See what your money will be worth in 5, 10, or 30 years — with compound growth and regular contributions factored in.
Use this free future value calculator to project how a lump sum, a monthly investment, or both together grow over time at any expected rate of return.
Direct answers to the most common questions, in plain language. Skim if you're in a hurry; dig deeper below.
What your money grows into after compounding for a set number of years.
Future value takes a present amount, applies a growth rate over time, and tells you what it will be worth at a chosen future date. Add monthly contributions on top, and the same formula compounds each one separately.
You earn returns on your past returns, not just on your principal.
In year one you earn on what you invested. In year two you earn on what you invested plus year one’s gains. Stretch that over 30 years and the gains start outpacing the contributions by a wide margin.
Long-term averages: 10–12% for equity, 6–8% for debt, 3–5% for cash.
For Indian equity, a long-run assumption of 11–12% nominal is reasonable. For US equity, 8–10%. Debt funds and bonds: 6–8%. Bank deposits: 3–5%. Use a number you can justify, not the best year you remember.
Yes, if you care what the money will actually buy.
A future value of ₹1 crore in 30 years sounds impressive — until you realise inflation will have eaten most of its purchasing power. The inflation toggle shows you both numbers: the headline figure and the real (today’s-rupee) figure.
The mechanics in short answers — no jargon, no upsell.
Money invested today grows by a percentage each year. Next year, the growth is calculated on the new, larger amount. Over decades, that small percentage stacks into something dramatic.
Each monthly contribution starts its own compounding journey. The one you make in year 1 has 29 years to grow. The one you make in year 29 has 1 year. The early ones do most of the heavy lifting.
Starting 5 years earlier with the same monthly amount often beats starting later with double the contribution. Compounding rewards duration more than size.
A 30-year future value at 6% inflation is worth only ~17% of its nominal value in today’s money. The calculator shows both so the headline number doesn’t mislead.
Designed so anyone can model their situation in under a minute, with or without a finance background.
Vague "save more" becomes a precise target. ₹50 lakh in 15 years requires X per month at Y% — the calculator turns ambition into a number.
Run today vs five-years-from-now, or 8% vs 12%, side by side. The gap is usually larger than people guess.
Watching the "wealth gained" number overtake "total invested" is the most useful visualisation in personal finance.
A future amount that ignores inflation flatters the present-day saver. The inflation toggle keeps you honest.
Plug in both and see which produces more at your assumed return.
Most "should I invest now?" questions resolve in one click once you see the 30-year curve.
Everything you might ask before, during, or after using this tool.
Future value asks: "If I invest this much today, what will it grow into?" Present value asks the reverse: "How much do I need to invest today to end up with this amount later?" The calculator handles the future-value direction. For present value, work backwards — divide your target by the same growth multiplier.
Use nominal returns (the headline rate) for the inputs and turn on the inflation toggle for the output. That way the calculator shows both the nominal future value (impressive number) and the real, inflation-adjusted value (what it actually buys).
Monthly is closer to reality for most market-linked investments — mutual funds, stocks, index funds. Annual is the textbook default and the difference is usually small (a few percent over 30 years). Pick what matches your investment type.
A long-term assumption of 11–12% nominal is defensible based on historical Nifty 50 and Sensex returns. Be wary of anything above 15% as a long-run input — it usually leads to plans that fail in the first bad decade.
Almost always both. A pure lump-sum projection ignores how most people actually save. Adding even a small monthly figure dramatically changes the long-run number because each contribution compounds.
No. The calculator shows pre-tax future value. For Indian equity mutual funds, long-term capital gains above ₹1.25L are taxed at 12.5%. For debt funds bought after April 2023, gains are taxed at slab rate. Subtract roughly 10–15% from the gain to estimate after-tax outcomes.
The calculator assumes a smooth, constant return — which never happens in reality. Markets go through boom and bust years that average out to the long-run rate. The future value is correct on average; the path will be bumpy.
Use the "annual increase in contribution" field. A 10% annual step-up means your ₹10,000 monthly becomes ₹11,000 next year, ₹12,100 the year after, and so on — usually a closer match to how income and savings actually grow.
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The famous "hockey stick" of compounding isn’t magic — it’s just exponential growth catching up with your intuition.
For the first decade or so, your contributions dominate. Total invested and total value look similar. Around year 15 to 20, the gap starts widening visibly. By year 25 to 30, the growth column is multiples of what you put in.
This is why "start early" is the single most repeated piece of investing advice. Not because the early money is special — it isn’t — but because it has the most years to ride the curve.
A future value projection is only as good as its return assumption. Use the wrong number and the math is precise but the answer is wrong.
For Indian equity, 11–12% nominal is a defensible long-run number based on Nifty 50 and Sensex history. For US equity, 8–10% is the standard. For debt and bonds, 6–8%. For cash and bank deposits, 3–5%. For real estate, 7–9% all-in including rent and appreciation.
When in doubt, run two projections — a conservative one and an aggressive one. The truth usually lives in between, and seeing both keeps you from over-committing to the optimistic case.
Inflation is the silent tax on long-term projections. At 6% inflation, money loses about half its purchasing power every 12 years.
So a 30-year projection that ends at ₹1 crore (nominal) is worth roughly ₹17 lakh in today’s purchasing power. That’s still meaningful, but it’s not what people assume when they see "₹1 crore" on the screen.
The fix is simple. Always look at both numbers. The nominal value tells you what you’ll see in your account; the real value tells you what it’ll buy. Plan around the real value, celebrate the nominal one.
In a steadily rising market, a lump sum almost always beats spreading the same amount over months. The lump sum has more time invested, so it compounds more.
But "steadily rising" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. In a volatile or sideways market, monthly contributions (rupee-cost averaging) reduce regret and produce more stable outcomes. They also match how most people actually save — out of monthly income.
If you have a windfall and a long horizon, lump-sum invest. If you have a salary and ongoing income, monthly is the structural answer. Most real plans are a combination.
Two short notes worth reading before you trust any number on this page.
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We are not a bank, NBFC, advisor, broker, or distributor of any financial product. The numbers shown here are estimates for educational purposes only, based on the inputs you provide.
Results are not financial, legal, or tax advice. Please consult a qualified professional before any decision about your loan, investments, or personal finances. Actual loan terms and charges depend on your bank and individual circumstances.