How much should you save for your child’s education?
This 529 calculator works out how much to put aside each month so that your savings reach a future education cost — college, university or school fees — when your child needs them. Enter the cost in today’s money, how fast you expect education costs to rise, the return you expect on your savings and what you have saved already; the calculator inflates the cost to the year it is needed and finds the monthly amount that gets there, with a year-by-year table.
For US families it summarises the main 529 plan tax rules for 2026 — the $19,000 gift-tax annual exclusion, the five-year “superfunding” election, the new $20,000 K-12 tuition limit and the 529-to-Roth IRA rollover. For India, switch to rupees and plan an education goal; for a daughter, compare the Sukanya Samriddhi scheme. It is information only, not financial or tax advice.
How to use the 529 & Child Education Savings Calculator
- Choose US — 529 plan or India — education goal.
- Enter your child’s age, the age when the money is needed and the cost in today’s money.
- Enter your own assumptions for education inflation and investment return, and what you have saved so far.
- Read the monthly saving needed and the balance year by year; optionally test a monthly amount you can afford.
529 & Child Education Savings Calculator features
Monthly saving needed
Inflation-adjusted goal, existing savings grown, and the level monthly amount to close the gap.
Test your own amount
See the projected balance and any shortfall or surplus.
2026 529 rules
Gift exclusion, five-year election, K-12 limit and Roth rollover, with sources and dates.
Dollars or rupees
A US 529 mode and an Indian education-goal mode.
How the calculation works
The cost is grown by your inflation figure for each year until it is needed. What you have already saved is grown at your expected return, compounded monthly. The remaining gap is divided by the future value of saving 1 a month for the same number of months — the standard annuity formula — to give the monthly amount. With a 0% return, it is simply the gap divided by the number of months. Taxes, fees and changing returns are not modelled.
Choosing your assumptions
- Education inflation: college and school fees have often risen faster than general prices. Try a few figures to see how sensitive the result is.
- Expected return: a lower figure gives a safer plan. Many 529 plans move to cautious investments as the child gets older, which lowers returns in the last years.
- The cost: include tuition, fees, books and, if relevant, housing for all the years of study — or only the share you plan to cover.
- Review every year: update the figures as your child grows, costs change and your savings build up.
Related tools
For a general savings target, use the savings goal calculator; for what college really costs per year, the college cost of attendance calculator; for borrowing, the education loan calculator; and for a child’s overall cost, the cost of raising a child calculator.
529 & Child Education Savings Calculator FAQ
How much should I save in a 529 per month?
It depends on the cost, the time left and returns. For example, $120,000 in today’s money needed in 16 years, with 4% cost inflation, 6% returns and $5,000 already saved, needs roughly $660 a month. Enter your own figures above.
Is there a 529 contribution limit?
There is no federal annual limit. Each state’s plan sets a lifetime maximum, and gifts above the $19,000 annual exclusion (2026) per giver may need a gift-tax return.
What is 529 superfunding?
A giver can put in up to five years of annual exclusions at once — $95,000, or $190,000 for a couple, in 2026 — and elect to spread it over five years for gift-tax purposes.
Can I roll a 529 into a Roth IRA?
Yes, under SECURE 2.0: if the account has been open 15 years, up to $35,000 in a lifetime can move to the beneficiary’s Roth IRA, within the yearly IRA limit, excluding money added in the last 5 years.
How do I plan a child education fund in India?
Choose “India — education goal”, enter the expected cost in rupees and your own inflation and return assumptions; the calculator gives the monthly saving (SIP) needed.