Cost of Delay Calculator
Compare starting your monthly investing now with starting later, to the same end date, and see the value lost and the catch-up amount.
Cost of Delay Calculator
Future Value Lost by Delaying
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Start Now: Final Value
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Start Later: Final Value
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Extra Monthly Amount to Catch Up
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Total Monthly Needed if Delayed
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Extra Money Put in by Starting Now
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Assumptions & method
- These results depend on the assumed return and on when in the month contributions are made. Change either and the answer changes.
- Monthly rate = annual return ÷ 12, compounded monthly. Future value of the plan = contribution × ((1 + i)n − 1) ÷ i, multiplied by (1 + i) if contributions are made at the start of each month. With a zero return it is simply contribution × n.
- Both plans use the same monthly contribution and finish on the same end date. The delayed plan makes contributions only for the last (years − delay) years. Lost value = start-now value − delayed value.
- Catch-up monthly amount = start-now final value ÷ the future-value factor for the delayed plan; the extra amount is that figure minus your current contribution. The return is assumed constant and guaranteed here, which real investments are not. Taxes, fees and inflation are ignored.
Results are estimates based on the figures you enter, not guarantees of future performance. Figures are shown in ₹ for consistency across this site; the maths works for any currency.
Year-wise Balance: Start Now vs Start Later
Why does delaying cost so much?
Compounding rewards time more than size. A contribution made in year one has the whole horizon to earn returns on returns, while a contribution made in the final year earns very little. Delaying removes your earliest, most productive contributions, and the loss is larger than the money you skipped.
To reach the same end value with a shorter investing window you must either contribute more each month or accept a lower balance. The catch-up figure shows how much more you would need to invest every month to close the gap, under the same assumed return. Try a lower return or a shorter delay to see how sensitive the result is.