{
  "slug": "college-savings-529",
  "title": "529 College Savings Calculator",
  "heading": "529 College Savings Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/college-savings-529",
  "summary": "Monthly contribution needed to cover future tuition.",
  "description": "College inflation has historically outrun general inflation by two to three points a year, so a projection built on 3% understates the target badly over an 18-year horizon.",
  "formula": "Future cost = Current cost × (1 + education inflation)^years; solve for the monthly contribution.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=college-savings-529",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "currentCost",
      "label": "Annual cost today",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 28000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "years",
      "label": "Years until enrollment",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": 25
    },
    {
      "id": "duration",
      "label": "Years of school",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 8
    },
    {
      "id": "inflation",
      "label": "Education inflation",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 12
    },
    {
      "id": "coverage",
      "label": "Share you plan to cover",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 70,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "saved",
      "label": "Already saved",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "returnRate",
      "label": "Investment return",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 12
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "monthly",
      "label": "Monthly contribution needed",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "target",
      "label": "Savings target",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "firstYear",
      "label": "Projected first-year cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fvSaved",
      "label": "Current savings grown to enrollment",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "need",
      "label": "Gap to fund",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalContrib",
      "label": "Total you will contribute",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Annual cost today: 28000 $",
      "Years until enrollment: 12",
      "Years of school: 4",
      "Education inflation: 5 %",
      "Share you plan to cover: 70 %",
      "Already saved: 12000 $",
      "Investment return: 6 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Monthly contribution needed: $604.82",
      "Savings target: $151,711.16",
      "Projected first-year cost: $50,283.98",
      "Current savings grown to enrollment: $24,609.01",
      "Gap to fund: $127,102.15",
      "Total you will contribute: $87,093.48"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter annual cost today ($).",
      "Enter years until enrollment.",
      "Enter years of school.",
      "Enter education inflation (%).",
      "Enter share you plan to cover (%).",
      "Enter already saved ($).",
      "Enter investment return (%).",
      "Read your monthly contribution needed on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "currentCost": 17000,
        "years": 7,
        "duration": 2,
        "inflation": 3,
        "coverage": 40,
        "saved": 7000,
        "returnRate": 3.5999999999999996
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "currentCost": 28000,
        "years": 12,
        "duration": 4,
        "inflation": 5,
        "coverage": 70,
        "saved": 12000,
        "returnRate": 6
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "currentCost": 45000,
        "years": 19,
        "duration": 6,
        "inflation": 8,
        "coverage": 100,
        "saved": 19000,
        "returnRate": 9.600000000000001
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the 529 college savings calculator work?",
      "a": "College inflation has historically outrun general inflation by two to three points a year, so a projection built on 3% understates the target badly over an 18-year horizon. The underlying maths is: Future cost = Current cost × (1 + education inflation)^years; solve for the monthly contribution."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "7 values: annual cost today, years until enrollment, years of school, education inflation, share you plan to cover, already saved, and investment return. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the monthly contribution needed result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/student-loan-payoff",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/gpa-weighted"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — 529 College Savings Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/college-savings-529)"
}