1. The child

Age today and target college start age. Default college start is 18.

Child's current age

Target college start age

2. Tuition target

Annual all-in cost (tuition + room + board + fees). The 2025 IPEDS averages: in-state public ~$28K/yr all-in, out-of-state public ~$46K, private ~$60K, elite private ~$85K. We grow tuition at 4%/yr by default (College Board's 20-year average is 3.5%-5% nominal).

Annual all-in cost today ($)

Pick a school type: $28K in-state, $46K OOS, $60K private, $85K elite. Many parents target 50% — the other half through merit aid, work-study, or current cash flow.

Years of college to fund

% of cost to fund from 529

Funding 100% is the conservative choice but often over-saves — merit aid, scholarships, current cash flow, and grandparent gifts typically close 25-50% of the bill. The 529 doesn't have to cover everything.

Tuition inflation rate

3. Current 529 balance and contributions

Combine balances across multiple 529s for the same beneficiary. The 7% default growth rate is the after-fee real-equivalent assumption for an age-based glidepath portfolio (heavy equity early, bond shift in the last 5 years).

Current 529 balance ($)

Monthly contribution ($)

Use the household combined contribution (parent + grandparent gifts). Federal annual gift-tax exclusion is $19K/person/year for 2025 ($38K MFJ to one beneficiary). The 5-year-forward "superfunding" provision lets you front-load $95K (single) / $190K (MFJ) in year one and treat it as five years of gifts.

Assumed annual growth rate (nominal)

Long-term U.S. equity has returned ~10% nominal, 60/40 ~8%, conservative bond-heavy ~5%. After 529 plan fees (0.1%-0.5% for direct-sold, much higher for advisor-sold), our 7% default is roughly equivalent to a balanced glidepath in a low-fee direct-sold plan.

State of residence (for tax deduction)

9 states offer no deduction (FL, TX, etc., have no income tax). 7 states offer "tax parity" — use any state's 529 and get the deduction. Most others require using the in-state plan. The lookup above is current as of early 2026 and may change.

The Projection

At college start

—

vs target

—

YOUR ONE-LINE READING

Run the projection to see your number.

—

The numbers

Show the math — year by year

State tax deduction this year

The 529-to-Roth rollover — Secure 2.0 / OBBBA-era flexibility

If the child doesn't use the full balance — gets a scholarship, doesn't go to college, finishes for less — up to $35,000 lifetime can be rolled from the 529 to a Roth IRA in the beneficiary's name. This is the single biggest reason to over-fund a 529 rather than under-fund: the worst-case outcome is a tax-free Roth seed for your kid.

Rollover rules: The 529 must have been open for 15 years. Contributions made in the last 5 years (and earnings on them) are ineligible. Annual rollover capped at the Roth IRA contribution limit ($7,000 for 2025, indexed). The beneficiary must have earned income at least equal to the rollover amount in that year. Lifetime cap is $35,000 per beneficiary.

Other eligible 529 uses — not just college

K-12 tuition

$10,000/yr

Per beneficiary. Private K-12 only — not curriculum, supplies, transportation. Made permanent in TCJA, retained post-OBBBA.

Student loan payoff

$10,000 lifetime

Per beneficiary, plus $10K per sibling. Helps adult children pay down their loans from 529 leftovers.

Apprenticeship programs

Eligible

Registered with the Department of Labor. Fees, books, supplies, equipment qualify.

Grad / professional school

Eligible

No age limit on the beneficiary. Tuition, room, board, books at any qualified institution.

DIG DEEPER · INSTITUTE TOOLS & GUIDES

Where to go next

Full retirement readiness composite → Retirement Readiness Score — don't over-fund education at the expense of retirement (one rule: kid can borrow for college, you can't borrow for retirement).
Family financial planning, top-to-bottom → Family Financial Planning Guide — where 529 funding sits in the household priority stack.
Tax guide → Tax Reference Guide — 529 state deduction tables and the federal gift-tax interaction.
OBBBA overview → OBBBA / One Big Beautiful Bill Reference — what changed for education-funding accounts.
Trust planning → Trust Reference Guide — UTMA vs 529 vs irrevocable trust comparison.
Estate planning desk → Estate Planning Desk — grandparent 529 superfunding for estate-tax reduction.
For everything else → All Institute tools.

Methodology & caveats

The compound-growth formula and why we use 7% nominal ›

The future value of the current balance plus monthly contributions:

FV = balance × (1+r)^Y + monthly × 12 × [((1+r)^Y − 1) / r]

Where r is the assumed annual rate of return and Y is years to college start. We use nominal returns (not inflation-adjusted) and inflate the tuition target separately at 3%-5%/yr. This produces a more intuitive output than the real-return approach: you see both the balance and the cost in future dollars.

Historical 529 age-based glidepath returns (Morningstar 529 industry survey): ~6-8% nominal annualized over rolling 18-year periods, depending on plan and equity allocation. Our 7% default is right in the middle, after typical 0.2%-0.4% direct-sold plan fees.

529-to-Roth rollover — the Secure 2.0 detail ›

Secure 2.0 (signed Dec 2022, effective Jan 2024) added the ability to roll over unused 529 funds to a Roth IRA in the beneficiary's name. The rules:

15-year holding period: The 529 account must have been open for at least 15 years before any rollover can occur.
5-year freshness rule: Contributions made in the last 5 years (and earnings on them) are not rollover-eligible.
Annual cap: The annual rollover cannot exceed the Roth IRA contribution limit ($7,000 for 2025, indexed) minus any other Roth contributions the beneficiary made that year.
Beneficiary earned income requirement: The beneficiary must have earned income at least equal to the rollover amount in the year of rollover.
Lifetime cap: $35,000 per beneficiary, lifetime.
Tax treatment: Tax- and penalty-free if all rules are met.

Practical implication: if you fund a 529 today for a newborn and the kid gets a full scholarship, $35K of the balance becomes a Roth seed for them starting at age 22 or so. At 7% real for 40 years, that's ~$525K of tax-free retirement income. The downside risk of over-funding is materially reduced.

State tax deductions — the top 10 lookup ›

State 529 tax deductions vary enormously. The "best" states for the immediate-year tax benefit:

Pennsylvania: Up to $19,000/beneficiary/year ($38,000 MFJ to one beneficiary). Any state's 529 qualifies.
Illinois: $10,000 single / $20,000 MFJ. Must use Bright Start or Bright Directions.
New York: $5,000 single / $10,000 MFJ. Must use NY 529.
Colorado: Full deduction up to taxable income. Must use CollegeInvest.
Indiana: 20% tax credit up to $1,500/year (so on $7,500 contributed).
Utah: 5% nonrefundable credit, max $103/beneficiary.
Virginia: $4,000/account/year, unlimited carryforward; unlimited for residents 70+.
Michigan: $5,000 single / $10,000 MFJ.
Georgia: $4,000 single / $8,000 MFJ.
Ohio: $4,000/beneficiary/year, unlimited carryforward.

States with no deduction at all: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, New Jersey, North Carolina (plus the no-state-income-tax states). New Jersey added a small $10K deduction in 2022 but it phases out at $200K AGI.

Tax-parity states (use any state's 529, get your home-state deduction): AZ, AR, KS, MN, MO, MT, OH (limited), PA.

This table is current as of early 2026 and may change. Verify with your state's department of revenue before claiming.

Why we don't recommend the prepaid tuition plans ›

Prepaid tuition plans (Private College 529 nationally, plus 9 state plans) lock in today's tuition rates for future use. They are not investment accounts — they are insurance against tuition inflation.

The math has gotten worse: tuition inflation has run 3.5-4% recently (down from 5-7% in the 2000s) while equity returns have been 8-10%. A 529 invested in an age-based portfolio has materially outperformed prepaid plans over the last 15 years.

The case for prepaid: you have a strong preference for in-state public, you are highly risk-averse, and the prepaid plan is fully state-backed. The case against: you lose flexibility (out-of-state, private, grad), the underlying state may underfund the plan (Alabama and Tennessee both had funding scares), and you cap your upside in good market years.

Direct-sold vs advisor-sold 529s — the fee problem ›

Direct-sold 529 plans (Utah my529, Nevada Vanguard, NY 529, Illinois Bright Start) charge 0.10%-0.45% total expense ratios. Advisor-sold 529s (Class A, B, C shares through a broker) often charge 1.0%-2.0% plus a front-end load of 3-5%.

Compound the difference over 18 years on a $200K balance: a 1.5% fee drag costs roughly $50K in foregone college savings. If your advisor recommends a Class A 529, ask why they don't recommend Utah my529 instead. The answer is the commission, not the kid's college funding.

This is one of the few areas where we will name names: the direct-sold plans from Utah, Nevada, NY, and Illinois are excellent, low-fee, well-managed. Use one of them unless you have a specific state-tax-deduction reason to use another.

Disclosure. Not investment, tax, or insurance advice. We are not your advisor. This tool produces an educational planning estimate. State tax deduction rules are current as of early 2026; verify with your state's department of revenue before claiming. The 529-to-Roth rollover rules are from Secure 2.0 (effective 2024); the IRS has issued initial guidance but additional rulings may further constrain the mechanics. Consult a CFP or CPA who has reviewed your full situation before relying on any number above. The Baratelli Institute does not sell 529 plans, mutual funds, or any other investment product and does not earn commissions on any referral.

Will the 529 cover college? With the Roth rollover and state-deduction math fully shown.