What is 529 'superfunding'?

A special election that lets a contributor treat a lump-sum gift of up to 5 years' worth of the annual gift tax exclusion as spread evenly over 5 years for gift-tax purposes — letting you front-load significant 529 contributions ($95,000 single, $190,000 married for 2026) without triggering gift tax filing in the contribution year.

What if my child doesn't go to college or I save too much?

You can change the beneficiary to another qualifying family member penalty-free, or (since the SECURE 2.0 Act, starting 2024) roll a limited amount of unused funds into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary, subject to specific conditions and limits.

Does this account for state tax benefits?

No — many states offer a deduction or credit for contributions to their own 529 plan, but the specifics vary entirely by state. Check your state's plan details separately; this calculator models only the federal tax-free-growth benefit, which applies regardless of state.

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Finance

529 College Savings Calculator

Project a 529 plan's growth toward a college savings goal.

🔒 Runs entirely in your browser — nothing here is ever uploaded

Last reviewed 2026-08-25

About the 529 College Savings Calculator

Projects the growth of a 529 college savings plan from your current balance, monthly contribution, and expected return, and shows how much more you'd need to reach an optional savings goal.

How to use it

Enter your Current 529 balance and Monthly contribution.
Enter the Years until enrollment and your Expected annual return.
Optionally enter a Savings goal to see the remaining gap.
Read your projected balance, total contributed, and investment growth in the result panel and chart.

Formula

Balance grows monthly as: balance × (1 + monthly return) + monthly contribution, compounded across the number of months until enrollment.

529 plans grow federally tax-free, and withdrawals are also federal-tax-free when used for qualified education expenses (tuition, fees, room and board, and more) — the core reason a 529 is generally favored over a taxable account for this specific goal, per IRS and SEC investor-education guidance.

Worked example

A $5,000 current balance contributing $250/month for 15 years at an assumed 6% annual return grows to roughly $85,000 — $50,000 of that from contributions and about $35,000 from investment growth — comfortably clearing an $80,000 goal.

Interpreting your result

Contributions to a 529 count as gifts for tax purposes. A single contributor can give up to the annual gift tax exclusion ($19,000 for 2026) per beneficiary without filing a gift tax return, and 529 plans specifically allow "superfunding" — electing to treat a lump sum of up to 5 years' worth of that exclusion ($95,000 single, $190,000 married for 2026) as spread evenly over 5 years for gift-tax purposes. This calculator doesn't model lump-sum superfunding directly — enter an equivalent average monthly contribution instead.

Recommendations

• State tax treatment varies — many states offer a state income tax deduction or credit for contributions to their own state's 529 plan, which this calculator doesn't model since it depends entirely on where you live and file.
• Unused 529 funds aren't locked to one child — the beneficiary can generally be changed to another family member without penalty if plans change.
• Since 2024, a limited amount of unused 529 funds can be rolled into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary under certain conditions (SECURE 2.0 Act) — a real, relatively new option worth checking if you're worried about overfunding.

Frequently asked questions

Federally, yes — for withdrawals used on qualified education expenses (tuition, fees, room and board, books, and more). Withdrawals used for non-qualified expenses are subject to income tax plus a 10% penalty on the earnings portion.