Example 1
- Starting amount: 10,000
- Return: 6%
- Time: 10 years
- Compounding: annual
FV ≈ 17,908.48
Total deposits ≈ 10,000.00
Growth ≈ 7,908.48
What is FV at 10,000, 6%, and 10 years with no contributions? About 17,908.48.
Future Value Calculator
The future value calculator compounds a starting amount and optional contributions at the compounding frequency you choose. $10,000 at 6% for 10 years with annual compounding and no contributions is about $17,908.48. You can split contribution frequency, pick beginning or end of period, and subtract inflation.
Result
Starting amount, Annual return (%), Time horizon and Compounding. The result shows up here.
FV with compounding and optional contributions. 10000, 6%, and 10 years land near 17908. The three-field version is on compound interest.
How results are calculated
PV10000
×(1+r)n1.0610
→FV17908
FV, future value, is the amount a start and any regular contributions will grow to. In the first example there are no contributions, so the formula matches compound interest: 10000, 6%, and 10 years, annual compounding, yield about 17908.48. Growth is the same 7908.48 or so. When you turn contributions on, the calculator adds an annuity at the end or the beginning of each period.
Second example: 5000 start, 7%, 15 years, monthly compounding, and 200 contributed at period end. FV is about 77637.19, total deposits about 41000, growth about 36637.19. Third: 20000, 5%, 8 years, 1000 contributions, 2.5% inflation. Nominal FV is about 39098.22, real about 32089.73.
Enter Starting amount (0 is fine if you model contributions only) and Annual return (%). Time horizon is a number plus a years or months list. Compounding is a list: annual, monthly, or a custom periods-per-year count. Contributions, their frequency, timing, inflation, and an FV goal sit behind toggles. Click Calculate and read FV first.
Compound interest next door stays with principal, rate, and years, with no contributions. Purchasing power divides today's amount by inflation, with no return rate. PV, present value, runs the other way: from a future amount back to today.
No tax and no fees is a scenario assumption. Monthly compounding at 7% is not a product promise. An FV goal shows a surplus or a gap, not a mini retirement plan.
Type 10000, 6, 10, leave annual compounding, and keep contributions off. Check about 17908. Then turn on the 200 contribution from the second example if you want the jump toward 77637.
Article hook: 10,000 at the start at 6% for 10 years with no contributions yields about 17,908 — the chart curves up, but a steady 200 a month changes the path shape. Inflation at 2.5% does not erase nominal FV; it shows a separate real balance.
Formula
Model: future value (compounding + optional ordinary or due annuity).
FV = PV × (1 + r/m)m×t + PMT × [((1 + r/m)n − 1) / (r/m)] × (1 + r/m)due
Where due = 1 for beginning-of-period payments, 0 for end. Without contributions the second term drops.
How to use this calculator
- In Starting amount, enter the start, for example 10000. Zero is fine when you model contributions only.
- In Annual return (%), enter the percent, for example 6. Set the horizon with a number and the years or months list.
- In Compounding, choose annual, monthly, or custom. For custom, type periods per year.
- Contributions, inflation, and an FV goal sit behind toggles. Timing is a list: end or beginning of period.
- Click Calculate. At 10000, 6%, 10 years, and annual compounding, FV should be about 17908.48.
FV with compounding and optional contributions
FV grows a start and optional deposits at the compounding you pick. 10000 at 6% for 10 years, no contributions, annual compounding, is about 17908.48.
- FV
- Future value in this calculator. 10000 × 1.06^10 ≈ 17908.48 with no deposits. Start 5000, 7%, 15 years, 200 per period is about 77637.
- Compounding
- How often the rate compounds. Annual at 6% for 10 years is 17908.48. Monthly with 200 contributions lifts the ending balance hard.
- Contribution
- A regular deposit per period. 200 for 15 years on a 5000 start at 7% feeds about 41000 of deposits and FV about 77637.
Worked examples
Example 2
- Starting amount: 5,000
- Return: 7%
- Time: 15 years
- Compounding: monthly
- Contribution: 200 per period (end of period)
FV ≈ 77,637.19
Total deposits ≈ 41,000.00
Growth ≈ 36,637.19
What is FV with a start balance plus regular contributions? About 77,637.19 (total deposits ≈ 41,000).
Example 3
- Starting amount: 20,000
- Return: 5%
- Time: 8 years
- Compounding: annual
- Contribution: 1,000 per period
- Inflation: 2.5%
FV ≈ 39,098.22
Total deposits ≈ 28,000.00
Growth ≈ 11,098.22
Real FV ≈ 32,089.73
What is real FV after inflation? Nominal ≈ 39,098.22; real ≈ 32,089.73.
Example 4
- Starting amount: 5,000
- Return: 7%
- Time: 10 years
- Compounding: annual
- Contribution: 200 monthly
FV higher than starting amount alone
Total deposits = 5,000 + 200×120
Can monthly deposits use yearly compounding? Yes — total deposits = 5,000 + 200×120.
Example 5
- 5,000
- 5%
- 15 years
FV ≈ 10,394.64
What does 5,000 grow to at 5% in 15 years? FV ≈ 10,394.64.
Example 6
- 20,000
- 4%
- 8 years
FV ≈ 27,371.38
What does 20,000 grow to at 4% in 8 years? FV ≈ 27,371.38.
Which tool should you use
- Future value (FV) - when you know today’s balance and want to see how it could grow at an assumed rate, with or without contributions.
- Present value (PV) - when you know one future amount (or equal payments) and want today’s worth.
- Compound interest - when you care about compounding mechanics without contribution schedules and targets.
- NPV / IRR - when you have uneven yearly cash flows (a project), not a single savings path.
This calculator does not pick a return for you and ignores return volatility - the result is a scenario under fixed assumptions.
Related calculators
FAQ
How is future value counted?
FV = PV × (1 + r/m)^(m×t) plus compounded contributions at the chosen frequency. At 10,000, 5%, 10 years, annual compounding and no contributions, FV ≈ 16,288.95.
What are total contributions and growth?
Total contributions are starting capital plus all deposits. Growth = FV − total contributions (interest / return).
Why show FV without contributions?
It shows what starting capital alone reaches at the same rate and horizon — to compare with the with-contributions result.
What is real FV?
With optional inflation, the nominal result is pulled back to purchasing power. It is a sketch, not a market forecast.
How does the goal work?
If you enter a goal, the calculator shows the gap or surplus versus FV.
Is this a return guarantee?
No. It is compound math at a fixed rate — not a forecast for an instrument.
What does “contribution to goal” mode do?
You enter a target FV, horizon, and rate. The calculator finds the recurring contribution that closes the gap. If the lump sum alone already meets the goal, the contribution is 0.
What is “years to goal” mode?
With a known start, rate, and optional contribution, the calculator finds the shortest horizon where FV reaches the target. It uses a numeric search, not a closed formula.
What does monthly compounding do at 6% a year?
The period rate is 6%/12. At 10,000 for 10 years with no contributions, FV is higher than with annual compounding.
Is a beginning-of-period contribution always better?
For the same amount, beginning-of-period contributions yield a slightly higher FV because each deposit works longer. The gap grows with more periods.
Does the result include capital-gains tax?
No. FV is before tax and fees. Tax on the gain belongs on a separate calculator.
Can I model contributions with a zero start?
Yes. Set the starting amount to 0 and enable contributions. You need at least one of those two inputs.
What if inflation exceeds the return rate?
Nominal FV can still rise with a positive rate, but real FV may fall versus today’s purchasing power.
How is this different from compound interest?
Compound interest uses principal, rate, and years alone. Here you add contributions, their frequency, timing, inflation, and a target.
How does the target FV comparison work?
After computing FV, the calculator shows surplus or shortfall versus the target. It is a money difference, not a new model.
Can contribution frequency differ from compounding?
Yes. The contribution-frequency list lets you choose monthly, quarterly, annual, or a custom number of payment periods per year.
How does this page calculate future value (FV)?
The calculator compounds the starting balance by the rate and number of periods, then adds optional contributions in ordinary (end-of-period) or due (beginning) mode. Example with no contributions: 10,000 at 6% for 10 years ≈ 17,908.48.
What is the difference between annuity due and ordinary?
Ordinary assumes the contribution at the end of each period; due at the beginning. Due usually yields a higher FV for the same inputs because each deposit compounds longer.
What does real FV mean when inflation is on?
Nominal FV is the future-currency amount. Real FV divides that by cumulative inflation to show purchasing power. In the inflation example, nominal ≈ 39,098.22 and real ≈ 32,089.73.
Do contribution frequency and compounding have to match?
No. You can save monthly with yearly compounding — the model aligns the periods. This is not an investment recommendation or a guaranteed rate.
Knowledge sources
FV compounds the rate you enter, with optional contributions. This is not a portfolio valuation.
Page updated in 2026.