Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Monthly contribution needed
$744
Projected total cost
$172,402
Projected cost per year
$43,101
Current balance grown by then
$16,098
Remaining gap to fund
$156,305
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter today's annual cost (4-year total ÷ 4) ($).
- 2Enter years until college starts.
- 3Enter years of college to fund.
- 4Enter current 529 balance ($).
- 5Enter college cost inflation rate (%).
- 6Enter expected annual investment return (%).
- 7Read your monthly contribution needed on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
College costs inflate faster than general inflation, typically 4-6% a year, so a savings plan built on today's tuition number will fall short. This calculator projects a future tuition target using a college cost inflation rate, subtracts what your existing 529 balance will grow to on its own, and solves for the monthly contribution needed to close the gap using a standard future-value-of-annuity calculation with expected investment growth.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Today's annual cost (4-year total ÷ 4): 24000 $
- Years until college starts: 12
- Years of college to fund: 4
- Current 529 balance: 8000 $
- College cost inflation rate: 5 %
- Expected annual investment return: 6 %
Results
- Monthly contribution needed: $744
- Projected total cost: $172,402
- Projected cost per year: $43,101
- Current balance grown by then: $16,098
- Remaining gap to fund: $156,305
What each field means
Inputs
- Today's annual cost (4-year total ÷ 4) ($)
- The today's annual cost (4-year total ÷ 4) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 24000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Years until college starts
- The years until college starts used in the calculation. Starts at 12 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–18.
- Years of college to fund
- The years of college to fund used in the calculation. Starts at 4 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–6.
- Current 529 balance ($)
- The current 529 balance used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 8000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- College cost inflation rate (%)
- The college cost inflation rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 5 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–10 %.
- Expected annual investment return (%)
- The expected annual investment return used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 6 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–12 %.
Results
- Monthly contribution needed
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Projected total cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Projected cost per year
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Current balance grown by then
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Remaining gap to fund
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why use 5% for college inflation instead of general CPI?
Published tuition and fees have historically risen faster than general inflation, though the gap has narrowed in the last decade as many schools slow sticker-price increases and lean on discounting. 4-6% is a reasonable planning range; use the lower end for public in-state schools and the higher end for private colleges.
Do I need to fund 100% of the target?
No — most families combine 529 savings with financial aid, scholarships, current income, and some loans. A common rule of thumb is to aim for covering about a third to half of expected costs through dedicated savings and plan to bridge the rest.
What if I have multiple kids?
Run this calculator once per child, since their years-until-college differ. Many 529 plans let you change the beneficiary, so overfunding one child's account isn't wasted if a sibling can use the remainder.
Are 529 withdrawals really tax-free?
Growth and withdrawals are federal tax-free when used for qualified education expenses (tuition, fees, room and board, books). Non-qualified withdrawals owe income tax plus a 10% penalty on the earnings portion only, not the full withdrawal.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). 529 College Savings Target Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/529-savings-target
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/529-savings-target" target="_blank" rel="noopener">529 College Savings Target Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [529 College Savings Target Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/529-savings-target) (2026).