📈 Compound Interest

$10,000 at 9% for 40 Years

Investing $10,000 at 9% annual compound interest for 40 years grows to $314,094. That's $304,094 earned in interest on top of your original $10,000.

If you want to adjust the return assumption, extend the timeframe, or add regular contributions, use the compound interest calculator.

If you want the plain-English explanation behind the numbers, read our guide to compound interest.

Compound Interest Calculator
Australia 2026
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%
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Total value after 40 years
$314,094
Amount invested$10,000
Interest earned$304,094
Interest multiplier31.41×
Year-by-year growth
YearBalanceInterest
Yr 1$10,900+$900
Yr 2$11,881+$981
Yr 3$12,950+$1,069
Yr 4$14,116+$1,166
Yr 5$15,386+$1,270
Yr 6$16,771+$1,385
Yr 7$18,280+$1,509
Yr 8$19,926+$1,645
Yr 9$21,719+$1,793
Yr 10$23,674+$1,955
Yr 11$25,804+$2,131
Yr 12$28,127+$2,322
Yr 13$30,658+$2,531
Yr 14$33,417+$2,759
Yr 15$36,425+$3,008
Yr 16$39,703+$3,278
Yr 17$43,276+$3,573
Yr 18$47,171+$3,895
Yr 19$51,417+$4,245
Yr 20$56,044+$4,627
Yr 21$61,088+$5,044
Yr 22$66,586+$5,498
Yr 23$72,579+$5,993
Yr 24$79,111+$6,532
Yr 25$86,231+$7,120
Yr 26$93,992+$7,761
Yr 27$102,451+$8,459
Yr 28$111,671+$9,221
Yr 29$121,722+$10,050
Yr 30$132,677+$10,955
Final balance after 40 years
$314,094
Invested
$10,000
Interest earned
$304,094
Multiplier
31.41×

How $10,000 grows at 9%

Compound interest earns returns on your returns — not just your original investment. At 9% per year, your money doubles every 8 years (the Rule of 72). Over 40 years, that compounds to a 31.41× multiplier.

In year 1, $10,000 earns $900 in interest. By year 40, the annual interest has grown to $25,934 — because each year's interest is calculated on a larger balance.

This is why longer holding periods matter so much. The later years do more of the heavy lifting, especially once the balance is large enough to generate bigger dollar returns each year.

$10,000 for 40 years at different rates
RateFinal balanceInterest earnedMultiplier
4%$48,010$38,0104.80×
5%$70,400$60,4007.04×
6%$102,857$92,85710.29×
7%$149,745$139,74514.97×
8%$217,245$207,24521.72×
9% ◀$314,094$304,09431.41×
10%$452,593$442,59345.26×

Year-by-year projection

YearBalanceInterest this yearTotal interestGrowth
Year 1$10,900+$900$9001.09×
Year 2$11,881+$981$1,8811.19×
Year 3$12,950+$1,069$2,9501.30×
Year 4$14,116+$1,166$4,1161.41×
Year 5$15,386+$1,270$5,3861.54×
Year 6$16,771+$1,385$6,7711.68×
Year 7$18,280+$1,509$8,2801.83×
Year 8$19,926+$1,645$9,9261.99×
Year 9$21,719+$1,793$11,7192.17×
Year 10$23,674+$1,955$13,6742.37×
Year 11$25,804+$2,131$15,8042.58×
Year 12$28,127+$2,322$18,1272.81×
Year 13$30,658+$2,531$20,6583.07×
Year 14$33,417+$2,759$23,4173.34×
Year 15$36,425+$3,008$26,4253.64×
Year 16$39,703+$3,278$29,7033.97×
Year 17$43,276+$3,573$33,2764.33×
Year 18$47,171+$3,895$37,1714.72×
Year 19$51,417+$4,245$41,4175.14×
Year 20$56,044+$4,627$46,0445.60×
Year 21$61,088+$5,044$51,0886.11×
Year 22$66,586+$5,498$56,5866.66×
Year 23$72,579+$5,993$62,5797.26×
Year 24$79,111+$6,532$69,1117.91×
Year 25$86,231+$7,120$76,2318.62×
Year 26$93,992+$7,761$83,9929.40×
Year 27$102,451+$8,459$92,45110.25×
Year 28$111,671+$9,221$101,67111.17×
Year 29$121,722+$10,050$111,72212.17×
Year 30$132,677+$10,955$122,67713.27×
Year 31$144,618+$11,941$134,61814.46×
Year 32$157,633+$13,016$147,63315.76×
Year 33$171,820+$14,187$161,82017.18×
Year 34$187,284+$15,464$177,28418.73×
Year 35$204,140+$16,856$194,14020.41×
Year 36$222,512+$18,373$212,51222.25×
Year 37$242,538+$20,026$232,53824.25×
Year 38$264,367+$21,828$254,36726.44×
Year 39$288,160+$23,793$278,16028.82×
Year 40$314,094+$25,934$304,09431.41×

Growth chart

Balance growth over 40 years
$79k$157k$236k$314kYr2Yr10Yr20Yr30Yr40
Principal
Interest earned

Frequently asked questions

Related compound interest scenarios

Use these nearby examples to compare what changes when you keep the same starting balance, extend the investing period, or test a more aggressive return assumption.

Compound interest guide and tools

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