Compare an entered education-cost target with a current balance and equal monthly savings under an entered net-return scenario.
A quick decision brief for this specific tool
A dated education-cost target already stated for the selected horizon, current education savings, equal monthly contribution, whole horizon years, and an entered annual net-return scenario
Modeled ending balance, gap/amount above target, planned contributions, modeled growth, and the monthly contribution that solves the same model for the entered target
One internally consistent end-of-month future-value model solved both forward for ending balance and backward for required monthly contribution
Choose your path
Compare a dated user-entered education-cost target at one horizon with a consistent savings projection without selecting a school, predicting tuition/aid, or assigning 529/tax treatment.
Turn a dated net-price/aid estimate into a transparent horizon target comparison.
Document school, attendance, housing, aid, price basis, and horizon externally; enter that target and the current savings record.
Can reproduce the gap without mistaking the target for a universal college-cost forecast.
Use one equation for both projected balance and the monthly contribution needed for the entered target.
Enter the planned monthly amount, horizon, and net-return scenario; compare it with the correctly solved required amount.
Avoids the old future-gap-divided-by-months shortcut and can explain every assumption.
Keep account rules and tax claims outside generic savings arithmetic.
Run the account-neutral model, then review the plan offering circular, state rules, fees, investments, qualified expenses, beneficiary, and current IRS guidance.
Does not assume 529 ownership, tax-free treatment, or rollover eligibility from the result.
Outputs and checklists are planning aids. Review the linked current authorities and the records, terms, instructions, and requirements that apply to your exact situation before a consequential decision.
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Use current school net-price information, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, and the school's official cost-of-attendance materials to build the target. Include only costs and timing that match the scenario you intend to test.
Entered target = externally researched horizon cost; no automatic tuition forecastThe model compounds the current balance and equal month-end contributions for a whole-year horizon at the entered annual net return. That rate should reflect the scenario after fees and can be negative; it is not a forecast or guarantee.
Projected value = current × (1+r)^n + monthly × ((1+r)^n − 1) ÷ rRequired monthly contribution is calculated from the same future-value equation, not by dividing a future shortfall by months. If the current balance alone reaches the target, the required monthly amount is zero.
Required monthly = max(0, (target − future value of current balance) ÷ annuity factor)Updated: August 2026
Compare a researched $120,000 horizon target with $10,000 already saved and $350 equal monthly deposits.
→ Reports projected savings, signed target difference, and the monthly contribution required by the same model without labeling the result on track or selecting a 529 plan.
Use a current balance whose projected value alone exceeds the entered target.
→ Shows a positive amount above target and a required monthly contribution of zero, without making a suitability or withdrawal recommendation.
Use a negative net return to test downside instead of assuming education savings always grow.
→ Preserves the entered loss scenario and solves the required monthly amount against that same assumption.
Enter a cost target already researched for the intended school, program, timing, residency, living arrangement, aid assumptions, and number of years. The calculator compounds a current balance and equal end-of-month contributions using one entered net return, then solves the same model backward for the monthly amount that would meet the target. It does not forecast tuition, estimate aid, select an account, or decide whether any expense or withdrawal qualifies for tax treatment.