Schd Calculator — Deposits, Match, Growth & Real Value

Quick start

Enter your starting balance, per-period contribution, optional employer match, APR, years, frequency, and inflation. The calculator returns total contributions, total employer match, nominal future value, and inflation-adjusted future value.

What this calculator does

• Models scheduled contributions at a chosen frequency (weekly to annually).
• Includes employer match limited by a cap percentage of your contribution.
• Compounds interest at the same frequency as contributions.
• Optionally deflates to today’s dollars using your inflation input.

Inputs and units

• Starting balance (USD)
• Contribution per period (USD)
• Employer match rate (%)
• Match cap (% of your contribution)
• Annual interest rate, APR (%) — nominal
• Years
• Periods per year (1, 4, 12, 24, 26, 52)
• Inflation (%) — optional

How it works

1. Compute total periods n = periods per year × years.
2. Convert APR to periodic rate i = APR/100 ÷ periods per year.
3. Limit employer match by cap% of your contribution each period.
4. Accumulate starting balance and the annuity of (contribution + match) with compounding.
5. If inflation > 0, convert APR to a real rate and recompute future value in real terms.

Formula

Variables: PV = starting balance; P = contribution/period; mr = matchRate/100; mc = matchCap/100; APR = apr/100; f = periods/year; n = f×years; i = APR/f.

• perMatch = min(P×mc, P) × mr
• Ptot = P + perMatch
• FVpv = (i = 0) ? PV : PV×(1+i)^n
• FVann = (i = 0) ? Ptot×n : Ptot×(((1+i)^n − 1)/i)
• FV = FVpv + FVann
• Real rate: r = ((1+APR)/(1+inflation/100)) − 1; rper = (1+r)^(1/f) − 1
• FV_real = (inflation = 0) ? FV : [ if rper = 0 then PV + Ptot×n else PV×(1+rper)^n + Ptot×(((1+rper)^n − 1)/rper) ]

Worked example

Inputs:

• Starting balance = $10,000
• Contribution per period = $500
• Employer match rate = 50%
• Match cap = 6%
• APR = 5%
• Years = 10
• Periods/year = 12
• Inflation = 0%

Steps:

• n = 12×10 = 120; i = 0.05/12 = 0.0041667
• perMatch = min(500×0.06, 500)×0.50 = 30×0.50 = $15
• Ptot = 500 + 15 = $515
• Total contributions = 500×120 = $60,000
• Total employer match = 15×120 = $18,000
• FV ≈ $116,229.53

Outputs:

• Total contributions: $60,000
• Employer match: $18,000
• Future value (nominal): $116,229.53
• Inflation-adjusted FV: same as nominal (inflation = 0%)

Assumptions and limitations

• Contributions occur at end of each period (ordinary annuity).
• Employer match applies per period, limited by cap% of your contribution.
• APR compounds at the selected frequency; fees and taxes are excluded.
• Inflation input is a constant annual rate; real returns vary in practice.

Tips and common mistakes

• Do not set match cap above 100%; the cap is a percent of your own contribution.
• If APR = 0, the growth is purely contributions plus match.
• Raising frequency without changing APR increases compounding slightly.
• Use inflation to compare outcomes in today’s dollars.