion
When to send: Following a salary increase, promotion, annual compensation review, or bonus cycle.
Subject line options:
- New paycheck, quick 401(k) check-in
- Your salary changed. Has your 401(k)?
- A good time to revisit your 401(k)
- Before your new paycheck becomes your normal paycheck…
A salary change is a good time to revisit your retirement contribution.
That doesn’t mean you have to send every new dollar straight to your 401(k). Your financial priorities are yours. But if increasing your retirement savings is one of them, even a small change to your contribution percentage can add up over time.
You can review or update your contribution here: [LINK]
And if you need a refresher on our 401(k), company match, or other retirement benefits, start here: [ALEX HOME/RETIREMENT RESOURCE].
Sample 4: Catch-up contribution reminder
When to send: Around milestone birthdays or during annual retirement-plan communications to employees age 50 and older.
Subject line options:
- 50+? Your 401(k) limit may be higher
- More room to save for retirement in 2026
- The 401(k) catch-up limits to know
- 50 is looking pretty good on your 401(k)
Employees age 50 and older may be eligible to contribute beyond the standard 401(k) limit.
For 2026, the standard employee contribution limit is $24,500, with an additional $8,000 catch-up contribution for eligible employees age 50+. Employees ages 60–63 may qualify for a higher $11,250 catch-up contribution.
Your eligibility and available contribution options depend on our plan.
Get the details here: [LINK]
Help employees know where to get financial information and when context matters
Employees aren’t getting financial information from one place. They listen to a financial podcast on their commute, see retirement advice while scrolling TikTok, follow a creator on Instagram, or ask AI to explain the difference between a traditional and Roth 401(k).
Trying to steer employees away from all of those places isn’t realistic. A better approach is to help them understand which sources are useful for which questions.
For example, general educational questions like “What is compound interest?” or “How does a 401(k) work?” can be good candidates for reputable financial education sites, search, podcasts, or general-purpose AI. But the more a question depends on an employee’s specific benefits, plan rules, eligibility, or personal circumstances, the more important context becomes.
Helping employees understand those distinctions between where to access general information, plan-specific information, and personal finance advice is increasingly part of good benefits communication. You can send this email as a starting point:
Sample 5: Help employees choose the right source for financial questions
When to send: Any time of year, especially alongside broader financial wellness or retirement education.
Subject line options:
- Not every 401(k) question belongs on Google
- Google, AI, HR: Who should you ask?
- A quick guide to getting better 401(k) answers
- Before you ask AI about your 401(k)…
- Right question. Right source.
We know financial education can come from a lot of places: articles, podcasts, social media, AI, your financially savvy group chat. And that’s a good thing. The more you understand about your finances, the better equipped you are to ask questions and make informed decisions.
But when it comes to your 401(k), where you get your answer matters, especially when the question gets specific.
Here’s a quick guide:
- Learning the basics?
Questions like “What’s the difference between a Roth and traditional 401(k)?” are good for reputable financial resources or AI tools. Just remember to check the source and how current the information is. - Have a question about our 401(k)?
Questions like “How much does my employer match?” “When am I vested?” or “Does our plan allow Roth contributions?” need an answer based on our specific plan, not retirement information from the internet at large. Start with [ALEX HOME/RETIREMENT RESOURCE]. - Making a personal financial decision?
Questions like “How much should I contribute based on my income, debt, taxes, and other investments?” are personal. Consider talking with a qualified financial or tax professional who can look at your full financial picture.
A good rule of thumb: The more specific the question is to your benefits or your finances, the more specific your source should be.
Have a question about our retirement benefits? Start here: [ALEX HOME/RETIREMENT RESOURCE].
Pro Tip
For even more frameworks, check out our Working with AI, not against it toolkit, which helps employees understand when AI can be useful, when benefits-specific context matters, and where to go for more reliable answers.
Give employees one place to ask everyday 401(k) questions
Even clear, well-timed communication can’t anticipate every retirement question employees will have.
Benefits technology closes the gap.
ALEX helps employees understand retirement benefits throughout their careers, from learning the basics of 401(k) savings to preparing for Medicare and retirement.
And with ALEX Home, employees have one place to return to for benefits information throughout the year. The AI-powered chat answers common benefits questions using an employer’s actual plan information.
That means an employee wondering, “What’s our 401(k) match?” or “Where can I find information about my retirement plan?” can start with ALEX Home instead of searching through old emails or adding another question to HR’s queue.
For questions that require professional financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, employees should still turn to the appropriate qualified expert. And when an employee’s question calls for the context or judgment only HR can provide, ALEX can direct them there.
The point isn’t to replace expertise. It’s to make everyday education and plan information easier to access. Then make it clearer when an employee needs something more.
See how ALEX supports retirement planning →
Better retirement communication makes the benefit easier to use
A 401(k) can be one of the most valuable benefits an employer offers. But its value depends, in part, on whether employees understand what’s available to them and can find useful answers when they need them.
Clearer communication means explaining the basics in plain language, showing up at relevant moments throughout the year, giving employees trustworthy places to get answers, and recognizing when a question needs more context than a generic article—or chatbot—can provide.
HR doesn’t need to have every financial answer. The better goal is making the path to the right answer easier to find.
