Future Value Calculator
InvestmentSee what your money could be worth in the future once compound growth and regular contributions do their work.
In short: The Future Value Calculator is a free online tool that lets you project the future value of a lump sum plus monthly contributions — instantly, with charts, a worked example and the exact formula.
Your inputs
Your inputs
- Initial investment
- ₹1,00,000
- Monthly contribution
- ₹0
- Expected return rate
- 10%
- Investment period
- 15 yrs
Total value
₹4,17,725
Invested amount
₹1,00,000
Money you put in
Est. returns
₹3,17,725
Wealth gained
You put in ₹1,00,000 and it grows to ₹4,17,725 — about 4.2× your money, with ₹3,17,725 earned on top. The longer you stay invested, the larger that share of returns becomes.
Invested vs future value
How your money and its returns compound over time.
Year-wise growth
| Year | Invested | Est. returns | Future value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹10,000 | ₹1,10,000 |
| 2 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹21,000 | ₹1,21,000 |
| 3 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹33,100 | ₹1,33,100 |
| 4 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹46,410 | ₹1,46,410 |
| 5 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹61,051 | ₹1,61,051 |
| 6 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹77,156 | ₹1,77,156 |
| 7 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹94,872 | ₹1,94,872 |
| 8 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹1,14,359 | ₹2,14,359 |
| 9 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹1,35,795 | ₹2,35,795 |
| 10 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹1,59,374 | ₹2,59,374 |
Lump sum compounded annually; contributions compounded monthly.
How the Future Value Calculator works
Formula
- FV
- Future value
- P
- Initial lump sum invested
- r
- Annual rate of return (as a decimal)
- n
- Number of years invested
Step-by-step calculation
Worked with the default values.
- 1
Lump sum future value
₹1,00,000 × (1 + 10%)^15
= ₹4,17,725
- 2
Contributions future value
SIP FV of monthly additions
= ₹0
- 3
Total future value
Lump sum FV + Contributions FV
= ₹4,17,725
How it works
- The initial lump sum grows by compounding at the assumed annual return each year.
- Each monthly contribution is added and then compounds for the remaining months until the horizon.
- Adding the two streams together gives the total future value, of which the excess over what you invested is your return.
Examples
₹1,00,000 lump sum for 15 years at 10% p.a., no contributions
Grows to roughly ₹4.18 lakh purely from compounding.
₹1,00,000 plus ₹5,000/month for 15 years at 10% p.a.
Reaches about ₹25 lakh, with contributions and returns combined.
Understanding the Future Value Calculator
What future value tells you
Future value answers a simple but powerful question: if I invest this money today and add to it regularly, what will it be worth years from now? By projecting a starting lump sum and optional monthly contributions forward at an assumed rate of return, the calculator turns an abstract savings plan into a concrete number you can aim for.
The maths combines two streams. The lump sum compounds on itself each year, so its growth accelerates over time. The monthly contributions each compound for however long they stay invested, using the standard SIP formula. Added together, they produce the total future value, and the amount above what you actually put in is your return.
Why compounding does the heavy lifting
In the early years, most of your balance is simply the money you contributed. But as returns pile on top of returns, the growth curve steepens. A ₹1 lakh lump sum at 10% roughly quadruples over 15 years without you adding a rupee. Layer on a ₹5,000 monthly contribution and the same period can build a corpus of around ₹25 lakh. The longer the horizon, the larger the share of the final figure that comes from returns rather than contributions.
What drives the result
Three inputs shape the outcome:
- Amounts — your starting lump sum and how much you add each month.
- Return rate — equity funds have historically delivered around 10–12% over long periods, though this varies.
- Time horizon — the single most influential factor because compounding is exponential.
Reading the number sensibly
The future value shown here is nominal. Inflation quietly erodes purchasing power, so ₹25 lakh two decades out may buy what a fraction of that buys today. Always discount the result by an inflation estimate to judge whether it truly meets your goal, and remember that taxes and charges will trim the amount you finally keep. Used as a planning guide rather than a guarantee, future value is one of the most motivating numbers in personal finance — it makes the reward for patience impossible to ignore.
Pros
- Combines a lump sum and monthly contributions in a single projection.
- Makes the power of long-term compounding visual and concrete.
- Helps set realistic savings targets for goals like retirement or a home.
- Simple inputs — principal, contribution, rate and time — cover most scenarios.
- Year-wise table shows exactly how the corpus builds each year.
Cons
- Assumes a constant return, whereas real markets are volatile.
- Shows nominal value only, so it can overstate real purchasing power.
- Ignores taxes and charges that reduce the amount you actually keep.
- Not suited to irregular or one-off contributions on varying dates.
Tips
- 1Increase your monthly contribution each year to keep pace with income and inflation.
- 2Use a conservative return assumption so you are pleasantly surprised, not disappointed.
- 3Discount the future value by inflation to see what it really buys.
- 4Start with whatever lump sum you have today — time in the market beats timing it.
- 5Re-run the projection annually and adjust contributions to stay on track.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about the Future Value Calculator.
What is future value?
Does this account for monthly contributions?
How is the lump sum compounded here?
What return rate should I assume?
Is the future value guaranteed?
Does future value consider inflation?
How does time affect future value?
Can I use this for retirement planning?
What is the difference between future value and maturity value?
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