Starting from $0 and adding $500 a month at 7% a year, you reach about $614,000 at year 30. After 2.5% inflation a year, that's about $292,500 in today's dollars.
Per-period compounding, contribution frequency from weekly to annual, year-by-year schedule. Works for savings, super and regular ETF investing.
| Best ongoing savings rates, mid-October 2026 (most have monthly conditions) | 5.5–6.0% |
| Median growth super fund, 10 years to May 2026, after fees and tax | 7.6% |
| Vanguard VAS (ASX 300), 10 years to September 2026, after fees | 9.0% |
| RBA inflation target, middle of the 2–3% band | 2.5% |
Assumptions used: 7.0% a year return, 2.5% a year inflation, 30 years (age 30 to 60), $0 to start, $500 a month added at the start of each month and compounded monthly. No tax or fees taken off.
Real closing balance column shows the inflation-adjusted value in today's dollars.
| Year | Age | Opening | Contributions | Interest | Closing (nominal) | Closing (real) |
|---|
The future-value formula for regular contributions, with each contribution added at the start of its period:
FV = P × (1 + r/n)^(n×t) + PMT × [((1 + r/n)^(n×t) − 1) / (r/n)] × (1 + r/n)
Where:
P = starting balance
PMT = contribution per period
r = annual interest rate (e.g. 0.07 for 7%)
n = compounding periods per year (52, 26, 12, 4, or 1)
t = yearsStarting balance $20,000, no further deposits, 5.0% interest compounded monthly, 10 years, 2.5% inflation. Nominal: $32,940. Real: $25,733. The interest is taxed at your marginal rate, so the amount you keep is lower.
Starting $0, $500 monthly, 8.0% a year (an example rate for a mix of Australian and global shares), 30 years, 2.5% inflation. Nominal: $750,000. Real: $358,000. Regular monthly investing in a broad index fund.
Starting $80,000 super, $200 fortnightly contribution, 7.0% a year, 25 years, 2.5% inflation. Nominal: $812,000. Real: $438,000. Before the 15% contributions tax, which leaves $170 of each $200 to invest.
It depends on what the money is in. The median growth super fund (61–80% in shares and other growth assets) returned 7.6% a year over the 10 years to May 2026, and about 8% a year since July 1992, after investment fees and tax (Chant West). In mid-October 2026 the best ongoing savings account rates were about 5.5% to 6.0% a year, most with monthly conditions (Finder, 13 October 2026). Vanguard's VAS, which tracks the ASX 300, returned 8.95% a year over the 10 years to 30 September 2026 with distributions reinvested. The 7% default is an example rate a little below the super fund figures. Past returns are not a reliable guide to future returns.
The nominal balance is the dollar figure you would see on a statement at the end. The real balance is what that figure would buy in today's money, after inflation. At 2.5% inflation, $1 million in 30 years is worth about $477,000 in today's dollars. The real figure is the one to compare with what things cost now.
No. It shows growth before tax. Super has its own taxes: 15% on concessional contributions and up to 15% on earnings (see the Velofy super calculator). Interest on savings is taxed at your marginal rate (see the Velofy tax calculator). Shares and ETFs pay capital gains tax when you sell, and the rules change on 1 July 2027 (see the Velofy CGT calculator).
Most Australian high-interest savings accounts pay interest monthly. Many ETFs pay distributions every quarter. At typical rates the difference is small: $10,000 at 7% for 30 years grows to about $81,200 compounded monthly and $76,100 compounded yearly. This calculator compounds at the same frequency as your contributions.
FV = P(1+r/n)^(nt) + PMT × [((1+r/n)^(nt) − 1) / (r/n)] × (1+r/n). P is the starting balance, PMT is the amount added each period, r is the annual rate, n is the number of periods a year and t is the number of years. The last factor, (1+r/n), is there because each contribution goes in at the start of its period and earns interest for that period. The calculator shows the result before and after inflation.