Saving
Savings goal calculator
Two ways round the same problem: fix the date and solve for the amount, or fix the amount and solve for the date.
- No sign-up or email
- Runs in your browser
- Assumptions you can edit
- Print or save as PDF
How much do I need to put aside each month — and how long will it take?
Most savings calculators answer only one of these two questions. Which one you need depends on what is fixed: a settlement date and a deposit you must reach, or an amount you can genuinely spare each month. Both modes are here.
What do you want to work out?
Saving for
$
$
years
%
Before tax. Interest earned on savings is generally taxable income.
You need to save
$1,140
per month
Target
$100,000
Total you contribute
$68,399
Growth does the rest
$11,601
Before tax
Estimate only, based on the figures and assumptions you entered. It is general information, not financial advice, and it does not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. Model version 1.0.0, not independently reviewed.
Reading the result
What the numbers mean
How much to save solves for the regular amount that reaches your target by the date, allowing for growth on what you have already saved.
How long it takes solves for the time instead. If the answer is beyond 60 years, or the inputs never reach the target, the calculator says so rather than returning a date.
If what you have already saved exceeds the target, the calculator reports that rather than showing a plan to save $0.
House-deposit mode sets the target from price and deposit percentage. It is the deposit only — see the limitations.
Worked example
An example, start to finish
Someone with $20,000 saved wants $100,000 in five years, saving monthly, assuming a 4% return.
- Target
- $100,000
- Already saved
- $20,000
- Required saving
- $1,140 per month
- Total saved over five years
- $68,399
- Growth on savings
- $11,601
Growth covers about $11,600 of the $80,000 gap. The other seven-eighths has to come from income.
Methodology
What this calculator assumes
The return you enter is applied evenly and compounds at the saving frequency.
Contributions are constant and are made at the end of each period.
No tax on interest or earnings. Interest on savings is generally assessable income, so a real after-tax result will be lower.
No fees, and no allowance for the target itself rising — a property price that grows faster than your savings moves the goalposts.
Limitations
What it does not do
House-deposit mode calculates the deposit only. It excludes stamp duty, lenders mortgage insurance, conveyancing, building and pest inspections, loan application fees and moving costs. In most Australian states those add tens of thousands of dollars, and transfer duty alone can exceed the difference between a 15% and 20% deposit.
First home buyer concessions, grants and shared-equity schemes vary by state and by eligibility, and none are modelled.
This does not assess whether you could borrow the rest, which depends on income, expenses, existing debts and lender policy.
The calculator does not save your plan. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
About this model
Built by the Souffle team. Model version 1.0.0, in effect from 2026-09-10. It has not been independently reviewed, and no review badge is shown for that reason. The calculation runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent to us or to anyone else, and nothing is stored.
Questions
Common questions
Does the house deposit mode include stamp duty?
No. It calculates the deposit only. Transfer duty, LMI and settlement costs are all excluded, and together they are a large number — treat the target here as a floor, not the full amount you need.
Why does it say my target cannot be reached?
Either there is nothing being added and no return to grow the balance, or the amount is too small to close the gap within 60 years. The calculator reports that plainly rather than returning a date far enough away to be meaningless.
Should I count on the return I entered?
The higher the assumed return, the more of the work it appears to do. Try the calculation at 0% to see how much of the plan depends on your own contributions rather than on markets.
For financial advisers
Get Souffle for your advice practice
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