Finance Calculator (TVM)

A time-value-of-money solver. Enter any four of N (periods), rate, present value, payment, and future value — and solve for the fifth. The classic financial-calculator engine, free in your browser.

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Finance Calculator

Time Value of Money solver

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Future Value
N (periods)
Rate / period
PV
PMT

Time Value of Money

The time value of money (TVM) links five variables: the number of periods (N), the interest rate per period, the present value (PV), the periodic payment (PMT), and the future value (FV). Given any four, the fifth is determined. This is the engine inside every financial calculator and spreadsheet — it powers loan payments, savings projections, bond pricing, and retirement planning. This tool uses the standard end-of-period convention.

Sign convention matters: money you pay out is negative and money you receive is positive. For example, investing $10,000 today (PV = −10,000) and adding $200 per period (PMT = −200) for 120 periods at 0.5% per period solves to a future value of about $50,970 (FV positive, because you receive it). Flip the signs and you'll get an error or a sign-flipped answer, so keep outflows negative and inflows positive.

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Solve Any Variable

Pick what to solve for, fill in the other four, and the calculator returns the missing value instantly.

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Signs: Out − / In +

Enter cash you pay as negative and cash you receive as positive. This keeps the equation balanced and the result correct.

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Rate Per Period

The rate must match the period. For monthly periods, use the monthly rate (annual ÷ 12). N is the total number of periods.

FAQ

It's the principle that money available now is worth more than the same amount later, because it can earn a return. TVM math relates five variables — N, rate, PV, PMT, and FV — so that knowing any four lets you solve for the fifth. It underlies loans, savings, investments, and bond valuation.
TVM uses a cash-flow sign convention: outflows (money you pay) are negative and inflows (money you receive) are positive. If you invest $10,000, enter PV as −10,000. Mixing signs incorrectly can make the equation unsolvable, so always make payments out negative and money received positive.
Per period. The rate and N must use the same period length. For a monthly problem, enter the monthly rate (annual rate ÷ 12) and set N to the number of months. For an annual problem, use the annual rate and set N to the number of years.

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✔ Reviewed by the True Value Calc editorial team🗓 Last updated June 2026📚 Sources: Peer-reviewed formulas & official U.S. government data