How to use this calculator
Enter a starting balance and a fixed monthly contribution, then choose the nominal annual rate, duration and compounding frequency. Choose whether deposits arrive at the beginning or end of each month. Enable comparison to try a second rate with identical deposits. The chart separates deposited money from interest; the table and CSV show annual checkpoints and the final partial year. Set contributions to zero to model only the starting balance.
The math behind it
Monthly growth g = (1 + annual rate / 100 / frequency)^(frequency / 12) Months m = 12 × years End-of-month deposits: total = principal × g^m + monthly deposit × (g^m − 1) / (g − 1) Beginning-of-month deposits: multiply the deposit term by g At 0%: total = principal + monthly deposit × m Interest = total − principal − total monthly deposits
A worked example
Starting with 1,000 and adding 100 at each month’s end for 10 years at 5%, compounded monthly, produces about 17,175.24. Deposited money totals 13,000 and interest is about 4,175.24. With contributions set to zero, the same starting balance grows to 1,647.01.
Assumptions & precision
Rates and deposits are fixed and nonnegative; no withdrawals, fees, taxes, inflation or investment risk. Daily means 365 compounding periods per year. Deposits remain monthly even with annual or daily compounding: an equivalent monthly rate interpolates growth between compounding dates, which can differ from actual account crediting rules. Contributions require a whole number of months; without contributions, fractional years are supported. The starting checkpoint is before any monthly deposit. Both scenarios share all inputs except rate. Duration is limited to 100 years and output magnitudes to 10¹⁵. Currency changes display only, with no exchange conversion. Calculations retain internal precision; currency amounts round for display and CSV numbers use up to six decimals. Charts connect annual checkpoints and the final partial year, not individual deposits. These are scenarios, not guaranteed investment returns.
Common questions
Is this the same as annual percentage yield?
No. This input is a nominal annual rate divided across compounding periods. APY already accounts for compounding and should not be entered as the nominal rate without conversion.
Does beginning-of-month timing earn more?
At a positive fixed rate, each deposit has one additional month to grow. The number and amount of deposits remain the same. At zero interest, both timings produce the same result.
Can I compare different monthly deposits?
The comparison changes only the rate, so the effect of that assumption is clear. To compare contribution amounts, change the monthly deposit and download each scenario separately.