Matching contributions in 401k?

i just started work in the us and i'm new to the 401k thing.
what does it mean exactky when they say that my company will contribute 50% up to 6% of my 401k distribution??
now i know that means the company will contribute up to 3%, but my question actually is : the money that the company contributes, will it become mine?? or will it be kept with me to be used for investment and then later the company will take it when i retire and take my distribution? is the company lending me the money or giving it away to me??

Just do it!. The money is your's but you cannot get to it until 59 1/2 or you quit and move to another company. Of course there are hardship rules that allow you to take out distribution before 59.5, but you must get a copy of and READ the plan summary description.
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The money is yours to keep when you retire and take disbursements from your 401K a/c. It just shows how much your company appreciates your work there.

The money is yours on the condition that you contribute the required matching contribution. I recommend that you contribute enough to max out your company's contribution, since that is essentially "free" money.

The great thing about a 401k ( or 403b) is that the money in that account is yours at your retirement no matter what. Even if the company you work for goes bankrupt, they can't touch that money. It's in your name, and no one can take it away from you.

Another thing to remember about your 401k contributions is that all contributions are subtracted from your taxable income, so the more money you contribute, the less money you pay in federal taxes. You will pay taxes on that money when you retire, but you will probably be in a lower tax bracket then.

The thing you don't mention is vesting. The company will usually "vest" their contribution over several years (like 5). So if you leave the company after 1 year, you might only get 20% of their contribution. After the vesting period, it is totally yours.

This is a tool they use to discourage you from jumping from job to job.

All the answers are good info. You would be a fool not to contribute at least 6% to your 401(k) plan to get the free money. There may indeed be a "vesting" period, which basically means if you leave the company too soon you lose the "matching funds", but you don't want to leave already, do you? LOL.

Here are some "what if?" calculators that will help you see the value in putting as much as you possibly can into this type of plan:

https://401k.fidelity.com/401k/tools.htm

Congratulations on getting the position, and welcome to the US work-world!

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