Future Value Calculator
Grow a single lump sum to its worth after years of compounding at a fixed rate.
Total growth: $4,835.76 on a $5,000.00 starting sum.
Value of the single $5,000.00 deposit at the end of each year, compounding annual at 7%.
Future value is what a lump sum today grows to after compounding, given by FV = PV × (1 + r)^n. Put in $5,000 at a 7% annual rate for 10 years and it grows to $9,835.76 — the $5,000 nearly doubles, with $4,835.76 of that being pure compound growth.
What future value means
Future value (FV) answers a single question: if I set aside a fixed amount today and leave it to earn a steady return, what will it be worth later? It puts a number on the time value of money — the idea that a dollar in hand now is worth more than a dollar promised in the future, because today’s dollar can be invested and grow. This tool handles a single lump sum. Its mirror image is present value, which discounts a future amount back to what it is worth today.
PV is the present amount, r the annual rate as a decimal, and n the number of years; total growth = FV − PV
Worked example
Grow $5,000 at a 7% annual rate for 10 years.
- 1 Write the rate as a decimal. r = 7% ÷ 100 = 0.07.
- 2 Add 1 to the rate. 1 + 0.07 = 1.07, the yearly growth multiplier.
- 3 Raise it to the number of years. 1.07^10 ≈ 1.96715, the growth factor over 10 years.
- 4 Multiply by the present amount. $5,000 × 1.96715 ≈ $9,835.76 — the future value FV.
- 5 Subtract the start for total growth. $9,835.76 − $5,000 = $4,835.76 earned from compounding.
Growth factor (1 + r)^n
Multiply your present amount by the factor to get its future value. A factor of 2.00 means the sum has doubled.
| Years (n) | 4% | 7% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1.217 | 1.403 | 1.611 |
| 10 | 1.480 | 1.967 | 2.594 |
| 20 | 2.191 | 3.870 | 6.727 |
| 30 | 3.243 | 7.612 | 17.449 |
Reading the results
Compounding, not adding. Each year’s return is earned on the whole balance — original sum plus everything already gained — so the growth factor climbs faster the longer you wait. At 10% the factor is 1.611 after 5 years but 17.449 after 30: more than ten times as much for six times the wait.
A single sum, not a savings plan. This calculator grows one lump sum you already have. It does not add monthly deposits. If you plan to keep paying money in over time, use the compound interest calculator, which layers regular contributions on top of the starting balance. To find the yearly rate implied by a known start and end value instead, use the CAGR calculator.