Time Value of Money Calculator
Money you have today and money you'll have later aren't worth the same amount. This calculator estimates the future value of a starting balance plus regular contributions, or works backward to the amount you'd need today to hit a target.
Estimated future value
- Total contributions
- Estimated growth
Enter your numbers above to see an estimate.
How this works
Future value mode grows your starting amount and each contribution forward at your assumed rate, compounding every period, then adds it all up at the end. Earlier dollars compound for longer, so they count for more. Your annual rate is split across however often you contribute, and each contribution is added at the end of its period.
Present value mode runs the same relationship in reverse: given a target, a rate, and your contributions, it solves for the lump sum you'd need today to get there.
A 0% rate is handled cleanly: it simply sums your contributions.
What this does not include
This is an estimate. It does not account for taxes, fees, inflation, market volatility, or returns that change from year to year. Real investments don't grow in a smooth line.
It assumes a single constant rate and steady contributions. Life is rarely that tidy, treat the result as a directional guide, not a promise.
A quick example, and how to read it
Leave it in future value mode to answer "if I save this much, what could it become?" Flip it to present value to answer the reverse: "to have a certain amount someday, what would I need today, or set aside along the way?"
Say you'd like roughly $100,000 in 20 years. Present value mode shows the lump sum that gets you there at your assumed rate, and it's always less than $100,000, because the years and the growth cover the rest. That gap between what you put in and what you end with is the time value of money, in a single number.
It's the same engine behind the compound interest calculator, just pointed at a goal. For the ideas underneath it, start with personal finance basics.