Future Value Calculator
Point today’s money at the future: a starting amount, optional deposits every period, and a rate. The calculator returns the future value, splits it into principal versus growth, and lays out a period-by-period schedule you can check line by line.
Example: with Starting amount (PV) $10,000 · Number of periods 10 N · Interest rate per period 6% · Periodic deposit 1,000 $/per → Future value: $31,089.27.
- Growth of the starting amount$17,908.48
- Value of the deposits$13,180.79
- Total principal in$20,000
Computed by the calculator below using its default values. Change any input to see your own numbers.
Where the future value comes from
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Compare optionsHow future value works
Future value is compound growth pointed forward. The starting amount multiplies by (1 + r) every period; each deposit joins the balance and does the same from the moment it arrives. Early periods look unimpressive — growth on a small base — but the schedule below shows the interest column accelerating as the balance snowballs. Given enough periods, the interest earned overtakes everything you put in.
How it’s calculated
FV = PV × (1 + r)n + PMT × [((1 + r)n − 1) ÷ r], with the deposit term multiplied by (1 + r) for beginning-of-period timing (annuity due). Total principal = PV + PMT × n; total interest = FV − principal. The schedule simulates each period — interest on the running balance, then (or first, for annuity due) the deposit — and lands on the formula value to the cent.
Assumes a constant rate and level deposits, before taxes, fees, and inflation. Educational estimates only.
Growth schedule
Deposits, interest, and ending balance for each period at your current inputs.
Common mistakes
- Pairing an annual rate with monthly periods — convert the rate to the period length first.
- Reading nominal FV as purchasing power; inflation quietly shrinks what that balance buys.
- Entering a rate that ignores fees — a 7% fund with a 1% expense ratio compounds like 6%.
- Stopping the projection at a round number of years when the goal date is actually months away.
Frequently asked questions
What is the future value formula?
For a lump sum: FV = PV × (1 + r)n. For level deposits: FV = PMT × [((1 + r)n − 1) ÷ r], multiplied by (1 + r) if deposits are made at the beginning of each period. This calculator adds both parts and its schedule reproduces the formula period by period.
What counts as a period?
Any interval, as long as the rate matches it. Years with an annual rate, months with a monthly rate (annual ÷ 12), quarters with a quarterly rate. Ten years of monthly deposits = 120 periods at the monthly rate.
Why does the interest exceed what the starting amount alone would earn?
Every deposit starts compounding the moment it lands, and growth itself earns growth. In the worked example, deposits contribute $10,000 of principal but generate $3,180.79 of extra interest on top of the lump sum’s $7,908.48 — compounding works on the whole running balance.
Does beginning-of-period timing matter much?
Each deposit earns one extra period of growth. In the example, switching $1,000 yearly deposits from end to beginning of year lifts the total from $31,089.27 to $31,880.12 — about $791. Real but secondary; the deposit amount and number of periods matter far more.
Is future value adjusted for inflation?
No — FV is in nominal dollars. To think in today’s purchasing power, either subtract expected inflation from your rate (a real rate, e.g. 6% − 3% = ~3%) or deflate the result with our inflation calculator.