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Savings goal calculator
Pick the goal — the math tells you the monthly price.
Saving for a down payment, a trip, or a cushion? Enter your target, what you've saved, your monthly contribution, and the APY — see how many months it takes and how much interest helps along the way.
Results
Months to your goal
$0.00
At this pace, with interest
That's about$0.00
You'll contribute$0.00
Interest earned$0.00
Final balance$0.00
Raising the monthly contribution beats chasing APY: on a $10,000 goal, $250/month instead of $200 gets you there 9 months sooner — a better rate barely moves it.
Assumptions
Last checked: September 2026 · Country: United States
APY: Fixed, credited monthly for the whole timeline
Contributions: Added at the end of each month, never missed
Taxes: Interest is pre-tax; real savings interest is taxable
A projection, not a promise — APYs change and life interrupts contributions.
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Contribution beats interest rate
On a $10,000 goal from zero at 4% APY, $200/month takes 47 months and earns about $758 in interest. Bump to $250/month and you're done in 38 months. Find a 5% APY instead and you only save 1 month. When the timeline is a few years, the monthly amount is the whole game — interest is a nice tailwind, not the engine.
Where the interest actually matters
Stretch the timeline to a decade and compounding starts pulling real weight: the same $200/month at 4% for 10 years earns over $5,000 in interest. Short goal, push contributions; long goal, protect the rate. See the interest earned calculator for the long-horizon view.
Automate the contribution
The math assumes you never miss a month. An automatic transfer on payday turns the projection into a plan — decide the amount here, then set it once.
Frequently asked questions
How long to save $10,000 at $200 a month?
About 47 months (just under 4 years) at 4% APY, with roughly $758 earned in interest. At $250/month it's about 38 months.
Is APY or monthly contribution more important?
For goals under ~5 years, the monthly contribution dominates. For decade-long goals, the APY compounds into real money.
Should I save or pay off debt first?
Compare rates: if your debt APR is well above your savings APY, killing the debt usually wins. But keep a small emergency buffer first — see the emergency fund calculator.
What APY can I expect on savings in 2026?
High-yield savings accounts have been in the 3–5% range. Rates move with the Fed — check current offers; this calculator lets you plug in whatever you actually earn.
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