CDs Calculator
Put one deposit against several certificate terms at once. This page opens on the comparison table: the amount and rate you enter are run over 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 60 months, plus any other term you type, with the maturity value and the interest for each one in a single table. Every row uses the rate you entered, so a term whose own rate is different is priced by putting that rate in the field and reading its row.
The same money over different terms
Every row uses the rate you entered, because this page has no rate sheet: a bank usually quotes a different rate for each term, so put its own figure in the rate field before reading a row as an offer.
| Term | Value at maturity | Interest |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | 10,112.92 | 112.92 |
| 6 months | 10,227.12 | 227.12 |
| 1 year | 10,459.40 | 459.40 |
| 2 years | 10,939.90 | 939.90 |
| 3 years | 11,442.48 | 1,442.48 |
| 5 years | 12,517.96 | 2,517.96 |
Worked examples
Three certificates worked through, each one loadable into the fields above. The figures are illustrations of the arithmetic, not rates on offer.
Common questions
- How does the comparison work?
- The deposit, the rate and the compounding stay fixed and only the term changes. Six terms are always listed, from three months to five years, and the term in the field is added to the table if it is not already there, with its own row highlighted. Each row is the same calculation the single-certificate view performs, so a row and the headline for that term always agree to the cent.
- Does a longer CD always pay more?
- At one rate, yes: more months of compounding is more interest, which is what the table shows. In the market it is not that simple, because each term carries its own rate and a shorter certificate is sometimes quoted higher than a longer one. This page has no rate sheet, so it cannot make that comparison for you. Enter each term's own advertised rate and compare the rows one at a time.
- What is a CD ladder?
- Splitting the money across certificates that mature at different times, for example five equal parts at 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months, so one part comes free each year while the rest stays at the longer rate. To price one here, divide the deposit by the number of rungs, enter that amount, and read the row for each rung at the rate that rung is offered.
- Can I compare two banks?
- Yes, one at a time. Enter the first bank's rate, note the row for the term you want, then enter the second bank's rate and compare the same row. Check the toggle beside the rate while you do it: one bank quoting an APY and the other a stated rate is a comparison of two different things until the toggle is set correctly for each.
- Are these real rates?
- No. Every figure in the table comes from the rate you typed, nothing is fetched from a bank or a rate feed, and the worked examples at the foot of the page are illustrations rather than offers. That is why the table cannot tell you which term is the best buy, and why it never pretends to.
Exact compound interest arithmetic on the deposit, rate, term and compounding you enter. It cannot know your bank's early withdrawal penalty, fees or tax treatment, and it does not carry any rate of its own.