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Present Value & Future Value Calculator

Solve for the future value of a lump sum today, or the present value needed to reach a future amount, given a rate and compounding schedule.

Present value
$1,000.00
Future value
$1,628.89
Total growth
$628.89

How it works

This is the standard time-value-of-money formula for a single lump sum, with no ongoing contributions: FV = PV × (1 + r/n)ⁿᵗ, where PV is present value, r is the annual rate, n is compounds per year, and t is years. Present value is the same formula solved in reverse: PV = FV ÷ (1 + r/n)ⁿᵗ.

Choosing 'Future value' treats the amount you enter as today's lump sum and projects it forward; choosing 'Present value' treats the amount as a future target and discounts it back to today's equivalent. Both directions use the exact same growth factor, just applied in opposite directions.

For an ongoing series of contributions (not just a single lump sum) and a year-by-year growth chart, see the Compound Interest Calculator instead — this calculator is specifically the plain single-sum formula, solvable either direction.

FAQ

What does 'present value' actually mean?

It's what a future amount of money is worth today, given a discount rate — the idea that money now is worth more than the same amount later, since it could otherwise earn interest between now and then. A higher rate or a longer time horizon makes a given future amount worth less in today's terms.

Why does compounding frequency matter here if there's no contribution?

Even for a single lump sum, how often interest is credited changes the effective growth rate — compounding monthly grows a balance faster than compounding annually at the same stated annual rate, because each compounding period's interest starts earning its own interest sooner.

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