Money Scale
Calculator Suite

CD Calculator

Project the ending balance of a Certificate of Deposit. Enter principal, APY, and term to see total interest earned and effective annual yield.

Last reviewed: · Reviewed by the Money Scale editorial team · How we source our data

Power mode. Every input exposed, every assumption sourced, charts and shareables.

CD Calculator
Project the maturity value of a Certificate of Deposit. Top online banks currently offer around 4.1% APY on 12-month CDs.

$10,000

4.10% APY

Default 4.1%FDIC + reported top online CD ratesas of May 2026

12 months (1.0 years)

Value at maturity

$10,410

Interest earned

$410.00

Effective APY

4.10%

Today's CD rates

Live rates coming soon

Top online-bank 12-month CD APY currently around 4.10%. Rates change frequently — once our real-time rate feed is wired up, this panel will show current top offers across terms.

Source: FDIC + reported top online CD rates (May 2026). See sources panel.

Money Scale
CD
MONEY SCALE

💎 $10,410 maturity

$10,000 at 4.10% APY for 12 months.

#MoneyScale#CD#Savings
moneyscale.app

Save this scenario

Email me my CD scenario

Get a one-page PDF of these numbers — your inputs, your results, and a deep link back to tweak them later. Free, no spam.

The CD Calculator computes the maturity value of a Certificate of Deposit from initial deposit, APY, and term. Banks quote CDs in APY (Annual Percentage Yield), which is already the effective annual return after compounding — so the math is independent of compounding cadence. Top online banks currently offer 4–5% APY on 6–18 month CDs in 2026; brick-and-mortar bank rates are meaningfully lower.

Free, private, and no signup

Money Scale is built the opposite way from the big finance sites: the numbers you enter never leave your device, and there's nothing to sign up for.

  • Your numbers stay privateEvery calculation runs in your browser. We never receive or store your salary, balances, or inputs.
  • Always freeNo paywall, no upsell to a calculator that actually works.
  • No login, no emailUse every tool instantly — we never gate results behind a signup.
  • Sourced defaultsStarting rates and assumptions cite real data, not made-up numbers.

How this calculator works

  1. Enter the deposit amount. CDs typically require $500–$2,500 minimum; some online banks have no minimum.
  2. Enter the APY the bank is offering. Comparison-shop — top online banks meaningfully outpace local bank rates.
  3. Choose the term length. Short-term CDs (3–18 months) currently pay similar or higher rates than long-term CDs.
  4. Compare with a high-yield savings account before locking in. If HYSA rates are within 0.5% of the CD, the savings flexibility usually wins for sub-2-year horizons.

A = P × (1 + APY)^t

Compound interest with the APY directly — no need to convert to a nominal rate because APY is already the effective annual yield. Term in years. Early withdrawal forfeits 3–12 months of interest, depending on the bank's terms.

A
Maturity value
P
Principal (initial deposit)
APY
Annual Percentage Yield (effective annual return)
t
Term in years

Frequently asked questions

Top online banks offer 4-5% APY on short-term CDs (3-12 months) in 2026. Long-term CDs (3-5 years) typically pay slightly less, reflecting the bank locking in your money. Compare top online rates — they meaningfully exceed brick-and-mortar bank CD rates.

Related calculators

See all
Sources
Every default value is sourced. Verify anything.
National Avg Savings APY — 0.38% (as of May 2026)FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps High-Yield Savings (typical) — 4% (as of May 2026)FDIC National Rates + reported HYSA APY (top online banks) S&P 500 — 10% (as of 2026 (1928–2025 dataset))NYU Stern (Damodaran) — S&P 500 Annual Returns 1928–2025 Total US Stock Market — 9.7% (as of 2026)CRSP US Total Market Index (long-run avg) 10-Year Treasuries — 4.5% (as of May 2026)Federal Reserve FRED — 10-Year Treasury (DGS10) US Real Estate — 4.2% (as of 2026)S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index (FRED) Gold — 7.8% (as of 2026)World Gold Council historical price data Long-run CPI Inflation — 3% (as of 2026)Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U (long-run avg) 30-Year Fixed Mortgage — 6.36% (as of May 2026)Freddie Mac PMMS — 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average Credit Card APR (avg, accounts assessed interest) — 21.52% (as of May 2026 release (March 2026 data))Federal Reserve G.19 — Consumer Credit Auto Loan (60-month new car, avg) — 7.52% (as of May 2026 release (March 2026 data))Federal Reserve G.19 — Consumer Credit Personal Loan (24-month unsecured, avg) — 11.4% (as of May 2026 release (March 2026 data))Federal Reserve G.19 — Consumer Credit Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized (Undergrad) — 6.52% (as of AY 2026-27)US Dept of Education — Interest Rates and Fees for Federal Student Loans HELOC (typical introductory rate) — 7.26% (as of May 2026)Bankrate — Current HELOC Rates 12-month CD (top online rate, typical) — 4.1% (as of May 2026)FDIC + reported top online CD rates Mortgage Refinance Closing Costs (typical) — 3% (as of 2026)Freddie Mac — Cost of Refinancing College Tuition Inflation (long-run avg) — 4% (as of AY 2025-26 (Nov 2025 publication))College Board — Trends in College Pricing 2025