Future Value Calculator

Calculate the future value of your assets with compound interest, recurring deposits, and inflation tracking.

Investment Details

Initial Present Value ($)

Annual Interest Rate (%)

Duration (Years)

Compounding Frequency

Periodic Contribution ($)

Contribution Timing

Annual Inflation Rate (%)

Year-by-Year Growth Amortization

Year	Start Balance	Deposits	Interest	End Balance
1	$10,000.00	+$1,200.00	+$874.99	$12,074.99
2	$12,074.99	+$1,200.00	+$1,047.21	$14,322.20
3	$14,322.20	+$1,200.00	+$1,233.73	$16,755.93
4	$16,755.93	+$1,200.00	+$1,435.73	$19,391.65
5	$19,391.65	+$1,200.00	+$1,654.49	$22,246.14
6	$22,246.14	+$1,200.00	+$1,891.41	$25,337.55
7	$25,337.55	+$1,200.00	+$2,148.00	$28,685.55
8	$28,685.55	+$1,200.00	+$2,425.88	$32,311.43
9	$32,311.43	+$1,200.00	+$2,726.83	$36,238.26
10	$36,238.26	+$1,200.00	+$3,052.75	$40,491.01
11	$40,491.01	+$1,200.00	+$3,405.73	$45,096.73
12	$45,096.73	+$1,200.00	+$3,788.00	$50,084.73
13	$50,084.73	+$1,200.00	+$4,202.00	$55,486.73
14	$55,486.73	+$1,200.00	+$4,650.36	$61,337.10
15	$61,337.10	+$1,200.00	+$5,135.94	$67,673.04
16	$67,673.04	+$1,200.00	+$5,661.82	$74,534.86
17	$74,534.86	+$1,200.00	+$6,231.35	$81,966.21
18	$81,966.21	+$1,200.00	+$6,848.15	$90,014.35
19	$90,014.35	+$1,200.00	+$7,516.14	$98,730.49
20	$98,730.49	+$1,200.00	+$8,239.57	$108,170.07

Nominal Future Value

$108,170.07

Total Contributed:$34,000.00

Total Growth:$74,170.07

Inflation Adjusted Value (Real FV)

$66,013.05

Reflects the actual purchasing power of your future assets in today's dollars, assuming a 2.5% inflation rate.

Annuity Due vs Ordinary: Contributing at the beginning of each compounding period (Annuity Due) generates more interest than contributing at the end because deposits accumulate returns for an extra period.

Understanding Future Value calculations

Future Value (FV) maps present capital outlays over compound return curves. The basic compound formula is: FV = PV × (1 + r / m)^(m × t), where m represents compounding frequencies per year.

Annuity schedules incorporate deposits: Annuity Due schedules apply cash flows at the start of compounding cycles, whereas Ordinary Annuities process them at end boundaries. Real purchasing value is discounted by inflation rate progressions.

Built and maintained by Meet Shah · Last updated 1 August 2026

What this tool is used for

Projecting what a lump sum grows to at a given rate.
Adding regular contributions to a projection.
Comparing compound against simple interest on the same inputs.
Testing how sensitive the outcome is to the rate.
Producing a target figure a savings plan can be measured against.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does compounding frequency change?: How often interest is added and starts earning interest itself. The same nominal rate produces more at monthly than annual compounding, and the gap widens with time — this is the difference between nominal and effective rate.
What is the difference between beginning and end of period?: An annuity due contributes at the start of each period, so every payment earns one extra period of interest. An ordinary annuity contributes at the end. Over decades the difference is meaningful, and most payroll contributions are due-style.
What does continuous compounding mean?: The theoretical limit as periods approach zero, calculated as `P·e^(rt)`. It is the ceiling on what any compounding frequency can achieve, and the gap between daily and continuous is negligible in practice.
What is the inflation-adjusted figure?: The nominal result discounted by your assumed inflation rate — what the balance would buy in today's money. It is the number that matters, and it is usually startling next to the nominal one over a long horizon.
Why do the schedule and a textbook formula differ slightly?: Because the schedule is computed period by period rather than from a closed-form annuity formula. The results agree to rounding; the schedule additionally shows where each year's growth came from.
Is a fixed rate realistic?: No. Real returns are volatile, and a sequence of good and bad years does not produce the same result as their average — losses hurt more when the balance is large. Treat this as a planning baseline, not a forecast.

Common errors and gotchas

Confusing nominal with effective rates, which differ as soon as compounding is more frequent than annual.
Ignoring inflation, so the projection is nominal rather than in today's money.
Assuming contributions occur at the same point in the period as the calculator does.
Using one average return, which hides the volatility that matters most near the end.
Choosing simple interest mode for a product that actually compounds, which understates the result.