{
  "slug": "future-value",
  "title": "Future Value Calculator",
  "heading": "Future Value Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/future-value",
  "summary": "What a lump sum plus contributions grows to.",
  "description": "Future value answers the core compounding question: given a starting amount, a contribution, a rate, and time, what do you end up with? Time in the market does most of the work.",
  "formula": "FV = PV × (1 + r)^n + PMT × ((1 + r)^n − 1) ÷ r, compounded at your chosen frequency.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=future-value",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "pv",
      "label": "Starting amount",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "pmt",
      "label": "Monthly contribution",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Annual return",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 7,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "years",
      "label": "Years",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 20,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "fv",
      "label": "Future value",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "contributed",
      "label": "Total contributed",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "growth",
      "label": "Investment growth",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "multiple",
      "label": "Money multiple",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Starting amount: 10000 $",
      "Monthly contribution: 500 $",
      "Annual return: 7 %",
      "Years: 20"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Future value: $300,850.72",
      "Total contributed: $130,000.00",
      "Investment growth: $170,850.72",
      "Money multiple: 2.31"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter starting amount ($).",
      "Enter monthly contribution ($).",
      "Enter annual return (%).",
      "Enter years.",
      "Read your future value on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "pv": 6000,
        "pmt": 300,
        "rate": 7,
        "years": 12
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "pv": 10000,
        "pmt": 500,
        "rate": 7,
        "years": 20
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "pv": 16000,
        "pmt": 800,
        "rate": 7,
        "years": 32
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the future value calculator work?",
      "a": "Future value answers the core compounding question: given a starting amount, a contribution, a rate, and time, what do you end up with? Time in the market does most of the work. The underlying maths is: FV = PV × (1 + r)^n + PMT × ((1 + r)^n − 1) ÷ r, compounded at your chosen frequency."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "4 values: starting amount, monthly contribution, annual return, and years. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the future value result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/compound-interest",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/present-value",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/investment"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Future Value Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/future-value)"
}