How to use this calculator
- Present value. Enter the amount you have today.
- Yearly rate. Enter the growth or interest rate as a percent per year.
- Years. Enter how long the money will grow.
- Yearly payment. Enter any amount you will add at the end of each year. Use 0 if there are no extra payments.
The results show the future value, your total deposits (the present value plus all yearly payments), the interest earned and the growth multiple, which is the future value divided by your total deposits.
Worked example
These are the starting values in the calculator above and the results they give. Change any input to see your own numbers.
- Present value
- $10,000
- Yearly rate
- 6%
- Years
- 10 years
- Payment added each year
- $0
- Future value
- $17,908
- Total deposits
- $10,000
- Interest earned
- $7,908
- Growth multiple
- 1.79×
How future value is calculated
Future value is built from two parts that are added together.
- The starting sum. The present value is multiplied by 1 plus the yearly rate, once for every year. Each year's growth is added to the balance, so the next year's growth is worked out on a larger amount.
- The yearly payments. Each payment grows from the date it is made until the end. Because payments are made at the end of each year, the first one grows for one year less than the full term and the last one does not grow at all.
Interest is compounded once a year. With a rate of 0, the future value is simply the present value plus all the payments. Interest earned is the future value minus your total deposits.
FV = PV × (1 + r)^n + PMT × ((1 + r)^n − 1) ÷ r- FV
- future value
- PV
- present value, the amount today
- r
- yearly rate as a decimal
- n
- number of years
- PMT
- payment added at the end of each year
How to read the results
Future value answers the question: if I set this money aside now, what could it become? It is the mirror image of present value, which asks what a future amount is worth today. The present value calculator runs the same math in reverse.
Points to keep in mind:
- The rate is an assumption. The result is only as good as the rate you enter. Real returns change from year to year.
- Time has the biggest effect. Adding years raises the result faster than you might expect, because growth builds on past growth.
- The result is in future dollars. It does not allow for rising prices. To see what it might buy, run the result through the inflation calculator.
- Payment timing matters. Payments made at the start of each year would end slightly higher than the end-of-year payments used here.
If you add money monthly instead of yearly, the compound interest calculator matches that pattern more closely.
Frequently asked questions
What is future value?
Future value is what a sum of money today will be worth at a later date, given a rate of growth. It rests on the idea that money can earn a return over time, so a dollar today can become more than a dollar later. It is used to project savings, compare investment options and plan for future costs.
What is the difference between present value and future value?
They are two views of the same amount at different points in time. Future value moves money forward: it shows what today's sum grows into. Present value moves money backward: it shows what a future sum is worth today. Both use the same rate and number of years. One multiplies by the growth factor and the other divides by it.
How does the yearly payment affect future value?
Each payment adds to the balance and then earns growth for the years that remain. Early payments have more time to grow than late ones. Over a long term, regular payments can make up most of the future value, even if the starting sum is small. Set the payment to 0 to see the starting sum's growth alone.
What does the growth multiple tell me?
The growth multiple is the future value divided by the total you deposited. A multiple of 1 means no growth. A multiple of 1.5 means you end with one and a half times what you put in. It is a quick way to see how much of the final amount came from growth instead of from your own deposits.
Does future value account for inflation?
Not on its own. The result is the number of dollars you would have, not what those dollars can buy. To estimate future value in today's money, you can enter a rate that is your expected return minus expected inflation. This gives a rough real figure that is easier to compare with present-day prices.
This calculator gives estimates for education only. It does not know your full situation and is not financial advice. Reviewed and updated November 15, 2026.