Savings Calculator

Project how a savings balance grows with an initial deposit plus regular monthly and annual contributions — accounting for interest, growing contributions, and tax.

Why two separate contribution streams

Real savings habits rarely fit one pattern — a monthly auto-transfer from a paycheck, plus an annual lump sum from a bonus or tax refund, are common together. Letting each grow at its own rate (a raise might bump your monthly contribution 3% a year; a bonus might not grow at all) makes the projection match how people actually save, rather than forcing everything into one contribution schedule.

Why taxes matter for a projection, not just a tax return

Interest earned in a taxable account is usually taxed as income each year, even if you never withdraw it — which means the interest that actually compounds forward is smaller than the interest earned. Modeling the tax rate here estimates the real, after-tax growth rate rather than an optimistic pre-tax number that overstates what you'll actually end up with.

Tax-advantaged accounts (like a 401(k), IRA, or HSA) don't tax interest as it's earned — leaving the tax rate at 0% models that kind of account more accurately than a taxable brokerage or savings account.

Common questions

Why does compounding frequency matter here if I'm also contributing monthly?

They're independent settings — compounding frequency controls how often interest is calculated and added, while your contribution schedule controls when new money goes in. This calculator handles both correctly even when they don't match, the same way a real bank account would.

What if I want to model a shrinking contribution instead of a growing one?

Enter a negative increase percentage — the contribution amount will decline by that percentage each year instead of growing.

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