529 Calculator
United States Uses U.S. IRS retirement-account and federal deposit rules. Figures are in U.S. dollars.
529 calculator: project a 529 plan against College Board 2025–26 costs, the share covered, the monthly amount that closes a gap and the Roth rollover for a surplus.
Educational estimate only. Not a lending decision. Your numbers stay in this browser.
Results
How to read this: the verdict describes how much room your numbers leave, not a decision or an offer. Change any input to see how much the result moves.
Investing and retirement guides
These guides explain compounding, contribution projections, retirement targets, inflation, and real returns.
- Compound interest explained
- Investment return with contributions
- Retirement savings target
- Inflation and real returns
For all guide topics, open Guides. For source and estimate boundaries, read Calculation Methodology and Sources and Assumptions.
Assumptions and formula
The 529 grows at the monthly equivalent of the yearly return you enter, with each month’s contribution added at the end of the month, until the child starts college. A year of college costs the College Board 2025–26 average published tuition and fees for the type you choose (or your own figure), rising each year by the College Board’s latest increase for that type. Each year is paid at its start and what is left keeps earning the return.
The cost at the start of college is the sum of each year’s cost discounted back to the first year at the return rate: the amount that, invested, pays all four years. The extra monthly amount is the contribution that grows to the gap by the start of college. A surplus can move to the beneficiary’s Roth IRA, up to $35,000 in a lifetime, if the account has been open 15 years. The state saving is the lower of a year’s contributions and your state’s limit, times your state rate.
Worked example
A five-year-old with $10,000 saved and $250 a month at 6% has about $79,517 at 18: $49,000 paid in and $30,517 of growth. Four years at an in-state public college, $11,950 a year in 2025–26 rising 2.9%, cost $72,389, or $66,333 set aside at 18. That leaves about $13,184 to spare. At an out-of-state public college the same savings cover 42% and another $474 a month closes the gap.
Frequently asked questions
How much will $250 a month in a 529 grow to?
With $10,000 already saved, $250 a month at 6% for 13 years grows to about $79,517, enough for four years of in-state public college tuition and fees at the College Board 2025–26 average rising 2.9% a year.
How much will my 529 plan be worth?
It depends on the time left, what you add and the return. $10,000 today plus $250 a month for 13 years at 6% grows to about $79,517: $49,000 paid in and $30,517 of growth. The calculator projects it year by year and compares it with the cost of the college you choose.
How much should I save in a 529 each month?
Enough to cover the cost at the start of college. For a newborn heading to a four-year in-state public college, about $200 a month at 6% covers the College Board 2025–26 tuition and fees grown at 2.9% a year. A private college costs four times as much: $500 a month covers about 54% of it, and another $430 a month closes the gap.
What does college cost now?
The College Board’s published tuition and fees for 2025–26 average $4,150 at a public two-year college (in-district), $11,950 at a public four-year college for in-state students, $31,880 out of state and $45,000 at a private nonprofit four-year college. Those figures leave out room, board and books.
What happens if I save too much in a 529?
From 2024 up to $35,000 can roll into the beneficiary’s Roth IRA over their lifetime, if the account has been open at least 15 years, within each year’s Roth IRA limit and not from the last five years’ contributions. You can also change the beneficiary to another family member, or pay up to $20,000 a year of K-12 tuition from 2026. Other withdrawals pay income tax and a 10% penalty on the earnings.
Do I get a state tax deduction for 529 contributions?
In many states, for contributions to the state’s own plan, up to a limit that varies widely. Enter your state’s limit and income tax rate and the calculator shows the yearly saving: $3,000 a year deducted at a 3.5% rate saves $105. There is no federal deduction.
Is this a 529 plan calculator or a college savings calculator?
Both. It works as a 529 calculator, 529 plan calculator or 529 savings plan calculator for any state’s plan, and as a general college savings calculator that compares what you will have with what the college will cost. It is also a 529 college savings calculator.
Is this a 529 savings calculator?
Yes: a 529 fund calculator and 529 savings calculator that shows 529 growth year by year towards the college cost you choose.
Sources
Sources reviewed 3 October 2026: checked against their current editions on that date.
- College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2025: average published tuition and fees for 2025–26 by type of college, and the increase on 2024–25.
- IRS Topic 313, Qualified tuition programs (QTPs): qualified expenses, and K-12 tuition and related expenses of up to $20,000 a year from 2026.
- IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education: rollovers from a 529 account to the beneficiary’s Roth IRA, $35,000 lifetime, account open 15 years.
This page is an educational estimate, not personal financial or tax advice. Eligibility and individual circumstances can change the result.