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Compound Interest Calculator

The single most important concept in personal finance, made visible. Plug in an initial deposit, a monthly contribution, an expected annual return, and a time horizon — see what compounding actually does. Includes a year-by-year breakdown so you can see exactly where the growth comes from (and how much of it is interest vs contributions).

What it does
  • Initial deposit + monthly contributions
  • Custom annual return rate
  • Year-by-year breakdown table
  • Total contributions vs total growth split
  • Inflation-adjusted (real) view toggle

Starting point

Growth assumptions

The headline

Final balance · year 25
£209,425
Nominal terms
Total contributions
£76,000
36.3% of the final pot
Interest / growth
£133,425
63.7% of the final pot
What's in the final pot
36%
64%
Your contributions Growth from compounding

Year 18 is when compound growth overtakes your own contributions — the point where the money starts doing the heavy lifting for you.

Year by year

YearContributedGrowthBalance
1£3,000£189£4,189
2£3,000£419£7,608
3£3,000£666£11,274
4£3,000£931£15,205
5£3,000£1,215£19,420
6£3,000£1,520£23,940
7£3,000£1,847£28,787
8£3,000£2,197£33,984
9£3,000£2,573£39,557
10£3,000£2,976£45,533
11£3,000£3,408£51,941
12£3,000£3,871£58,812
13£3,000£4,368£66,180
14£3,000£4,900£74,080
15£3,000£5,471£82,552
16£3,000£6,084£91,636
17£3,000£6,741£101,376
18crossover£3,000£7,445£111,821
19£3,000£8,200£123,021
20£3,000£9,009£135,030
21£3,000£9,878£147,908
22£3,000£10,808£161,716
23£3,000£11,807£176,523
24£3,000£12,877£192,400
25£3,000£14,025£209,425

Compounded monthly. Returns are assumed constant for clarity — real markets are lumpy. This is a planning tool, not a forecast. Past performance never guarantees future returns.