Mutual Fund Return Calculator: Total and Annualized Return
Find out what a mutual fund or ETF holding earned by comparing the money invested with its value today.
Adjust the inputs and select Calculate for a full breakdown.
Year-by-year value projection
Compare Common Scenarios
How the numbers shift across typical situations for this calculator:
| Scenario | Total ROI | Annualized ROI | Net profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20k · $48k · 15yr | 140.00% | 6.01% | $28,000.00 |
| $10k · $14k · 5yr | 40.00% | 6.96% | $4,000.00 |
| $50k · $46k · 3yr | -8.00% | -2.74% | -$4,000.00 |
| $30k · $95k · 20yr | 216.67% | 5.93% | $65,000.00 |
How This Calculator Works
Enter the total amount invested in the fund, including any sales load, and its current value or redemption proceeds with distributions reinvested. Add the years held. The calculator reports the gain, the total return, and the annualized return — the figure a fund's own literature uses to describe performance.
The Formula
Return on Investment
V_start = amount invested, V_end = amount returned; annualized ROI = (V_end / V_start)^(1/n) − 1
Worked Example
You invest $20,000 in a mutual fund and fifteen years later, with distributions reinvested, it is worth $48,000. That is a $28,000 gain, a 140% total return, and an annualized return of about 6.0% before any fee drag is separated out.
Key Insight
A fund's expense ratio quietly compounds against you every year. Two funds with the same gross return but a one-point fee gap can diverge by a large sum over fifteen years, so compare annualized returns net of fees rather than the headline figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should distributions be included?
Yes. Use a value that assumes dividends and capital-gains distributions were reinvested, or add the distributions you took in cash to the value returned. Either way they belong in the total.
Does the calculator account for the expense ratio?
Only indirectly. If you enter the fund's actual net value, fees are already reflected. The calculator cannot isolate the fee drag, but it is the main reason a fund trails its index.
What is a sales load?
A load is an upfront or back-end commission some funds charge. Include any front-end load in the amount invested so the return reflects the cash that actually went to work.
How do mutual funds and ETFs differ here?
The math is identical. Enter the amount invested and current value for either. ETFs tend to carry lower expense ratios, which over long holds shows up in a higher annualized return.
Is the return before or after tax?
It is pre-tax unless you enter after-tax figures. Distributions and realized gains in a taxable account are taxed, so a tax-advantaged account keeps more of the return shown.
Related Calculators
Data Sources & Benchmarks
This calculator draws on 3 independent, dated sources.
Methodology & Review
Return is measured from the amount invested in the fund and its current or redemption value with distributions reinvested. Annualized return is the constant yearly rate over the period held; the expense ratio is captured only through the net values entered.
Written by Ugo Candido · Last updated May 17, 2026.