Compare CD offers
Test the same deposit across different terms, rates, and compounding schedules before reviewing official offers.
CD Calculator
Enter a deposit, annual interest rate, term, and compounding frequency to get projected CD interest and maturity value.
Compare a CD Growth Scenario
Comparing a deposit offer? Enter the deposit, term, annual rate, and compounding schedule shown by the institution.
Your CD maturity value and interest will appear here
How to Use CD Calculator
1
Enter Deposit Amount
Input the amount you plan to deposit into the CD.
2
Set Term Length
Choose the duration of the CD (e.g., 6 months, 1 year, 5 years).
3
Enter the Annual Interest Rate
Input the nominal annual interest rate used with the institution's stated compounding frequency.
4
Review the Live Returns
The maturity value, interest earned, and effective APY update automatically as you change an input.
CD Calculator Features
- Includes preset terms from 6 months through 5 years
- Supports daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual compounding
- Separates estimated interest from total maturity value
- Shows the effective annualized return implied by the calculation
Common Use Cases
Set a savings target
Estimate the opening deposit or term needed to approach a future cash target, without modeling additional contributions.
Limits and Important Notes
How CD Returns Are Calculated
The calculator treats the entered percentage as a nominal annual interest rate, converts the selected term from months to years, divides the rate by the number of compounding periods, and applies compound growth to the opening deposit.
Interest earned is the projected maturity value minus the original principal. The displayed effective rate is derived from the total growth over the selected term.
Formula
Maturity value = Principal × (1 + Rate ÷ Periods)^(Periods × Years)
Example
A $10,000 deposit at an entered 4.5% annual rate compounded monthly for 12 months produces a projected maturity value of about $10,459.40 and about $459.40 in interest.
- The entered percentage is treated as a nominal annual interest rate. If an institution publishes only APY, use its official maturity estimate or convert APY to a nominal rate before comparing compounding schedules.
- Taxes, early-withdrawal penalties, fees, and additional deposits are not included.
- Rounding and a bank's compounding method can produce a different final amount.