You make $60,000 per year, and your employer offers a 100% 401(k) match on up to 4% of your salary. Simply put, you contribute $2,400 to your 401(k), and your employer will double it.

It's a nice offer, but if you're struggling to keep up with your other financial expenses, you might wonder whether it's worth locking up thousands of dollars today. That's ultimately a personal decision, but it could pay off in a big way if you can spare the cash.

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How much a $2,400 401(k) match will be worth by retirement depends on how long the money remains invested and what kind of return you get over that time. You can't control your returns, though you have some say in how long that money remains in your account.

Let's say you're 35 and you plan to retire at 65. You expect an average annual return of 8% during that time. A single $2,400 match would be worth more than $24,000 by the end of that period. A 25-year-old planning to retire at 65 would see that match grow to more than $52,000. And realistically, you'd have more than this because you'd also be contributing money of your own.

But if you really want to make your 401(k) match work for you, you want to claim as much of it as you can each year. If you consistently claimed a $2,400 match for 30 years, you'd have nearly $272,000, assuming an 8% average annual return. After 40 years, you'd have more than $621,000. Again, this doesn't include personal contributions.

If you can't claim your entire 401(k) match this year, get as much as you can. Even if the amount you claim seems small today, it could add up to something significant by the time you're ready to retire.