<prompt> Human: Long time lurker, thanks for taking the time to help out.My company matches 100 on the first 3, then 50 on the 4 and 50 on the last 5. And silly me, I thought it would be wise to put 20 of my earnings into the 401K, just to try and hit the 17.5k cap sooner in the year and forget it. But Im being told by HR and the manager of our 401K that it would be wise for me to contribute less and spread it out throughout the year so I dont stop getting company matches. Is that true? Maybe the math is hazy to me, but a percentage is a percentage, so what does it matter the timeline of my contributions. For reference, my base is 60K with commission fluctuating 8K-12Kmo. If spreading it out is wiser with a lower of my salary going in, what is the best way to track how much Im supposed to contribute? If my commission is less one month and more another, wouldnt that change what I should have them take out?  <response>: Maybe the math is hazy to me, but a percentage is a percentage, so what does it matter the timeline of my contributions.Because they match on a per-paycheck basis. If you hit the maximum individual limit before the last pay period, your individual contribution in that last pay period is 0. Any percentage of 0 is still 0, so your employer match would be 0 for that pay period as well. The annual total employer match would still amount to 100 on the first 3, then 50 on the 4 and 50 on the last 5. 