Enter your child’s situation and see the honest arithmetic: the seed alone, the seed plus your plan, at conservative (4%), moderate (7%), and historical (10%) return scenarios — projected to age 18, and optionally to retirement. Every assumption is visible; nothing you type leaves this page.
LAST REVIEWED: July 6, 2026 · HYPOTHETICAL ILLUSTRATIONS — NOT PREDICTIONS OR ADVICE
★ PROJECTED BALANCE AT AGE 18
★ IF LEFT UNTOUCHED TO AGE 65 (POST-IRA-CONVERSION)
★ WHAT WENT IN vs WHAT GREW (7% SCENARIO)
How to read this: the three scenarios apply flat 4%, 7%, and 10% annual returns — real markets zigzag around long-run averages, and outcomes can land outside this range in either direction. Figures are nominal (not inflation-adjusted) and assume contributions continue through the year the child turns 17, the statutory cutoff.
Not advice, and not a promise: this is compound-growth arithmetic on assumptions you chose — a planning illustration, not a prediction, guarantee, or recommendation. Investments can lose value. Decisions about your family’s money deserve a professional who knows your specifics.
What to do with your number
If the seed-alone figure surprised you (small), read what $1,000 becomes — the seed was always the ignition, not the fuel. If the seed-plus-contributions figure surprised you (large), that gap is the whole argument for automating a monthly amount your budget won’t miss; the maximizer’s playbook sequences the free pipes before your own dollars, and the contribution rules keep everything inside the $5,000 cap.
Haven’t opened the account yet? Nothing on this page compounds until you do: the opening guide covers both official doors in minutes, the eligibility guide settles who gets which seed, and the scam guide makes sure the site you type your child’s SSN into is the government’s — never anyone else’s, including ours.
Calculator questions
Why does the calculator cap monthly contributions at $416?
Because $416/month ≈ the $5,000 annual family cap. Employer money shares that cap, so the tool warns you when the combination exceeds it — the same coordination the contribution-limits guide teaches.
Which return scenario should I believe?
None exclusively — that’s the point of showing three. Broad U.S. stock indexes have averaged roughly 7–10% annually over long historical periods, with 4% serving as a conservative, roughly inflation-adjusted-feeling floor. Plan against the range, not a single line.
Does the calculator store or send my inputs?
No — the math runs entirely in your browser, nothing is transmitted or saved, and this site never collects personal or financial information anywhere.
See what your child’s $1,000 could become by age 18.
Run the free growth calculator with your child’s birth year, the government seed money, and your own contribution plan — then read exactly how to claim every dollar the program offers.