529 College Savings Calculator

529 College Savings Calculator projects an education savings balance to the year your child starts college and compares it against a cost target that has been inflated forward — because tuition does not stand still while you save. Enter your child’s current age, the age college starts, existing savings, monthly contribution and expected return, plus a tuition target in today’s money and an education inflation rate. The tool compounds contributions year by year, inflates the target, and reports the surplus or shortfall in plain terms. It also solves the inverse: the monthly contribution required to land exactly on the inflated target, which is the number most parents actually want. A year-by-year table shows the balance at every age so you can see how much of the final figure is contributions and how much is growth.

Key Features

• Inflation-Adjusted Cost Target

  Inflates today’s tuition figure forward at your chosen rate. Comparing savings against today’s sticker price is the single biggest planning error parents make.

• Required Contribution Solver

  Computes the exact monthly amount needed to hit the target, using the annuity formula rather than trial and error.

• Surplus or Shortfall Verdict

  States the gap in dollars and colours it green or red. No interpreting two large numbers side by side.

• Contributions vs Growth Split

  Separates what you put in from what the market added, which shows the value of starting early.

• Year-by-Year Balance Table

  Balance at every age from now until college starts, so you can check progress against the projection in future years.

• Any Savings Vehicle

  The maths is plain compounding, so it works for a 529, an ESA, a UTMA or an ordinary taxable account earmarked for education.

1. 1

   Enter your child’s ages

   Current age and the age college begins. Eighteen is the usual assumption.

2. 2

   Enter savings and contributions

   Current balance in the account plus what you add each month.

3. 3

   Set the expected return

   Age-based 529 portfolios de-risk over time, so a blended figure below a pure equity assumption is more realistic.

4. 4

   Enter the cost target and inflation

   Use today’s cost for your target school and an education inflation rate — historically above general inflation.

5. 5

   Read the gap and required contribution

   Check surplus or shortfall, then the monthly amount that would close it exactly.

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