Long-Term Care Calculator

Estimate future long-term care costs, the savings target needed by care start, and any funding gap in your current plan.

Last updated 5 April 2026

Long-term care funding planner Estimate how much care could cost by the time it starts, the savings target needed at that point, and whether your current monthly saving plan is on track.

Care cost assumptions

Use your own expected monthly care cost or apply an explicit U.S. national median preset as a starting point before replacing it with local quotes.

Cost preset

Monthly care cost today ($) Years until care starts Years of care Care cost inflation (annual %)

Current dedicated savings ($) Monthly savings ($) Expected savings return (annual %)

Currency

Enter a care funding plan Start with a monthly care cost, care timeline, and savings plan to see the future funding target and any projected shortfall.

About this calculator

General-reference calculator Reviewed 5 April 2026 Updated 5 April 2026

Editorial responsibility

Calcipedia editorial team

This page is maintained against the site trust model for its topic and updated when formulas, sources, or guidance materially change.

Formula provenance

Formula notes are kept in the page explanation when a named standard or reference materially affects the result.

Methodology

Projects today’s care cost forward to the assumed care-start year, escalates costs through the care period using a fixed annual inflation rate, discounts that future care stream at the entered savings-return rate to estimate the care-start funding target, and compares that target with the compounded value of current savings plus monthly contributions.

Limitations

Assumes one care setting, one inflation rate, one savings return, and one continuous care duration
Does not model taxes, insurance benefits, Medicaid eligibility, family caregiving, or one-time housing modifications
Optional presets are explicit U.S. national examples and may differ materially from local quotes or higher-acuity care needs
The savings target is a planning estimate, not a guarantee of portfolio sustainability or benefit eligibility

Disclaimer

This calculator is an educational planning tool, not individualized financial, insurance, legal, or elder-care advice. Confirm real care costs, coverage rules, and savings strategy decisions with qualified professionals before acting.

Formula notes

Medicare — Long-term care coverage — Official Medicare overview explaining what long-term care is and what Medicare generally does not cover.
Medicaid — Long Term Services & Supports — Official Medicaid overview of long-term services and supports and the program's role as a primary payer.
CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey release — Primary release summarizing current national median long-term care cost benchmarks used for the optional U.S. presets.
NAIC Shopper's Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance — Official guide covering long-term care insurance, benefit design, and the planning limits of personal cost estimates.

Change notes

Change note: this page's updated date changes only when the formula, labels, examples, or user guidance materially changes. Cosmetic or deploy-only edits do not refresh the date.

See our calculation methodology and editorial standards, plus the editorial contact route, for how this estimate is produced and corrected.

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Retirement Planning

Estimate long-term care costs and the savings target needed before care begins

A long-term care calculator is most useful when it does more than multiply today’s care bill by a few years. This page estimates how care costs can grow before care starts, what that future care period could cost in nominal dollars, the savings target needed at care start, and whether your current monthly saving plan is likely to cover it.

What this long-term care calculator is estimating

Long-term care planning is different from ordinary retirement budgeting because both timing and inflation matter. A current monthly care quote does not tell you what the same level of support may cost 10, 15, or 20 years from now, and the amount you may need saved by the time care starts is not necessarily the same as the nominal total of every future bill added together.

That is why this worksheet separates the problem into stages. It starts with today’s monthly care cost, projects that cost forward to the year care begins, estimates the annual cost path across the care period, and then translates that future stream into a savings target at care start. It also compares that target with the future value of current dedicated savings and ongoing monthly contributions.

How the funding target is calculated

The model first turns the monthly care figure into an annual cost. It then inflates that annual cost forward by the number of years until care is expected to begin. From that starting point, it applies the same annual inflation rate across each year of the care period to build an annual cost schedule.

The planner reports two related figures. The first is the nominal total cost of the care period, which is simply the sum of each future annual bill. The second is the savings target needed at care start, which discounts each annual bill back to the beginning of care using the expected return on the dedicated savings pool. That target is the amount the portfolio would need at care start to fund the modeled withdrawals under this simplified return assumption.

To judge readiness, the tool also compounds current dedicated savings and monthly contributions up to the care-start date. The difference between that projected savings balance and the care-start target becomes the shortfall or surplus. If care starts in the future, the calculator also solves for the monthly savings amount required to close the projected gap.

First-year care cost at start = Today's annual cost x (1 + inflation)^(years until care)

Projects the current annual care bill forward to the year care is expected to begin.

Care-start target = Sum of each care-year cost discounted by expected return

Treats the modeled savings portfolio as the funding source and estimates the amount needed when care begins.

Projected savings at care start = Future value of current savings + future value of monthly contributions

Compounds existing savings and repeated monthly deposits up to the care-start year.

Worked example: a 10-year runway before care starts

Suppose today’s care cost estimate is $4,000 a month, care is not expected to begin for 10 years, the care period lasts 3 years, care inflation is 0% for a simple baseline, current dedicated savings are $10,000, and the monthly savings plan is $500 with no investment return. Under those assumptions, the care-start target is $144,000 and projected savings at care start are $70,000, leaving a gap of $74,000.

Because there are 120 months before care begins in this baseline example, the calculator can also solve the monthly savings needed to fully fund the target. The required monthly contribution is about $1,116.67. That is much higher than the current $500 plan, which is exactly the kind of gap this worksheet is designed to surface while there is still time to adjust the plan.

What this estimate does not decide for you

This worksheet does not predict whether you personally will need care, whether care will be delivered at home or in a facility, or whether you will qualify for Medicaid, veterans’ programs, or long-term care insurance benefits. It is a planning tool for funding scenarios, not an eligibility or underwriting tool.

It also does not include taxes, family caregiving, one-time home modifications, state-specific benefit rules, medical underwriting, or changes in care intensity over time. Care costs vary materially by location and by the level of supervision needed, so any preset should be treated as an explicit U.S. national example and replaced with local quotes before you use the estimate for real retirement decisions.

Further reading

Medicare — Long-term care coverage — Official Medicare overview explaining what long-term care is and what Medicare generally does not cover.
Medicaid — Long Term Services & Supports — Official Medicaid overview of long-term services and supports and the program's role as a primary payer.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the calculator show both total care cost and a savings target at care start?

Those figures answer different planning questions. Total care cost is the raw sum of future annual bills. The savings target at care start is the amount a dedicated portfolio would need at the beginning of care if it earns the return you entered while those costs are being paid. The target is usually the more useful figure for pre-care savings planning.

Should I rely on the U.S. national presets?

Only as a starting point. Long-term care costs vary widely by location, care setting, staffing level, and the number of hours of support needed. The preset values are explicit national examples, not personal quotes. Replace them with local estimates before making real retirement or insurance decisions.

Does Medicare usually cover these modeled long-term care costs?

Usually not. Medicare generally does not pay for most long-term custodial care. It may cover limited skilled or rehabilitative services in specific situations, but the kind of ongoing help people often mean by long-term care is commonly paid from personal resources, Medicaid if eligible, insurance benefits, or a mix of sources.

What if care needs change over time?

Then the actual cost path can differ materially from this model. The calculator assumes one starting cost, one inflation rate, one care duration, and one investment return. If you expect step-changes such as moving from home care to memory care or adding round-the-clock supervision, run separate scenarios and plan for the more expensive path.

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