<prompt> Human: This is the first year that I am going to be able to actually contribute the annual maximum of 18,500 to my 401k. The question I have is, how do I get to that number exactly by the end of the year, and what happens if I go over? My company only allows deductions for the 401k, and I have a compensation plan that is 50k base salary and between 75-100k bonus based upon profit sharing on a monthly basis. What Im doing right now is using a best guess number right in the middle, and basing my contribution from that. But it could easily exceed 18,500 by the last couple months of the year if things go well. I review the contribution monthly to see if I need to make any major adjustments based upon my current total for the year, but I wont be able to do anything about the December, which is typically the month with the most variance in my bonus.I looked around quite a bit and I cant seem to find a simple answer on this. If my contributions go over, does it just not take any more money out of my checks once I hit 18,500? Does it get kicked back out to me at the end of the year? Do I get some kind of penalty? Does the extra money go into the 401k but it is taxed? I just dont want to screw this up, and I can use my Roth IRA for overflow if needs be.Thanks for the help!  <response>: That post that blew up: 