The FV formula does the whole calculation in one cell, so you don’t have to work out the interest period by period. Let\u2019s explore in more detail what the FV formula is and how you can use it effectively in Google Sheets.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
What is the FV formula in Google Sheets?<\/h2>\n
The FV formula stands for \u2018Future Value\u2019. It’s usually used to calculate the future value of an annuity investment, a series of equal payments at a fixed interest rate. FV adds each period’s interest to the balance, so that interest earns interest too.<\/p>\n
In order to use the FV formula, you need to have periodic payments (these can be annual, quarterly, weekly, etc.), and a fixed interest rate. You can also use the FV formula to calculate the future value of a lump sum.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look at the syntax of the FV formula and its parameters.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Syntax<\/h3>\n
The FV formula uses the following syntax to calculate your future value:[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”spreadsheet-function” _builder_version=”4.16″ border_width_left=”4px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]=FV(rate, number_of_periods, payment_amount, [present_value], [end_or_beginning])[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
- \n
- rate:<\/b> the fixed amount of interest over time.
\nInterest rates are always annual. If you want to calculate the interest rate for more frequent payments (quarterly or monthly), make sure to divide the rate accordingly, i.e. for a monthly interest rate, divide by 12.<\/li>\n- number_of_periods:<\/b> the number of periodic payments that you are going to make. Multiply the payments per year (52 for weekly, 12 for monthly, 4 for quarterly) by the number of years: monthly payments over 3 years make 12*3 = 36 periods.<\/li>\n
- payment_amount:<\/b> the constant amount of money that you pay for each period.<\/li>\n
- [present_value]:<\/b> [OPTIONAL \u2013 0 by default] the current value of the investment.<\/li>\n
- [end_or_beginning]:<\/b> [OPTIONAL \u2013 0 by default] a value of 0 indicates that you are making the payments at the end of each period. A value of 1 specifies that we are making payments at the beginning of each payment period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
The important thing is to work with the same units for the interest rate and the number of periods. For example, for a 2-year investment with an annual interest rate of 5% and monthly payments, you would divide the interest rate by 12 (5%\/12) and use 24 periods (12*2).<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
How to use the FV formula in Google Sheets<\/h2>\n
Now that you understand what the FV formula is and how it works, let\u2019s go ahead and apply it to some real-life examples.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
1. Use the FV formula to calculate the future value of an investment<\/h3>\n
Let\u2019s say I want to add $5,000 at the beginning of every month into my business savings account over the course of a year. The annual interest rate of my account is 3%.<\/p>\n
The screenshot below shows the values of each aspect that we need to substitute into the FV formula.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FV-\u2013-1.png” alt=”FV formula in Google Sheets \u2014 data table with a 0.25% rate, 12 payments of -5,000, present value 0 and payment time 1″ title_text=”Data table with a 0.25% rate, 12 payments of -5,000, present value 0 and payment time 1″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Please note:<\/b> As I am paying monthly, the annual interest rate needs to be divided by 12. As I am paying monthly over one year, the number of payments is 12.<\/p>\n
To calculate the future value of my total investment after a year, I\u2019d input the following formula:<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”spreadsheet-function” _builder_version=”4.16″ border_width_left=”4px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]=FV(0.25%,12,-5000,0,1)[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FV-\u2013-2.png” alt=”FV formula in Google Sheets \u2014 output of $60,983.99 for 12 payments of 5,000 at the start of each month” title_text=”Output of $60,983.99 for 12 payments of 5,000 at the start of each month” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]As you can see, my total investment over 12 months would be a total of $60,983.99. You can either input the numbers directly into the cell, or you can reference the cells containing each value within the formula.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
2. Use the FV formula to calculate the future value of a lump-sum payment<\/h3>\n
You can also calculate the future value of a one-time investment payment over a period of time.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say I have inherited $120,000 that I want to keep in a savings account over the next 10 years. The annual interest rate is 1%.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FV-\u2013-3.png” alt=”Google Sheets future value formula \u2014 lump-sum data with a 1% rate and a present value of -120,000″ title_text=”Lump-sum data with a 1% rate and a present value of -120,000″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]Please note:<\/b> As this is a lump sum going into the savings account, it\u2019s important to remember that the [present_value] is negative.<\/p>\n
To calculate the future value of this lump-sum, I\u2019d input the following formula:[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”spreadsheet-function” _builder_version=”4.16″ border_width_left=”4px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
=FV(0.01, 10, 0,-120000, 0)<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/fv-formula-in-google-sheets.webp” alt=”FV function in Google Sheets \u2014 =FV(0.01,10,0,-120000,0) returning $132,554.66″ title_text=”=FV(0.01,10,0,-120000,0) returning $132,554.66″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
As you can see, I will end up with $132,554.66 at the end of 10 years!<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
3. Use the FV formula to calculate loan payback<\/h3>\n
You can also use the FV formula to calculate whether you\u2019ll be able to pay off a loan in a certain amount of time. You can do this by calculating whether an investment of a certain amount over a certain period of time would leave you with a positive balance. If the value is positive, you will successfully pay back the loan in time. If the final value is negative, you will need to increase the value of your payments or the number of payment periods.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say I need to pay back a business loan of $100,000. I want to pay it back over 3 years, paying back $9,000 at the end of each quarter. The annual interest rate of the loan is 5%.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FV-\u2013-5.png” alt=”FV formula in Google Sheets \u2014 loan data with a 1.25% rate, 12 payments of -9,000 and a present value of 100,000″ title_text=”Loan data with a 1.25% rate, 12 payments of -9,000 and a present value of 100,000″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]Please note:<\/b> As I am paying back at the end of each quarter, I need to divide the annual interest rate by 4, which gives me 1.25%. As I\u2019ll be paying back the loan over 3 years, the payment period is 12 (4 quarters multiplied by 3 years).<\/p>\n
To calculate whether I can pay off the loan in 3 years, I\u2019d input the following formula:[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”spreadsheet-function” _builder_version=”4.16″ border_width_left=”4px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]=FV(1.25%,12,-9000,100000,0)[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FV-\u2013-6.png” alt=”FV formula in Google Sheets \u2014 loan output of -$332.20 with payment time set to 0″ title_text=”Loan output of -$332.20 with payment time set to 0″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]As you can see, the value returned is negative (-$332.20), meaning that I won\u2019t be able to pay back the loan over the course of 3 years. However, if I swap my payments to the beginning of each quarter (1 as the last argument), the FV formula returns $1,114.59, so I can pay off the loan over 3 years – see below.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FV-\u2013-7.png” alt=”FV formula in Google Sheets \u2014 loan output of $1,114.59 with payment time set to 1″ title_text=”Loan output of $1,114.59 with payment time set to 1″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_id=”build-an-investment-calculator-with-the” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Build an investment calculator with the FV function<\/h2>\n
You can type the values straight into the FV formula, but a small table works better when you want to compare scenarios. Each argument gets its own cell, and the future value updates as soon as you change one of them.<\/p>\n
Set up a table to build a calculator<\/h3>\n
When you type =FV( in an empty cell, Sheets shows a help box with the arguments in the order the formula expects them. Use that order for the table: the argument names go in A1 to A5, Future Value goes in A6, and the values go in column B.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fv-formula-google-sheets-calculator-table.webp” alt=”FV formula in Google Sheets \u2014 calculator table with rows for rate, number of periods, payment amount, present value, end or beginning and Future Value” title_text=”Calculator table with rows for rate, number of periods, payment amount, present value, end or beginning and Future Value” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
The formula goes in B6 and reads each argument from its cell, so you can change any value without touching the formula. The example below fills in the table for a monthly investment.<\/p>\n
Calculate the future value of a monthly investment<\/h3>\n
Imagine you’re thinking about making monthly $300 payments into a savings account with an annual interest rate of 3%, over the next 2 years.<\/p>\n
1.<\/strong> Since the interest rate is yearly, but I’ll be paying monthly, I need to divide the rate by 12: 3% \/ 12 = 0.25%.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fv-formula-google-sheets-monthly-rate.webp” alt=”Investment calculator in Google Sheets \u2014 monthly rate of 0.25% entered in cell B1″ title_text=”Monthly rate of 0.25% entered in cell B1″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
2.<\/strong> The investment is over 2 years, and payments are monthly, so the number of periods is 24.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fv-formula-google-sheets-24-periods.webp” alt=”Investment calculator in Google Sheets \u2014 24 entered as the number of periods in cell B2″ title_text=”24 entered as the number of periods in cell B2″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
3.<\/strong> The amount should be negative, as this is money I will be paying out.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fv-formula-google-sheets-monthly-payment.webp” alt=”Investment calculator in Google Sheets \u2014 payment amount of -$300.00 in cell B3″ title_text=”Payment amount of -$300.00 in cell B3″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
4.<\/strong> The present value is \u201c0\u201d, and payments are made at the beginning of each month (\u201c1\u201d).<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fv-formula-google-sheets-payment-at-start.webp” alt=”Investment calculator in Google Sheets \u2014 present value $0.00 and end or beginning set to 1″ title_text=”Present value $0.00 and end or beginning set to 1″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
5.<\/strong> In B6, enter the formula with cell references, =FV(B1,B2,B3,B4,B5), and press “Enter”.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fv-formula-google-sheets-cell-references.webp” alt=”FV function in Google Sheets \u2014 =FV(B1,B2,B3,B4,B5) typed in cell B6″ title_text=”=FV(B1,B2,B3,B4,B5) typed in cell B6″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
6.<\/strong> That’s it. After 2 years, my monthly investment is worth $7,429.37.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fv-formula-google-sheets-monthly-investment-result.webp” alt=”Future value in Google Sheets \u2014 $7,429.37 returned in B6 for the monthly investment” title_text=”$7,429.37 returned in B6 for the monthly investment” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Now change one input. Set B5 to 0, for payments at the end of each month, and the future value drops to $7,410.85: each payment earns one month less interest. To work backward from a target amount to the monthly payment you’d need, use the PMT formula<\/a>.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
FV function in Google Sheets<\/h2>\n
And there you have it! The FV formula is the most accurate and efficient function to use when calculating the future value of any investment or to help calculate whether you can pay back a loan. It\u2019s important to remember that, in order for the FV formula to work, you must have payments that are at even intervals. Furthermore, you must also adapt the interest rate to the payment frequency.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re interested in using more finance-related formulas in Google Sheets, why not take a look at How to use the IRR formula in Google Sheets<\/a>? Two related formulas solve for the other parts of the same calculation: the PV formula<\/a> works out what a future amount is worth today, and the RATE formula<\/a> finds the interest rate behind a series of payments.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ background_color=”#f9f9ff” custom_margin=”40px||40px||false|false” custom_padding=”15px|25px|15px|25px|true|true” border_width_left=”3px” border_color_left=”#808e95″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s note<\/strong>: This is a revised version of a previous post that has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.<\/em><\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you’re looking to calculate the future value of your investments, then the FV formula in Google Sheets is the function you need. The FV formula can calculate the future value of your investments for periodic payments with fixed interest rates. For example, if you add a monthly figure to your business savings account, you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":39309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"We usually split our incomes into savings, investments, and spendings. So, we would be interested to know how much value our current investments stand for, at a future point in time. The FV<\/a> formula in Google Sheets is built just for this purpose. Taking into account, the periodic payment amount and the interest rate that doesn\u2019t change over time, it arrives at the future value of an investment.\n
Syntax<\/h3>\nFV(rate, number_of_periods, payment_amount, [present_value], [end_or_beginning])<\/strong>\n
- \n \t
- rate<\/strong> - is the rate of interest that doesn\u2019t change over a time.<\/li>\n \t
- number_of_periods<\/strong> - is the number of periodic payments that we are going to make.<\/li>\n \t
- payment_amount<\/strong> - is the constant amount of money that we pay for each period.<\/li>\n \t
- present_value<\/strong> - [ OPTIONAL - 0 by default ] - is the current value of the investment.<\/li>\n \t
- end_or_beginning<\/strong> - [OPTIONAL \u2013 0 by default] \u2013 a 0 indicates that we are making the payments at the end of each period. A value of 1 specifies that we are making payments at the beginning of each payment period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Usage: FV formula in Google Sheets<\/h3>\nWe just learned the syntax. Let us go ahead and apply it to understand how it works. Please consider the following screenshot.\n\n
![\"FV](\"https:\/\/static.sheetgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/FV-formula-Illustration-Frame-2.png\")
\n\nUsing the first three formulas, we calculate the future value of an investment that we are going to pay for 10 periods. The interest rate is 5% and the amount we are paying is 750. While the first and second formulas are essentially representing the same thing, the second formula is a little interesting. All the parameter values in this formula are same, except the last one. So, the value 1 indicates that we are paying up at the end of the period, hence the difference in output.\n\nThe second and third formulas produce exactly the same output. That is because, in the former, we used direct numeric values. Whereas in the latter we used cell references where we placed these values.\nNote<\/h4>\nThe veracity of this formula remains intact as long as the payment intervals remain spaced evenly. Regardless of whether we are going to make monthly or even weekly payments, we just have to ensure that we put in the proportionate interest rates. The fourth formula is an example of such calculation, for a monthly based investment series.","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[39,28],"class_list":["post-8565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-google-sheets-formulas","tag-connections-t","tag-spreadsheets"],"acf":[],"permalink_manager":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheetgo.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- number_of_periods<\/strong> - is the number of periodic payments that we are going to make.<\/li>\n \t
- number_of_periods:<\/b> the number of periodic payments that you are going to make. Multiply the payments per year (52 for weekly, 12 for monthly, 4 for quarterly) by the number of years: monthly payments over 3 years make 12*3 = 36 periods.<\/li>\n