NPV Calculator - Net Present Value of Any Investment

$100 today is not $100 next year - and NPV is the tool that proves it

A business partner proposes a deal: invest $100,000 now, receive $30,000 per year for 5 years. The sum of cash flows is $150,000, so it looks like a $50,000 profit. But if you could earn 10% elsewhere, those future payments are worth progressively less in today's dollars. Discounted at 10%, the five payments total only $113,724 in present value - making the NPV just $13,724, not $50,000. Change the discount rate to 15% and the NPV turns negative: -$394. That is the power of NPV - it converts future money into today's money so you can make honest comparisons.

How to calculate NPV - step by step

Initial investment ($) - the lump sum you pay upfront at year 0. Equipment purchase, franchise fee, property down payment, project setup cost. This is always a cash outflow.
Discount rate (% per year) - the return you could earn on the next best alternative. Corporate finance typically uses the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Individual investors often use the expected return of a comparable-risk portfolio. Higher rate = harder for the project to show a positive NPV.
Number of years - the project horizon. Select 1 to 10 years. Cash flow fields appear dynamically based on your selection.
Yearly cash flows ($) - enter the net cash flow (revenue minus costs) for each year. These can be unequal - a renovation project might have negative cash flow in year 1 (more building costs) and positive from year 2 onward. Include any terminal or salvage value in the final year.
Read the result - NPV in dollars (positive = invest, negative = reject), a decision label, a year-by-year discounted cash flow table showing exactly how each payment shrinks over time, and summary metrics.

How the discount rate changes the verdict

Same project ($100,000 upfront, $30,000/year for 5 years) at different discount rates:

Discount rate	Present value of cash flows	NPV	Decision
5%	$129,884	+$29,884	Invest
8%	$119,781	+$19,781	Invest
10%	$113,724	+$13,724	Invest
15%	$100,565	+$565	Marginal
20%	$89,676	-$10,324	Reject

The breakeven discount rate (where NPV = 0) is the project's IRR - approximately 15.24% in this case.

5 real-world NPV scenarios

Solar panels on a warehouse roof: Initial cost $28,000. Annual electricity savings $4,200 for 10 years. Discount rate 8%. NPV = +$188. Barely positive - the investment pays for itself but generates almost no surplus value. At 9%, NPV turns negative.

New production line: Capital expenditure $500,000. Net cash flows: Year 1 $80,000, Year 2 $120,000, Years 3-7 $140,000 each. Discount rate 12%. NPV = +$109,344. Strong positive - the project creates significant shareholder value.

Rental apartment purchase: Price $250,000. Annual net rent (after costs) $18,000 for 10 years. Sale price in year 10 $300,000. Discount rate 7%. NPV = +$28,581. Positive, though sensitive to the assumed resale value.

SaaS product launch: Development cost $200,000. Year 1: -$30,000 (marketing exceeds revenue). Year 2: $50,000. Years 3-5: $120,000 each. Discount rate 15%. NPV = +$36,912. Positive despite the loss in year 1.

Company car fleet renewal: Cost $180,000. Annual fuel + maintenance savings $25,000 for 8 years. Resale value year 8: $30,000. Discount rate 10%. NPV = -$7,662. Negative - the savings do not justify the upfront expense at this rate. Consider leasing instead.

FAQ - Frequently asked questions

What discount rate should I use?

For corporate projects: the company's weighted average cost of capital (WACC), typically 8-12%. For personal investments: the return you could earn on a comparable-risk alternative - if you would otherwise invest in index funds earning ~9%, use 9%. For high-risk ventures (startups, emerging markets): 15-25%. The discount rate is the single most influential input - a 3% change can flip the NPV from positive to negative. When unsure, run the calculation at 3 different rates (optimistic, base case, conservative) to see the sensitivity.

What is the difference between NPV and ROI?

ROI measures the total percentage return without considering when the money arrives. NPV discounts each future cash flow back to today's value using a required rate of return. A project with 50% ROI over 10 years looks worse through an NPV lens than one with 30% ROI over 2 years - because money received sooner is worth more. Use ROI for quick comparisons; use NPV when cash flows arrive at different times or when you need a dollar-value answer to "does this create or destroy value?"

Can cash flows be negative in some years?

Yes. Many real projects have negative cash flows in early years (construction, R&D, marketing ramp-up) before turning positive. A SaaS startup might lose money in years 1-2 and profit from year 3. Enter negative values in those years - the calculator handles them correctly. The NPV accounts for the timing penalty: a loss in year 1 hurts more than a loss in year 5 because it is discounted less.

Should I include inflation in the discount rate?

It depends on whether your cash flows are in nominal (today's prices, including expected inflation) or real terms (inflation-adjusted). If cash flows are nominal: use a nominal discount rate (which already includes inflation). If cash flows are real: use a real discount rate (nominal minus inflation). Most practitioners use nominal for both because it is simpler and the two methods produce the same NPV when applied consistently. The key mistake is mixing nominal cash flows with a real discount rate - this systematically overestimates NPV.

How does NPV relate to IRR?

The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is the discount rate at which NPV equals exactly zero. If a project's IRR is 15% and your required return is 10%, the NPV at 10% will be positive - the project exceeds your threshold. If your required return is 18%, the NPV at 18% will be negative - the project falls short. NPV tells you the dollar value created; IRR tells you the breakeven rate. Both are essential: NPV for absolute value, IRR for comparing projects of different sizes.

What are the limitations of NPV analysis?

Three main weaknesses. First, NPV is highly sensitive to the discount rate - a small change in the rate can flip the decision. Always test with a range of rates. Second, NPV assumes you can reinvest intermediate cash flows at the discount rate, which may not be realistic. Third, NPV does not capture strategic options - a project with a slightly negative NPV might open doors to future opportunities (new markets, technology, relationships) that are hard to quantify. Real Options Analysis addresses this but is more complex.

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