Savings for kids, explained
Trump Account Calculator
Enter your child's birth year and what you plan to add each year. The calculator applies the IRS limits ($5,000 a year in total, up to $2,500 of it from an employer), adds the $1,000 federal pilot contribution for eligible children born 2025 through 2028, and shows how the balance could grow until the year before your child turns 18. Change the return to see how much the assumption matters.
About $39,318 by age 18
Example: born 2026, $1,000 a year from family, 7% a year minus 0.05% in fees.
Includes the $1,000 pilot contribution.
Hypothetical. Returns are not guaranteed.
Contributions go in once a year; money added in 2026 earns half a year because contributions open July 4, 2026. This is an illustration, not a forecast.
Everything you enter stays in this browser and is not uploaded or saved. Results are illustrations based on the return you choose, not forecasts or investment advice. Rules come from IRS Notice 2025-68 and can change; confirm details with the IRS, trumpaccounts.gov or your account provider.
How the calculator works
Each year it adds your family and employer contributions, then applies your assumed return minus the fund's expense ratio. In the first year it also adds the pilot contribution and any one-time gifts. It stops at the end of the growth period, which is December 31 of the year before your child turns 18.
- Family and employer money together is capped at $5,000 a year, and employer money at $2,500, the amounts the IRS gives for 2026 and 2027.
- The $1,000 pilot contribution and charity or government deposits do not count toward that cap.
- Fund fees are capped at 0.1% a year during the growth period, so the fee box stops at 0.1.
What it does not do
It does not predict markets, and it keeps the 2026-2027 limits because later inflation adjustments are not published yet. It does not calculate taxes on withdrawals; the Trump Account vs 529 page covers how withdrawals are taxed.
Sources and further reading
More calculators
Compare and check.
Trump Account vs 529 Calculator
Put the same yearly savings into a Trump Account and a 529 plan and compare what is left after tax, if the money pays for college or goes to something else.
Trump Account Eligibility Checker
Check whether a child can have a Trump Account, whether the $1,000 pilot contribution applies, and whether the announced Dell $250 gift might.
The studio notebook
A useful place to begin.
Clear steps, considered details, and ideas you can put to use.
How Trump Accounts work, in plain English
What a Trump Account is, who can have one, where the money can be invested, and what happens when the child turns 18.
Trump Account contribution limits for 2026 and 2027
The $5,000 yearly limit, the $2,500 employer limit, the money that does not count toward either, and the calendar-year rule.
The $1,000 Trump Account pilot contribution: who gets it and how
Who qualifies for the one-time $1,000 federal deposit, how to claim it, and how it fits with the rest of the account.
Trump Account or 529 plan: which to fund first
How the two accounts differ on taxes, flexibility and limits, and how families can decide where the next dollar goes.
Trump Account taxes and withdrawals at 18
What changes when the growth period ends, how withdrawals are taxed, and when the 10% additional tax applies.
What a Trump Account can invest in, and why fees matter
The eligible investment rules, the 0.1% fee cap, and how a few hundredths of a percent change the balance by 18.
A few helpful answers
Before you begin.
How much can I put in a Trump Account each year?
Up to $5,000 a year in total from family, others and an employer in 2026 and 2027, with up to $2,500 of that from an employer. The $1,000 pilot contribution and charity or government deposits do not count toward the limit. The limit may rise with inflation after 2027.
Who gets the $1,000 pilot contribution?
U.S. citizen children born in 2025 through 2028 with a Social Security number, for whom a pilot election is made and no earlier election exists. The election can be made on IRS Form 4547 or at trumpaccounts.gov.
When can money go into the account?
Contributions cannot be made before July 4, 2026. They count for the calendar year in which they are made.
Can the money be withdrawn before 18?
Generally no. Withdrawals are not allowed during the growth period, which ends on December 31 of the year before the child turns 18, apart from a few special cases such as rollovers.
How is the money taxed later?
Family contributions come back tax free. Growth, the pilot contribution, employer money and charity deposits are taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn, and a 10% additional tax can apply before age 59½ unless an exception such as higher education applies.
What return does the calculator assume?
The one you enter. The default of 7% is only a starting point. Try several returns, because actual results can be higher or lower, and markets can fall.
Is anything I enter saved?
No. Calculations run in your browser and nothing is uploaded or stored. Use the download or print buttons to keep a copy.