NPV Calculator 🔒 Your data never leaves your browser.
Calculate net present value from a discount rate and a series of cash flows.
One per line, or separated by commas/spaces. The first value is year 0 (usually the negative initial investment).
About this tool
This NPV calculator (net present value) converts a series of future cash flows into today’s money using a discount rate — the rate that reflects the time value of money and the return you require for taking on the investment. Enter year 0 (typically the negative initial outlay) followed by the cash flow expected in each later year, and the tool discounts every one of them back to the present and sums the result. A positive NPV means the investment is expected to earn more than your required return — it clears the bar and creates value. A negative NPV means it falls short — even if the project looks profitable in raw dollars, it doesn’t beat what you demanded for the risk and delay of getting your money back.
With the default example — an outlay of -1000 followed by 400, 400 and 400 over three years, discounted at 10% — the NPV comes out to roughly -$5.26. That is just barely negative: this project returns almost exactly a 10% annual yield, but not quite enough to clear the bar once every future dollar is discounted back to today, so at a 10% required return it narrowly fails to create value. Everything runs locally in your browser as you type — nothing is uploaded — so treat the result as a planning estimate rather than formal investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose the discount rate?
The discount rate should reflect your required rate of return or cost of capital — the return you could reasonably expect from an alternative investment of similar risk. Businesses often use their weighted average cost of capital (WACC); individuals evaluating a personal investment sometimes use their expected market return (commonly 7-10% for diversified stock portfolios) or a hurdle rate they've decided any project must clear to be worth pursuing. A higher discount rate makes future cash flows worth less today, so it's a meaningful lever, not an arbitrary input.