AIRLINE PILOTS · CONTRACT CONTRIBUTIONS / AGE 65

Airline-pilot retirement starts with contract contributions.

Start with eligible compensation, the company non-elective contribution, your 401(k) deferral, plan limits, and invested growth. Then layer in profit sharing, spillover rules, and the Part 121 age-65 transition.

Build the pilot retirement flight plan →

START WITH THE NORMAL YEAR The company contribution is retirement compensation paid whether or not you defer; it is not a match. Enter the rate and eligible-pay definition from your current contract.

COMPANY CONTRIBUTION CHECK

See what the contract contribution adds each year.

Use plan-defined eligible compensation and the current company rate. Your own 401(k) deferral is separate.

Annual eligible compensation Company non-elective contribution

Editable 18% example—not a universal airline rate. Contract definitions, federal limits, profit sharing, vesting, taxes, and returns can change the result.

ANNUAL COMPANY CONTRIBUTION —

SEPARATE THE DOLLARS

Company contributions, employee deferrals, and plan limits follow different rules.

Track each dollar source by eligible pay, annual limit, and deposit timing.

COMPANY NON-ELECTIVE CONTRIBUTION

Eligible compensation controls employer dollars.

Translate the contract percentage into dollars under conservative, normal, and peak pay. Verify whether training, sick pay, overrides, bonuses, or profit sharing count.

PROJECT FROM CONTRACT DEFINITIONS—NOT W-2 GROSS.

EMPLOYEE DEFERRAL

Your election has its own limit and tax treatment.

Track traditional and Roth deferrals, catch-up eligibility, payroll pace, and the annual elective-deferral limit separately from total annual additions.

DO NOT CONFUSE THE DEFERRAL LIMIT WITH THE PLAN'S TOTAL LIMIT.

PLAN LIMITS / SPILLOVER

High compensation changes where dollars land.

Check annual additions, compensation caps, spillover treatment, and any additional plan credits before projecting the full contract percentage.

PLAN TERMS CONTROL THE DESTINATION.

OPTIONAL STRESS TEST

See what an interruption could stop.

After the normal contribution is clear, model months when eligible pay actually stops.

Months without eligible pay

Leave, disability, furlough, and partial-pay rules vary by contract.

COMPANY DOLLARS INTERRUPTED —

THE CONTRACT-SPECIFIC INPUTS

Peak earnings are not a safe retirement assumption.

Use normal compensation and verify each contract-specific input.

ELIGIBLE PAY

The employer percentage is only as good as the pay definition.

Use the CBA and summary plan description. Separate plan-defined compensation from reimbursements, excluded pay, and contingent profit sharing.

CONTRIBUTION PACE

Payroll timing can matter before the annual total is known.

Track deferrals, company deposits, true-ups, and the annual-additions limit throughout the year.

PROFIT SHARING

Variable retirement money should remain upside.

Treat contingent profit sharing as upside. The plan should work on normal earnings without it.

MEDICAL OR FURLOUGH RISK

Replacing take-home pay is not enough.

Size reserves and disability coverage for lost saving and company contributions—not only monthly bills.

PILOT RETIREMENT FILE

Build the plan from contract language, not a best-year pay stub.

Every contribution source needs a verified definition, dollar amount, timing rule, and failure case.

Contract, payroll, and recordkeeper totals reconcile by dollar source.

Current limits and contribution pace are verified.

The interrupted-pay case includes lost employee and employer retirement dollars.

The plan works on normal earnings without profit sharing.

OFFICIAL RULES

Use the rules controlling each contribution source.

IRS: 401(k) and profit-sharing contribution limits
Department of Labor: retirement plans
FAA: maximum age for pilots
eCFR: 14 CFR 121.383
Your records: current collective-bargaining agreement, summary plan description, payroll, and recordkeeper statements

The calculator is a screening tool. Current contract and plan documents control eligible compensation, contribution rates, limits, vesting, and deposit timing.

Legacy exception: If you personally retain a frozen or PBGC-managed airline pension, compare it separately in the legacy pension guide.

RUN THE NEXT NUMBER

Use the next tool for the decision in front of you.

CONTRIBUTION PLAN