Australian Compound Interest and Savings Calculator
See how your savings or investments could grow over time with regular contributions, after fees and inflation, and when you could reach a savings goal.
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You will need: starting balance, regular contribution, expected return.
Your figures
Your savings
Enter your balance, regular contributions, time frame and assumed return.
What you have already saved or invested. Leave empty if you are starting from nothing.
The amount you add each period, kept the same for the whole projection.
The return is your assumption, not a forecast. Contributions at the same rate each period are what makes this a dollar cost averaging projection.
Set a target to see roughly when you would reach it.
The projection keeps looking for up to 50 years, so a goal beyond your chosen period still gets an answer.
Change the fee, when contributions land, and the inflation used for today's dollars.
Fees are subtracted from the return, so a 6% return with 1% fees grows at 5%. That is a simple subtraction: a fee actually charged against your balance each period costs slightly more, so this is a close approximation rather than an exact model. Inflation only affects the today's dollars figure, never the projected balance.
Assumed: contributions arrive at the selected time in each period. Choosing the start gives each contribution one extra period of growth.
Estimates only, not financial advice, and not a recommendation of any investment or return. The projection assumes a constant return every year with no volatility, and contributions that never change. It does not model tax on interest, dividends or capital gains, and it is not specific to superannuation, where contributions and earnings are taxed differently. For super, use the superannuation calculator.
Your result
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Frequently asked questions
How does compound interest work?
Each period your balance earns a return, and that return is added to the balance. The next period earns a return on the larger balance, so growth builds on growth. Over long periods, most of your balance can come from growth rather than from what you put in. That is why the calculator shows the split.
Does how often I contribute change the result?
Only through your contributions. Contributing more often adds money sooner, so it earns for longer. The return itself is converted to a true equivalent rate for the period you choose, so a 6% assumption grows a starting balance by exactly 6% over a year whichever frequency you pick.
Can I use this for dollar cost averaging?
Yes. Putting in the same amount at a regular interval is dollar cost averaging. The calculator models it as a steady contribution rather than as a separate tool, because the arithmetic is the same. It assumes a smooth return, so it does not show the benefit of buying more units when prices fall.
What does "today's dollars" mean?
It shows your projected balance in terms of what that money would buy now, using the inflation rate you set. A balance of $500,000 in 25 years does not buy what $500,000 buys today, so for a long projection this second figure is usually the more useful one.
Does the compound interest calculator include tax?
No. Returns here are before tax. Tax on interest, dividends and capital gains depends on your marginal rate, what you hold and how long you hold it, so including it would suggest more certainty than this calculator has. Super is taxed differently again, so use the Superannuation Calculator for super.
What return rate should I use?
That is your call, and this calculator does not recommend one. Your bank publishes its savings account rate. For investments, past long-run averages are not a promise about any particular decade. Try a lower figure as well as the one you expect, and see how much the answer moves.