Free Future Value Calculator
How it works
Enter an amount today, an interest or growth rate and a number of years, and this calculator projects what the money becomes — for a lump sum alone, or with monthly additions and your choice of compounding frequency.
Future Value Calculator
What today's money becomes tomorrow — lump sum, monthly additions, any compounding.
1 Your money in
2 Growth settings
3 See the future value
🔮 Your future value
How the math works
Future value has two parts. The lump sum compounds at the per-period rate i = r / m, where r is the annual rate and m is the number of compounding periods per year, over n = m × years periods. Regular additions form an annuity, with each period’s deposit equal to your monthly addition × 12 / m:
FV = PV × (1 + i)^n + PMT × [((1 + i)^n − 1) / i]
Interest earned is the future value minus your starting amount and all additions. At a 0% rate there is no compounding, so the future value is simply the money you put in. Compounding more often (daily vs. annually) helps a little — at 5% over 10 years it turns $10,000 into about $16,487 instead of $16,289 — because interest starts earning its own interest sooner.
Everyday uses
- Savings goals: what a one-off bonus or tax refund becomes if you park it instead of spending it.
- Bank comparisons: compare a savings account’s APY against a CD using monthly versus daily compounding.
- Kids’ savings: project a starter deposit plus small monthly additions to an 18th birthday or graduation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between future value and present value?
Present value is what money is worth today; future value is what a known amount today becomes later after growth. They are mirror images — discounting a future value at the same rate gets you back to the present value.
How much does compounding frequency really matter?
Less than the rate and the time. Going from annual to monthly compounding at 5% adds roughly $180 per $10,000 over 10 years — real money, but an extra year of compounding or a slightly higher rate matters far more.
Does this account for inflation or taxes?
No. The result is in future dollars at face value, before taxes. To think in today’s purchasing power, subtract expected inflation from the rate (for example, use 4% instead of 7%) for a rough real-terms estimate.