Finance Calculator
A complete time-value-of-money (TVM) financial calculator that solves for any unknown variable. Select what you want to find — Present Value, Future Value, Payment, Rate, or Number of Periods — enter the remaining values, and instantly get the answer. Works for loans, investments, annuities, bonds, and any financial planning scenario.
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How It Works
Present value calculates how much a future cash flow is worth in today's dollars, given an interest rate. Useful for evaluating investments, lottery payouts, and annuity valuations.
PV = FV / (1+r)^n + PMT × (1-(1+r)^-n) / r$100,000 in 10 years at 6% = PV $55,839Future value calculates what a present sum grows to over time at a given rate. Enter your starting amount and monthly contributions to see the future value of a savings or investment account.
FV = PV(1+r)^n + PMT × ((1+r)^n - 1) / r$10K today + $500/mo at 7% for 20yr = FV $271,374Solves for the equal periodic payment needed to either repay a loan (PV given) or reach a savings goal (FV given). The most common TVM calculation for loan planning.
PMT = r(PV(1+r)^n + FV) / ((1+r)^n - 1)$200K loan at 6.5% for 30yr = $1,264/mo paymentSolves for the interest rate given all other variables. Useful for finding the true rate on a lease or loan where only payment terms were disclosed, or for computing the implicit return on an investment.
Solve numerically for r in: PV = Σ PMT/(1+r)^n$200K loan, $1,264/mo, 360 periods → RATE = 6.50%Solves for the number of periods needed to pay off a loan or reach a savings goal, given a fixed payment amount and interest rate. Useful for retirement planning and debt payoff analysis.
n = -ln(1 - PV×r/PMT) / ln(1+r)$200K at 6.5%, paying $1,500/mo = 183 months (15.25yr)An annuity is a series of equal periodic payments. Use PV mode to find the present value of an annuity stream — the lump sum today equivalent to receiving those payments over time at the given discount rate.
PV annuity = PMT × (1 - (1+r)^-n) / r$1,000/mo for 20 years at 5% = PV $150,000Quick Reference
Common examples — verify instantly above.
PV of $100K in 10yr
At 6% discount rate
$55,839
FV of $10K + $500/mo
20 years at 7%
$271,374
PMT for $200K loan
6.5% rate, 30 years
$1,264/mo
Rate on $200K loan
$1,264/mo, 360 months
6.50%
NPER on $200K
6.5%, paying $1,500/mo
183 months (15.25yr)
PV of annuity
$1,000/mo, 20yr, 5%
$150,000
FV of $50K
8% for 15 years
$158,608
Rate of return
$10K → $25K in 10yr
9.60% annual return
Tips & Shortcuts
Use RATE mode to verify the interest rate on any existing loan or lease. If the lender or dealer quoted only the payment and term, this reveals the true rate.
When calculating loan payments, enter PV as the loan amount (positive), FV as 0, and the result PMT will be the monthly payment as a positive number.
For retirement savings, use FV mode with your current savings as PV and your monthly contribution as PMT to project your balance at retirement age.
NPER mode is useful for credit card planning: enter the balance as PV, the interest rate, and the monthly payment to find exactly when the card is paid off.
For comparing investment returns, use RATE mode with PV as your initial investment, FV as the ending value, and 0 for PMT to find the annualized return.
The formula assumes monthly compounding with monthly periods. For semi-annual or quarterly analysis, divide the annual rate by the appropriate frequency and multiply periods accordingly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mixing annual and monthly periods
All values must be in the same period unit. If using monthly periods, divide the annual rate by 12. If using annual periods, ensure FV and PMT are also annual figures.
Forgetting that a borrowed amount is cash inflow (positive PV for borrowing)
From the borrower's perspective, the loan amount is money received (positive PV) and payments are money paid out. The calculator assumes PV positive means you receive the amount and PMT represents outflows.
Using nominal rate instead of effective rate for non-monthly compounding
For Canadian mortgages or bonds with semi-annual compounding, the stated rate must be converted to an effective rate before entering. This calculator assumes monthly compounding.
Entering 0 for PMT when there are periodic contributions
If you are making regular contributions alongside an initial lump sum, enter both PV and PMT. Leaving PMT at 0 will omit the contribution and underestimate the future value.
Not accounting for taxes on investment returns
This calculator uses pre-tax rates. Investment returns are subject to capital gains and income taxes. Use after-tax expected returns for realistic savings projections.
Using average market returns as guaranteed returns in FV calculations
Historical market returns of 7% to 10% are averages over long periods with high volatility. Short-term savings goals should use a conservative rate; long-term goals can use historical averages with appropriate uncertainty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Time value of money is the principle that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future, because today's dollar can be invested to earn returns. TVM calculations underpin virtually all finance: loan payments, investment returns, savings goals, annuity pricing, and bond valuation.
Select PV mode and enter the future value you expect, the interest rate, and the number of periods. If there are regular payments (like an annuity), add the periodic payment amount. The calculator solves for the present value — how much that future stream is worth today.
Yes. Set the mode to PMT (Payment). Enter the loan amount as PV (negative if you are borrowing), the interest rate (annual), the number of monthly periods, and 0 for FV. The calculator returns the monthly payment. This matches the standard amortization formula.
Set mode to FV. Enter your current savings as PV, your monthly contribution as PMT, your expected annual return, and the number of months. The calculator shows the future value of your savings account at that point.
This calculator accepts the annual interest rate and converts it to a monthly rate by dividing by 12. For precise mortgage calculations, note that Canadian mortgages use semi-annual compounding — the Canadian mortgage calculator handles that correctly. This general calculator uses monthly compounding.
Select RATE mode and enter the loan amount as PV, the monthly payment as PMT, the number of periods as NPER, and 0 for FV. The calculator solves for the annual interest rate. This is useful for finding the actual rate on a loan where only the payment and term were disclosed.
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