Finance Calculator (TVM)
Solve any one of the five core time-value-of-money variables from the other four.
Finance Calculator (TVM)
Sign convention: money you pay out is negative, money you receive is positive. A loan PV is positive (you get cash) and payments are negative.
Uses the standard TVM identity PV(1+i)^N + PMT[(1+i)^N-1]/i + FV = 0, with i = rate/100/frequency. Begin-mode multiplies the PMT term by (1+i). Estimate only; not financial advice.
Example
A 30-year, $200,000 mortgage at 6% annual interest, compounded monthly. Set Solve for = Payment, N = 360, rate = 6, PV = 200000, FV = 0.
The calculator returns a PMT of -$1,199.10 per month (negative = cash you pay out). Total paid is about -$431,676 and total interest about -$231,676 over the life of the loan.
How it works
Pick the variable to solve for, fill in the other four, and set payment timing and compounding frequency. The result recalculates live using the standard TVM equation.
Good to know
This Finance Calculator is a Time Value of Money (TVM) solver: you enter four of the five core variables — number of periods (N), annual interest rate, present value (PV), payment (PMT), and future value (FV) — and it computes the fifth. It is built for anyone comparing financial scenarios where money moves over time: estimating a loan or mortgage payment, working out how big a lump sum will grow, finding the savings deposit needed to hit a goal, or backing into an implied interest rate or payoff length. Because it solves any variable rather than just one, it replaces several single-purpose calculators with one model.
Reach for it whenever a question involves a starting amount, a stream of regular payments, a future balance, and a rate operating across many compounding periods. Set "Solve for" to the unknown, choose how often interest compounds (monthly is common for loans, annually for many investments), and pick whether payments fall at the End of each period (ordinary annuity, typical for loans) or the Begin (annuity due, typical for leases and some savings plans).
Read the result alongside the three supporting figures. The big headline number is your solved variable; "Total paid in/out" is the payment multiplied by the number of periods; "Total interest" is the difference between everything that flows in and out; and "Periodic rate" shows the per-period rate the math actually uses (annual rate divided by compounding frequency). Signs matter here — a negative result means cash leaving you, which is why a loan payment comes back negative when the principal (PV) is entered as positive.
- Keep your inputs sign-consistent: if you receive a lump sum as positive PV, your payments and final balance should net out as negative, and vice versa — mixing conventions produces results that look wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my payment shown as a negative number?
This solver follows the standard cash-flow sign convention used by financial calculators: money you receive is positive and money you pay out is negative. For a loan you receive the principal (PV positive), so the payments come back as negative. Flip the signs of your inputs if you prefer the opposite framing.
What does the 'Payments timing' Begin vs End toggle do?
End (an ordinary annuity) assumes each payment happens at the end of the period, which is standard for most loans. Begin (an annuity due) assumes payments at the start of each period, common for leases and some savings plans; it multiplies the payment term by (1+i), slightly changing the result.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No — this calculator runs entirely in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Is this financial advice?
No. These are educational estimates — consult a qualified financial professional before making decisions.
People also ask
What is the time value of money?
It is the principle that a sum of money today is worth more than the same sum in the future because it can earn interest or returns over time. TVM calculations translate amounts across different points in time using an interest rate and a number of periods.
What do PV, FV, PMT, N, and rate mean in a finance calculator?
PV is the present value or starting amount, FV is the future value or ending balance, PMT is the recurring payment each period, N is the total number of periods, and rate is the annual interest rate. Given any four, the calculator solves for the fifth.
How is compounding frequency different from the number of periods?
Compounding frequency is how many times per year interest is applied (for example 12 for monthly), while N is the total count of those periods over the whole term. A 30-year monthly loan has a frequency of 12 and an N of 360 (30 years times 12 months).
Why does a higher compounding frequency change my result?
More frequent compounding applies interest more often, so the per-period rate is the annual rate divided by a larger number, and growth or interest charges accumulate slightly differently. With the same annual rate, switching from annual to monthly compounding generally increases the effective amount of interest over time.
What is the difference between an ordinary annuity and an annuity due?
An ordinary annuity has payments at the end of each period, while an annuity due has them at the beginning. Paying at the start of each period means each payment has slightly more time to accrue, which is why annuity-due figures differ from end-of-period ones.
Can a TVM calculator find an interest rate or loan term?
Yes. By setting the solve-for option to rate or to number of periods and supplying the other four variables, it can compute the implied annual rate or how many periods are required to reach a target balance.
Is this the same as a compound interest calculator?
They overlap but are not identical. A TVM solver handles compound growth of a lump sum plus a stream of regular payments and can solve for any variable, whereas a basic compound interest calculator usually focuses on how a single principal grows over time.
Related calculators