Got a number in mind? Enter your goal, what you've saved, your expected return and your deadline, and get the exact monthly deposit that gets you there — plus how much of the goal compounding pays for.
Answer first: tell this calculator your target, what you've already saved, your expected return and your deadline, and it solves for the one thing you need to know: how much to deposit each month to get there. This savings goal calculator works the future-value math backwards so you don't have to.
Monthly deposit = (Goal − Current savings grown) × i ÷ [(1 + i)ⁿ − 1], where i is the monthly rate and n is the number of months.
Example: a $50,000 goal in 10 years, with $5,000 already saved at a 7% annual return. Your $5,000 grows to about $10,048, so you need to fund the remaining ~$39,952 — which takes a deposit of about $230.82 a month.
The lesson hidden in that result is the power of starting early and letting returns do the heavy lifting. In the example, your deposits total roughly $27,700 over ten years, yet you finish with $50,000 — more than $22,000 of it comes from compound growth and your existing savings, not your own pocket. The longer your timeline, the more the market contributes and the less you have to.
It's tempting to plug in an optimistic rate to make the monthly number look small, but that's how plans fail. A diversified stock-and-bond portfolio has historically returned somewhere around 6–8% over long periods before inflation — and not in a straight line. Use a conservative figure, and treat the monthly deposit as a floor to beat, not a ceiling. Automating the deposit is the proven way to actually hit the goal.
Reality check: It assumes a steady return and end-of-month deposits, and ignores taxes, inflation and the fact that real returns are volatile. Use a conservative rate and revisit your plan yearly. This is an educational calculator, not financial advice — verify your own numbers and see the U.S. SEC at investor.gov.
Project the end balance with the compound interest calculator, see what your nest egg buys after inflation on the retirement savings calculator, and track everything you own with the net worth tracker.
Last updated 21 June 2026 · Written by Mustafa Bilgic. Educational only — not financial advice.
Grow your current savings to the target date, subtract that from your goal to find the gap, then solve the future-value-of-an-annuity formula for the monthly payment that fills it. This calculator does all of that and shows the deposit instantly.
With $5,000 already saved and a 7% annual return, you'd need about $231 a month. Lower the return or shorten the timeline and the required deposit rises; start earlier and it falls, because compounding does more of the work.
Use a conservative figure. A diversified stock-and-bond portfolio has historically returned roughly 6–8% before inflation over long periods, but not smoothly. Plugging in an optimistic rate makes the monthly number look easy and sets your plan up to fall short.
Yes — dramatically. The longer your timeline, the more of the goal is funded by compound growth rather than your own deposits. Every extra year you give the market lets returns carry more of the load, shrinking the monthly amount you must contribute.