See what a sum of money today will be worth in the future. Enter an amount, a rate of return, a time period and a compounding frequency to project the future value of your money.
The future value of money is what an amount you hold today will be worth at a later date once it has earned a rate of return. It is the practical side of the time value of money: a dollar today is worth more than a dollar promised years from now, because today's dollar can be invested and grow in the meantime. This calculator turns that idea into a number — enter an amount, a rate, a number of years and how often interest compounds, and it returns the projected future value along with how much of that figure is your original money and how much is growth.
This page is built for a single sum of money — a bonus, an inheritance, a maturing CD, or any lump amount you want to value years ahead. If you also plan to add money regularly, the full future value calculator layers recurring monthly payments on top of the lump sum, and the homepage compound interest calculator adds tax and inflation adjustments on the same core math.
Four inputs define the result, and you can change any of them to see the effect instantly:
The result shows the future value, your starting amount, and the interest earned on top. Open the year-by-year breakdown to see the balance climb one year at a time.
For a single sum, the future value formula is compact:
Here PV is the present value (your amount today), r is the annual interest rate, n is the number of compounding periods per year, and t is the number of years. The key detail is that the period count sits in the exponent — which is why money grows along a curve rather than a straight line. Each period the rate is applied to a balance that already includes every previous period's growth. With monthly compounding, a 7 percent annual rate becomes about 0.583 percent a month, applied twelve times a year.
This formula values a one-time sum only. Regular contributions are a separate annuity calculation, because each deposit lands at a different time and compounds for a different length of time — the future value with monthly contributions guide covers that case, and the future value formula guide walks through every variable.
Here is how a $10,000 amount grows at a 7 percent annual rate, compounded monthly, over different time periods. The figures come straight from the formula above.
| Years | Future value | Interest earned |
|---|---|---|
| 5 years | $14,176 | $4,176 |
| 10 years | $20,097 | $10,097 |
| 20 years | $40,387 | $30,387 |
| 30 years | $81,165 | $71,165 |
Notice how the growth accelerates. The money roughly doubles in the first decade, but the jump from 20 to 30 years adds more than $40,000 — because those final years are applied to a much larger balance. That is the time value of money working in your favour.
Money set aside today is worth more later for one simple reason: it earns a return while it waits. That is the engine behind the future value of money, and it is why valuing money in the future — rather than just counting today's dollars — matters for almost every financial decision, from comparing a lump sum offered now against a larger one offered later, to deciding whether to invest a windfall or spend it.
There is an important caveat. The future value shown here is nominal — the raw number of dollars. Inflation gradually reduces what each of those dollars can buy, so the real, purchasing-power value is lower. To strip inflation out and see the result in today's money, use the inflation option on the compound interest calculator. To put a future target into action, the savings growth calculator and retirement calculator turn a future value goal into a monthly plan.
Compounding frequency is how often earned interest is added back to the balance so it can start earning interest itself. The more often that happens, the slightly higher the future value. Here is the same $10,000 at 7 percent over 20 years at each frequency the calculator offers:
| Compounding frequency | Future value |
|---|---|
| Annually | $38,697 |
| Quarterly | $40,064 |
| Monthly | $40,387 |
| Daily | $40,547 |
The gap between annual and daily compounding here is under $2,000 on $10,000 over two decades — real, but small next to the effect of the rate and the time period. The rate and the number of years do the heavy lifting; frequency is a finishing touch.
The concepts behind the numbers — read the full library in the Learn hub.
Every variable in the equation this calculator uses, plus how to rearrange it to solve for rate or time.
Guide · InvestingA step-by-step walkthrough of the formula behind this calculator, with worked examples.
Guide · InvestingHow regular monthly deposits grow over time, with tables by amount, rate and timeframe.
Guide · InvestingThe formula and intuition behind exponential growth, with worked examples.
Keep exploring — every tool below is free and works the same way.
Value a lump sum plus recurring monthly payments — the right tool when you contribute over time.
InvestingSee how savings and investments grow with compound interest, monthly contributions, tax and inflation.
InvestingProject the future value of an investment portfolio with regular contributions and compounding returns.
InvestingEstimate how many years it takes your money to double from a single rate of return.
SavingsWatch a savings account grow over time with regular deposits and a chosen APY.
RetirementEstimate the nest egg you could have at retirement based on contributions and expected returns.