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
$604.82
Savings target
$151,711
Projected first-year cost
$50,284
Current savings grown to enrollment
$24,609
Gap to fund
$127,102
Total you will contribute
$87,093
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter annual cost today ($).
- 2Enter years until enrollment.
- 3Enter years of school.
- 4Enter education inflation (%).
- 5Enter share you plan to cover (%).
- 6Enter already saved ($).
- 7Enter investment return (%).
- 8Read your monthly contribution needed on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
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.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
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 %
Results
- 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: $87,093.48
What each field means
Inputs
- Annual cost today ($)
- The annual cost today used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 28000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Years until enrollment
- The years until enrollment used in the calculation. Starts at 12 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–25.
- Years of school
- The years of school used in the calculation. Starts at 4 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–8.
- Education inflation (%)
- The education inflation used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 5 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–12 %.
- Share you plan to cover (%)
- The share you plan to cover used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 70 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Already saved ($)
- The already saved used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 12000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Investment return (%)
- The 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.
- Savings target
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Projected first-year cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Current savings grown to enrollment
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- 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.
- Total you will contribute
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the 529 college savings calculator work?
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.
What do I need to enter?
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.
What does the monthly contribution needed result mean?
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.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
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.
Who is this tool for?
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.
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 Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/college-savings-529
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/college-savings-529" target="_blank" rel="noopener">529 College Savings Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [529 College Savings Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/college-savings-529) (2026).