Financial calculators

Savings goal calculator

Compare your monthly saving plan with a fixed target, calculate the deadline contribution and estimate first-month target timing.

Calculated on your device

Savings goal

A fixed future nominal amount. Convert a target in today’s purchasing power separately.

Current savings

Planned monthly contribution

Assumed effective annual return (%)

A constant effective annual return assumption. Negative returns are supported; growth is not guaranteed.

Deadline (months)

1–600 months. Fractional years must equal whole months.

Deadline unit

Currency

Find a currency

Currency sets the money unit. It does not convert exchange rates.

Starting values are an example. Contributions arrive at month-end; required contribution is the total monthly amount.

Total monthly contribution needed by deadline: —
Projected balance with your entered contribution: —
Projected shortfall at deadline: —
First target-reaching month with your entered plan: —

Calculate to compare the contribution needed by your deadline.

Calculate to see your result.

Your entered plan and deadline contribution

Entered monthly contribution
Increase above your entered contribution

The first target-reaching month checks your starting balance and up to 600 month-end checkpoints. It may occur after your deadline, and reaching the target once does not mean your balance stays above it.

Month 0

Dotted: fixed savings goalDashed: balance with required contributionSolid: balance with entered contribution

All lines use the same stated scale. Constant assumed growth is a scenario, not a market forecast.

Explore every monthly checkpoint

Jump to months

Starting balance and all monthly checkpoints
Month	Your plan	Required contribution plan	Planned shortfall

Twelve checkpoints per view, including month zero. The CSV contains every checkpoint and the input assumptions. Display follows currency precision; tiny nonzero amounts use scientific notation, including in the CSV. Other CSV amounts use six decimals. Very large estimates have limited numerical precision and may export in scientific notation.

Defaults are illustrative, not recommended targets or returns. Currency formats only. Target is a future nominal amount.

Compare a savings plan with your goal

Enter your target in future currency units and savings you already have.
Enter the monthly contribution you plan to make at month-end.
Enter an assumed effective annual return and a monthly deadline.
Compare the total monthly amount needed, projected balance, shortfall and target-reaching month. Download both planned and required-contribution paths.

Formula

Monthly rate i = (1 + annual return ÷ 100)^1/12 − 1. Let G = (1 + i)ⁿ and F = (G − 1) ÷ i, or n when i is zero. Projected balance = initial savings × G + monthly contribution × F. Required monthly contribution = max(0, [goal − initial savings × G] ÷ F).

The timing result checks the initial balance and each end-month projected balance through month 600. It reports the first full-month checkpoint that reaches the target; it does not assume the balance stays above the target afterward.

Example: current savings 1,000, target 2,200, zero return and a 12-month deadline need 100 per month. If your entered plan is 50 per month, the deadline balance is 1,600, shortfall is 600 and the first reaching month is 24.

Investor.gov’s savings goal calculator describes estimating monthly saving for a goal. Our formula states the effective-return and end-month convention explicitly.

Assumptions and limits

Constant effective return, fixed monthly contributions and no withdrawals, fees, taxes or inflation adjustment. A target in today’s purchasing power must be converted to future units separately, for example with the inflation calculator. Returns vary and may be negative. This is an estimate, not a guarantee or advice.

Current savings 0–1 trillion units; goal 0.01–1 trillion; planned contribution 0–1 billion per month; annual return −90% to 100%; deadline 1–600 whole months. The calculated required contribution may exceed the input limit; it is a mathematical result, not an affordability judgment. “Not reached within 600 months” states the search limit, not proof that it can never be reached.

Privacy and export

Inputs remain in browser memory without uploads or saved financial values. CSV includes starting balance and monthly planned/required-contribution projections through the deadline, plus planned shortfall. CSV also records every input assumption, required contribution, first reaching month and search limit. Values normally export to six decimals; tiny nonzero and large numbers may use scientific notation. Display rounding can leave a small gap when using the rounded contribution. Try deadline contribution rounds the calculated total upward to the currency’s minor unit and recalculates. It is unavailable above the monthly input limit. Reset clears results and restores defaults. Undo restores raw inputs, currency search and the selected month range after either action, including after recalculation. Editing discards the recovery snapshot.

Is the required amount extra above my plan?

No. It is the total monthly contribution needed under the model. Compare it with the amount you entered.

What does “already reached” mean with a negative return?

Your starting savings meet the target now. A negative return can still reduce the future balance; review the deadline projection separately.