Irish Calculators
Retirement planning

Pension Pot Growth Calculator

Estimate a future pension-fund balance and its value in today's money from your assumptions. The model excludes tax relief, State Pension rights and defined-benefit promises.

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Your numbers

%
A scenario, including price growth where relevant.
%
Applied as a proportional reduction over each period.
%
Used only for purchasing-power values.
%
Percentage deducted before investing each contribution.
Display currency only. Convert all inputs to this currency before calculation.
Your figures stay on this device.

How the calculation works

This projection follows the money in a defined-contribution pension fund: opening value, new contributions, growth and charges. It reports the resulting pot and purchasing-power value, rather than converting the pot into a promised retirement income.

Grow the opening fund at the assumed effective return, deduct balance charges, and add net contributions at the selected timing. Divide the final fund by cumulative inflation for today’s-money value.

  1. Set a consistent payment schedule

    Frequency determines annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly or daily periods. The horizon must contain a whole number of those periods within the supported limit.

  2. Grow the invested fund

    At each period, apply proportional growth and balance charges, and place the net contribution at the selected timing. Contribution charges and fund charges are recorded separately from money paid in.

  3. Read the accumulated result

    Final balance is nominal money at the horizon. Net growth after fees subtracts gross amounts paid in, while today’s-money value discounts the final balance for cumulative inflation.

Worked example: Check Final balance

Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.

The first example starts with €1,000 and pays €100 at the end of each of twelve monthly periods. With no growth, fees, contribution deductions or inflation, the fund is simply €1,000 plus €1,200, giving €2,200.

Starting balance
1000
Contribution per period
100
Annual effective growth rate (%)
0
Years
1
Periods per year
Monthly
Contribution timing
End of each period
Annual balance fee (%)
0
Annual inflation (%)
0
Projection type
Defined-contribution fund
Contribution charge (%)
0
Currency for all amounts
Euro (EUR)

Expected result

Final balance
€2,200.00
Worked example: Check Final balance

Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.

Starting balance
1000
Contribution per period
0
Annual effective growth rate (%)
10
Years
2
Periods per year
Annual
Contribution timing
End of each period
Annual balance fee (%)
0
Annual inflation (%)
0
Projection type
Personal Retirement Bond without new contributions
Contribution charge (%)
0
Currency for all amounts
Euro (EUR)

Expected result

Final balance
€1,210.00

Understanding your result

The gap between paid in and final balance incorporates both investment growth and charges. Negative growth is possible under a negative-return or high-charge scenario.

A pension pot is not an annual pension payment. This model excludes annuity pricing, defined-benefit promises, State Pension rights and automatic tax-relief calculations.

Questions you might have

What does the result include?

Project a defined-contribution pension fund from current value, contributions, charges, return and inflation assumptions.

Which limits should I check?

No tax relief, automatic enrolment, defined-benefit promise, annuity quote or State Pension is included. A PRB mode permits only growth of an existing transferred fund.

Choosing the right inputs

Projection type
Defined-contribution mode accepts new contributions. Personal Retirement Bond mode models an existing transferred fund only and requires the contribution to be zero.
Contribution per period
Use the gross amount paid each selected period. The contribution-charge percentage is deducted before that payment enters the fund.
Annual effective growth rate
Enter effective annual growth before the separately entered balance charge. No provider rate, tax relief or contribution top-up is retrieved.
Contribution timing
Beginning contributions participate in the current period’s growth and charge. End contributions join after that period’s balance adjustment.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Do not enter a return already net of the same charge and then deduct that charge again.
  • The currency selector changes display units only; it does not convert values between currencies.

Assumptions to check

  • No tax relief, automatic enrolment, defined-benefit promise, annuity quote or State Pension is included. A PRB mode permits only growth of an existing transferred fund.
  • All calculations run on your device. Figures are scenarios based on your inputs, not investment recommendations.

Sources and method

Read our calculation and testing approach.