Future Value Calculator
See what your savings grow into with compounding.
How to use
- 1 Enter your starting lump sum and any regular contribution.
- 2 Set the annual interest rate and number of years.
- 3 Pick how often interest compounds and contributions are made.
- 4 Read off the future value, total contributed and total interest.
About Future Value Calculator
The Future Value Calculator projects what an investment will be worth in the future once compound interest has done its work.
Start with a lump sum today, add a recurring contribution each period, choose an annual interest rate and a time horizon, and the tool returns the ending balance along with how much you actually put in and how much of the total is growth.
It models the two classic building blocks of personal finance.
The lump sum grows by the compound formula PV·(1+i)ⁿ, while the stream of contributions is valued as an annuity worth PMT·((1+i)ⁿ−1)/i, where i is the periodic rate and n is the number of periods.
You control the compounding frequency — annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly or daily — and can switch contributions between the end of each period (the usual default) and the start, which gives a small but real annuity-due uplift.
This makes it handy for sizing a retirement pot, a house deposit, a child’s education fund, or simply understanding the power of starting early.
Every calculation runs locally in your browser, so none of your figures are uploaded or stored, and the tool keeps working offline.
Results are estimates for planning and education, not financial advice; real returns vary and inflation erodes purchasing power over time.
FAQ
Does it account for inflation?
No. It returns nominal future value. To estimate purchasing power, enter a real (inflation-adjusted) rate instead of the nominal rate.
What does “contribute at start of period” do?
It treats each deposit as an annuity-due, so every contribution earns one extra period of interest. This raises the future value slightly compared with end-of-period deposits.
Why does compounding frequency change the result?
More frequent compounding lets interest earn interest sooner, so monthly compounding yields a little more than annual at the same stated rate.