Saving and cash · Calculator

House savings
calculator.

Estimate how long you need to save for a down payment and whether pausing retirement contributions would shorten that time. Check renting against buying at the bottom.

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The question it answersHow long until I can afford a down payment, and should I pause retirement saving to get there faster?

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$350,000
DOWN PAYMENT %
$5,000
$500
$600
$200
3.5%

All calculations run live as you move the sliders. Closing costs estimated at 2 to 5% of home price (3.5% used in the total). The 3.5% APY default is a rough site estimate; set your own bank's rate. Cost-of-pausing uses 40 years at 8% average return.

RENT VS BUY CHECK
$1,500

Projection, not a promise. The result follows the assumptions you enter. Real results will differ, sometimes by a lot.

What this tool assumes
  • Closing costs estimated at 2 to 5% of home price, the CFPB's typical range; the total needed adds the 3.5% midpoint. Your state and loan type move it within that range.
  • Current savings and new deposits both earn the APY you set, compounded monthly, with deposits at the end of each month. The 3.5% default is a rough site estimate, not a published rate.
  • Time to goal is counted in whole months, capped at 50 years; beyond that the goal shows as not reachable.
  • Down payment assumption: 20% avoids PMI on a conventional loan; lower down payments usually require it (FHA loans carry their own mortgage insurance).
  • Pausing retirement moves only contributions above the full-match amount; the 8% return and 40-year horizon for its cost are fixed page assumptions.

Not financial advice. Estimates based on inputs you provide.

HOW THIS IS CALCULATED

This tool runs entirely in your browser: no data is sent to any server.

  • Down payment = home price × the percentage picked (3.5, 5, 10 or 20%). Closing costs show as 2 to 5% of price; total needed adds the 3.5% midpoint. Still to save = total needed − current savings, floored at $0.
  • Monthly rate r = (1 + APY)1/12 − 1. Current savings and each month-end deposit compound at r, so the balance after n months = current × (1 + r)n + monthly × ((1 + r)n − 1) ÷ r. Months to goal = the first whole month where that balance reaches the total needed, from n = ln((total × r + monthly) ÷ (current × r + monthly)) ÷ ln(1 + r) rounded up. Past 600 months (50 years), or with $0 saved and $0 a month, the goal reads as not reachable.
  • Interest earned = the balance in that month − current savings − all deposits made, from the same formula. When the goal is not reachable it reads n/a.
  • Pause scenario: retirement contributions above the full-match amount move into monthly savings and the timeline is re-run. Cost of pausing = those contributions invested monthly at 8% a year (0.08 ÷ 12 a month) during the pause, then grown at the same rate to a 40-year mark. A pause longer than 40 years, or one that never reaches the goal, counts as 40 years.
  • The advice text changes at 3 and 7 years to goal, with separate notes when the goal is already funded (the pause scenario is then hidden) or not reachable. Rent vs buy: owning costs 5% of home price a year (Ben Felix's 5% rule[1]), ÷ 12, compared with rent; within $50 either way reads as neutral.

Reference points: FHA loans allow down payments as low as 3.5% of the purchase price[2]; a conventional loan with less than 20% down can require private mortgage insurance[3]; closing costs typically run 2 to 5% of the purchase price[4], which is the range shown. The 3.5% APY default is a rough site estimate, set below the Federal Reserve's 3.75 to 4.00% federal funds target range set on September 16, 2026[5]; savings rates vary by bank and change with that range. The 5% rule is a rule of thumb (1% property tax, 1% maintenance, 3% cost of capital), not a measured cost for your home. The 8% return and 40-year horizon are fixed page assumptions. PMI cost, mortgage payments, taxes and home price changes are not modeled. Verify the methodology or inspect the source code in your browser's dev tools.

Where to go from here

Read next

Saving for a House

The order of operations says max retirement accounts first. A house down payment in 3-7 years is the real exception.

Explore further
  • Mortgage vs Rent CalculatorCompares total cost of buying versus renting, including the opportunity cost of the down payment, maintenance, property tax and the Ben Felix 5% Rule.
  • Paycheck AllocatorSplits take-home pay across essential spending, 401(k), Roth IRA, emergency fund, Bitcoin DCA and discretionary spending.

Sources

Bracketed numbers in the text link to these sources. Figures, rates and rules change: check each source’s date before acting on it.

  1. Ben Felix (PWL Capital), Renting vs. Buying a Home: The 5% Rule. Checked 2026-09-26. ↩
  2. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Loans. Checked 2026-09-26. ↩
  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What is private mortgage insurance? Checked 2026-09-26. ↩
  4. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Determine your down payment. Checked 2026-09-26. ↩
  5. Federal Reserve Board, Policy Tools: Open Market Operations. Checked 2026-09-26. ↩

Calculators are educational estimates, not financial advice. Disclosures · How pages are reviewed