Originally Posted by BigTime

This is incorrect. $18,000 is the max THE EMPLOYEE can contribute each year. The company match is not included in that limit, but the combined total cannot total more than $53,000 in a year.

If you have been trying to put no more than $18,000 total in your 401k each year INCLUDING the company match, then you have been missing out on a lot of money that you could have been contributing.