Future Value Calculator
See what a starting amount grows into over time — on its own, or with regular contributions added on top. Adjust the rate, the time frame, and how often interest compounds.
Default is end of period (ordinary annuity).
Your future value will appear here
Enter a starting amount, rate, and time, then click calculate.
Future Value vs. our Compound Interest Calculator
Compound Interest compares compounding frequencies — annual, monthly, daily, continuous — on a single one-time amount, with no ongoing deposits. Future Value is what your starting amount and your regular contributions grow into together. If you only want to compare compounding frequencies or APY without contributions, use our Compound Interest Calculator.
Quick Answer
Future value of a lump sum is FV = PV x (1 + r)^n. $1,000 at 5% for 2 years grows to $1,102.50. Add $100 a year on top and it reaches $1,307.50 with annual compounding. Unlike a pure compound-interest tool, this calculator folds in your ongoing contributions using the annuity formula.
How It Works: Formula & Variables
FV = PV(1 + r)^n + PMT × [((1 + r)^n − 1) / r]
- PV
- The starting amount, or present value.
- r
- The interest rate per period.
- n
- The number of periods.
- PMT
- The contribution at the end of each period (ordinary annuity, the standard).
For non-annual compounding, divide the annual rate by the number of periods per year, multiply the years by that same number, and split the yearly contribution across the periods (r/m, n×m, PMT/m).
Worked Examples
Example 1: lump sum only
$1,000 at 5% for 2 years: FV = 1,000 × (1.05)² = $1,102.50.
Example 2: with a yearly contribution
Same $1,000 at 5% for 2 years, plus $100 added at the end of each year, reaches $1,307.50. Switch to monthly compounding (rate / 12, years × 12, contribution / 12) and it rises to $1,314.82 — proof that compounding frequency still moves the needle even once contributions are in the mix.
Key Concepts
Two engines in one number: Future value with contributions is a lump sum growing plus a stream of deposits growing, added together.
Timing changes the total: Deposits made at the start of each period earn one extra period of growth compared with deposits at the end.
Nominal, not real: The figure is in future dollars, so it says nothing about what those dollars will actually buy.
Common Mistakes
Mismatching rate and periods: With non-annual compounding you have to divide the rate and multiply the periods and split the contribution — changing only one throws the whole result off.
Ignoring contribution timing: Start-of-period versus end-of-period deposits give different future values.
Reading nominal as real: A big future balance can still lose purchasing power once inflation is accounted for.
Expecting one formula to handle uneven deposits: Contributions that change from year to year need a separate cash-flow projection, not a single annuity formula.
Frequently Asked Questions
Future value is what an amount of money will be worth at some later date, once you account for a rate of return and compounding growth along the way.
For a single lump sum it's FV = PV x (1 + r)^n, where PV is the starting amount, r is the rate per period, and n is the number of periods.
They're two sides of the same equation. Present value runs it backward: PV = FV / (1 + r)^n, which tells you what a future amount is worth in today's money.
Yes, and that's exactly what this tool adds over our Compound Interest Calculator. It layers a periodic contribution on top of the starting amount using the annuity formula.
Yes. Taking $1,000 at 5% over 2 years plus $100 a year, annual compounding lands at $1,307.50, while spreading it across monthly compounding nudges it up to $1,314.82.
No, the result is a nominal figure. To judge what that future amount could actually buy, run it through our Inflation Calculator.
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