College Savings (529) Calculator
Project a 529 college savings plan. See whether your monthly contributions actually meet projected tuition + room & board at college age, factoring in tuition inflation.
Last reviewed: · Reviewed by the Money Scale editorial team · How we source our data
Power mode. Every input exposed, every assumption sourced, charts and shareables.
$0
$300/mo
Age 3
College starts at 18
$30,000/yr (in-state ≈$30K, OOS ≈$45K, private ≈$65K+)
4 years
6% return
4% / year
Default 4%College Board — Trends in College Pricing 2025as of AY 2025-26 (Nov 2025 publication)
Coverage of projected cost
40%
$87,246 saved vs $216,113 projected cost
Years to college
15
Annual cost at start
$54,028
Total cost
$216,113
Shortfall
$128,868
- Contributions
- Growth
- College Cost
🎓 40% covered
$300/mo into a 529 from age 3 until age 18.
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The 529 College Savings Calculator projects monthly contributions through tax-free growth, then compares the ending balance to projected college costs (inflated annually at the College Board's long-run tuition inflation rate by default, cited inline below the inflation field). 529 contributions grow tax-free; qualified withdrawals for tuition, fees, room & board, books, and computers are tax-free. Under SECURE 2.0, unused 529 funds can roll up to $35K (lifetime) into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary after the account is 15+ years old.
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How this calculator works
- Enter your current 529 balance and your planned monthly contribution.
- Set your child's current age and the age college starts (usually 18).
- Estimate annual cost in TODAY's dollars: in-state public ≈ $30K, out-of-state public ≈ $45K, private ≈ $65K+. The calculator inflates these forward.
- Adjust expected return (6% reasonable default for an age-based 529 portfolio mixing stocks and bonds) and tuition inflation (College Board long-run, cited inline beneath the field).
- The 'Coverage' metric shows whether you're on track. Adjust monthly contribution until you hit 100%+.
savings = compound(P, C, r, years_to_college) projected_cost = cost_today × (1 + inflation)^years_to_college × years_at_collegeCompound the 529 contributions until college starts. Separately inflate the present-day annual college cost forward at the College Board's historical tuition inflation rate. Coverage = savings ÷ projected cost. If coverage < 100%, you have a gap to close via higher contributions or alternative funding (scholarships, loans, cash flow).
- P
- Current 529 balance
- C
- Monthly contribution
- r
- Expected annual return (6% for a balanced age-based portfolio)
- cost_today
- Annual college cost in today's dollars
- inflation
- Tuition inflation rate (College Board long-run, see source beneath the field)
- years_to_college
- Time until college starts
- years_at_college
- Number of years attending
Frequently asked questions
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