How Much to Put in Your Intermountain 401(k) to Get the Full Match

To get the full Intermountain 401(k) match, contribute at least the percentage of pay the match formula covers, reported at up to 4%, in every period the match is calculated. Caregivers leaving the pension also pick up a new 2% automatic contribution in 2027, which under the 2024 plan terms requires no contribution from you. Below we cover the 2%, the match, why maxing out early can cost you, vesting, the 2026 IRS limits and your T. Rowe Price settings.

ApexFlow Wealth Management is not affiliated with Intermountain Health. For the wider picture, start with our Intermountain pension freeze guide.

What changes in your Intermountain 401(k) in 2027?

Intermountain’s pension plan will be frozen on December 31, 2026, and affected caregivers will move fully to a 401(k)-based program, according to Intermountain’s announcement. Intermountain said part of the money freed up will fund a new 2% automatic 401(k) contribution, and that the 401(k) offers matching up to 4% (KSL).

The 2% is new for pension caregivers, who could not receive it under the 2024 Intermountain Health 401(k) Plan summary (p. 10). Those terms define it as 2% of eligible pay for the plan year, credited as of the last business day of the year, for caregivers employed on the first day of the last payroll period ending in December. Caregivers who leave earlier because of a reduction in force, death or disability, or after age 55, still qualify.

The 2% arrives whether or not you contribute, but the match comes only from saving. Under these terms, a caregiver under 55 who leaves before that last December payroll period could miss the year’s 2%. Confirm the 2027 rules in your new benefits materials.

How much do you need to contribute to get the full match?

Intermountain has reported the match at up to 4% of pay, while the 2024 summary calls it discretionary and set as a percentage of eligible pay, with no formula stated (p. 11). “Up to 4%” could mean dollar for dollar on the first 4% you contribute, or a partial match on a larger contribution, and each version calls for a different rate. Confirm the 2027 formula in your benefits materials or with the Intermountain Retirement Program, whose contact details are on the retirees page.

Timing matters as much as the rate. The 2024 summary says the match is figured over a period Intermountain sets, such as a plan year, a calendar quarter or a payroll period, and that “matching contributions are only made if you have also made an elective contribution for the same time period.” True-ups, which make up a shortfall later, “are not guaranteed and are at the discretion of Intermountain.”

The summary also lets the plan limit matching for highly compensated employees (p. 12). The IRS threshold for that group is $160,000 for 2026 (IRS), so physicians and senior leaders should ask whether a limit applies.

Can maxing out your 401(k) early cost you match?

If the match is figured each paycheck and no true-up is made, it can. Once you reach the IRS limit, contributions stop and the match stops with them. Higher earners reach the limit soonest, so physicians who set a high rate in January are the most exposed.

Hypothetical example for illustration only. A caregiver under 50 earns $312,000 a year, paid in 26 paychecks of $12,000. We assume a match of 100% of contributions up to 4% of pay, figured each paycheck with no true-up, and we use the 2026 limit of $24,500 as a stand-in for 2027. The most match available is then $480 a paycheck, or $12,480 a year.

Here, 8% reaches the limit on the final paycheck and collects every match dollar. The 2% automatic contribution, $6,240 here under the 2024 terms, comes on top in every row because it does not depend on your rate. At 50 or older, catch-up room raises your ceiling, so ask whether catch-up contributions are matched.

When are you eligible for the match, and when is it yours to keep?

Under the 2024 summary, the match starts with your first paycheck on or after your first anniversary of employment (p. 11). Your own contributions are always 100% vested. Matching and 2% contributions accrued on or after April 1, 2023, vest on a three-year cliff, which means 0% before three years of vesting service and 100% after (p. 12). You also fully vest at 65 while employed, or if employment ends because of death or disability.

The pension closed to new caregivers in 2020, so most people still earning it are well past their first anniversary and have more than three years of service. Under the 2024 terms, their new match and 2% money would be fully vested when credited. If you had a break in employment or were rehired, confirm your vesting service with T. Rowe Price.

With less than three years, unvested money is forfeited at the earlier of a payout or 60 months after you leave (p. 14). If a departure date is on your mind, our guide to the five years before retirement covers the timing.

What are the 401(k) limits for 2026 and 2027?

For 2026, the IRS limits employee contributions to a 401(k) at $24,500. Caregivers 50 or older by year end can add up to $8,000 in catch-up contributions, and those turning 60 to 63 during the year can add up to $11,250 instead (IRS). Pay counted toward plan contributions is capped at $360,000 for 2026. Deferrals to Intermountain’s 403(b) plan or another employer’s plan count toward the same limit (p. 6).

The IRS announces each new year’s limits in the fall, and the 2027 limits had not been announced when we published. Once they are, recheck your rate so contributions last through the final paycheck. Our year-end tax planning checklist for 2026 covers the other December deadlines.

How do you check or change your rate at T. Rowe Price?

T. Rowe Price keeps the plan’s records. Use the “Log into your 401(k)” link on Intermountain’s retirees page, or call 1-800-922-9945, listed in the 2024 summary (p. 9).

1. Find your current contribution percentage and the split between pre-tax and Roth.
2. Change the percentage if your 2027 target is different. Under the 2024 summary, an election stays in place until you change it, so your current rate would carry into January unless your 2027 materials say otherwise.
3. After your first 2027 paycheck, confirm on your pay stub and account that the contribution posted, then check the match once it is credited.
4. At an Intermountain webinar or one-on-one retirement consultation, ask what matching period applies in 2027 and whether true-ups are made.

Pre-tax or Roth?

The plan allows both (p. 8). Pre-tax contributions lower your taxable pay now, and because Utah starts its income tax from federal adjusted gross income, they also lower Utah tax at the flat 4.45% rate for 2026. Roth contributions are taxed now, and qualified withdrawals, earnings included, come out tax free (IRS).

Starting in 2026, caregivers whose prior-year wages from Intermountain topped $150,000 must make any catch-up contributions as Roth. We walk through the Roth decision on our Intermountain pension freeze page, and compare the trade-offs in Roth vs. traditional IRA for high earners.

Where we fit in

Intermountain’s Retirement Program, webinars and benefits tool are the place to start for plan rules. As an outside second opinion, we look at how your 401(k) rate fits with the frozen pension, a spouse’s benefits, Social Security, Utah taxes and your other savings, and we coordinate with your CPA on tax questions. The rest of this series lives on our Intermountain pension freeze page, and you can see how we work in our planning process.

Frequently asked questions

Written by Trevor Hanson, Founder | President | Author | Wealth Advisor, RJFS. Last reviewed: November 4, 2026.