Calculator Uni

Present Value Calculator

Discount a future sum back to what it's worth today.

Future amount
$
%
yrs

Present value

$55,839

PV = FV ÷ (1 + r)ⁿ

Discount applied

44.2%

Why money later is worth less

A dollar today can be invested; a dollar in 10 years can't earn those 10 years of returns. Discounting reverses compounding: $100,000 a decade out is worth about $55,800 today at a 6% rate. The higher the rate or the longer the wait, the deeper the discount.

Choosing the discount rate

Use your opportunity cost: what the money would earn elsewhere at similar risk. Safe cash flows discount near treasury yields; risky ones deserve equity-like rates of 7–10%. This one choice drives most valuation disagreements.

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