How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

When you earn interest in a savings account, the bank is literally paying you money to keep your cash deposited there.

Savings accounts earn compound interest, which means the interest you earn in one period gets deposited into your account, and then in the next period, you earn interest on that interest. Calculating exactly how much interest your deposits earn over time requires accounting for compound interest — we’ll get into that later on — but you can start by getting a reasonably accurate estimate using the simple interest formula.

How to calculate simple interest in a savings account

You can calculate the simple interest you'll earn in a savings account by multiplying the account balance by the interest rate by the time period the money is in the account. Note that the interest in a savings account is money you earn, not money you pay.

Here's the simple interest formula: Interest = P x R x T.

P = Principal amount (the beginning balance).

R = Interest rate (usually per year, expressed as a decimal).

T = Number of time periods (generally one-year time periods).

Say you have a savings account with $10,000 that earns 2% interest per year. Expressed as a decimal, the interest rate is 0.02, so the formula would be:

Interest = $10,000 x 0.02 x 1, which equals $200.

Interest rates in the best savings accounts are above 2%. But other accounts earn much less. In fact, the national average savings rate is 0.30%. You can use NerdWallet’s savings calculator to figure how much interest you could earn with different rates and time periods.

Here’s another example: If the $10,000 deposit is in an account that earns only 0.15% interest per year, the interest rate would be expressed as 0.0015. In this case, the calculation would be:

Interest = $10,000 x 0.0015 x 1.

Practically speaking, this formula is best for calculating roughly how much interest your money can earn in a savings account.

To determine precisely how much interest you could earn in a savings account, you’ll want to consider the effect of compounding.

Simple interest vs. compound interest

If you're earning interest in a savings account, that interest will also earn interest over time. This process is called compounding, and your overall earnings will be a bit higher than what’s calculated with the simple interest formula.

Suppose your account has earned $10 in interest. If you leave that extra bit of money in your account, it will also start earning interest during each compounding period (many online savings accounts compound daily). Compound interest helps your bank balance grow faster over time, even if the interest rate is low. The rate of compounded interest earned over a year is expressed as the annual percentage yield, or APY. You will typically see savings account rates expressed as an APY.

Rates are on the rise for savings accounts thanks to the Federal Reserve’s actions in 2022.

SavingsCash ManagementCDCheckingMoney Market

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

SoFi Checking and Savings

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

APY

3.50%SoFi members with direct deposit can earn up to 3.50% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 2.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum direct deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.50% APY for savings and 2.50% APY for checking balances. Members without direct deposit will earn 1.20% APY on all account balances in checking and savings (including Vaults). Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 12/16/2022. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Marcus by Goldman Sachs Online Savings Account

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

APY

3.00%3.00% APY (annual percentage yield) with $0 minimum balance to earn stated APY. Accounts must have a positive balance to remain open. APY valid as of 11/08/2022.

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Discover Bank Online Savings

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

APY

3.00%Advertised Online Savings Account APY is accurate as of 11/10/2022

These cash accounts combine services and features similar to checking, savings and/or investment accounts in one product. Cash management accounts are typically offered by non-bank financial institutions.

These cash accounts combine services and features similar to checking, savings and/or investment accounts in one product. Cash management accounts are typically offered by non-bank financial institutions.

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Wealthfront Cash Account

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Betterment Cash Reserve – Paid non-client promotion

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

APY

3.75%Annual percentage yield (variable) is as of 12/09/2022.

CDs (certificates of deposit) are a type of savings account with a fixed rate and term, and usually have higher interest rates than regular savings accounts.

CDs (certificates of deposit) are a type of savings account with a fixed rate and term, and usually have higher interest rates than regular savings accounts.

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

CIT Bank CD

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Marcus by Goldman Sachs High-Yield CD

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

APY

4.15%4.15% APY (annual percentage yield) as of 12/06/2022

Checking accounts are used for day-to-day cash deposits and withdrawals.

Checking accounts are used for day-to-day cash deposits and withdrawals.

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

SoFi Checking and Savings

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

APY

2.50%SoFi members with direct deposit can earn up to 3.25% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 2.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum direct deposit amount required to qualify for the 3.25% APY for savings and 2.50% APY for checking balances. Members without direct deposit will earn 1.20% APY on all account balances in checking and savings (including Vaults). Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 11/30/2022. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Upgrade Rewards Checking

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Deposits are FDIC Insured

Current Account

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Deposits are FDIC Insured

Chime Checking Account

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Axos Bank® Rewards Checking

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

APY

1.25%Receive monthly direct deposits totaling $1,500 or more to earn 0.40% APY. Use your Axos Visa® Debit Card for a total of 10 transactions per month (min $3 per transaction) or sign up for Account Aggregation/Personal Finance Manager (PFM) in Online Banking to earn 0.30% APY. Maintain an average daily balance of $2,500 per month in an Axos Managed Portfolios Invest Account to earn 0.20% APY. Maintain an average daily balance of $2,500 per month in an Axos Self Directed Trading Invest Account to earn 0.20% APY. Use your Rewards Checking account to make your full monthly Axos consumer loan payment to earn 0.15% APY.

Money market accounts pay rates similar to savings accounts and have some checking features.

Money market accounts pay rates similar to savings accounts and have some checking features.

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

UFB Best Money Market

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

Discover Bank Money Market Account

How can you find the balance in an account that earns simple interest or compound interest?

How much compound interest can you earn on $10,000?

Say you have $10,000 in a high-yield savings account that earns 2% APY, and you keep the money in the account for five years.

If interest is compounded daily, you’d earn about $1,052. Compare that with earning just simple interest: Using the simple interest formula (Interest = $10,000 x 0.02 x 5), you can see that your simple interest would be $1,000.

With compound interest, you get additional money with no additional effort on your part. The higher the rate, the more your interest will grow. In addition, the more compounding periods there are, the more the interest grows.

The compound interest formula is more complicated than the simple interest formula, but it provides a more accurate result for saving money over time. However, the simple interest calculation is good for a quick estimate.

The compound interest formula

Here's how to compute monthly compound interest for 12 months: Use the formula A=P(1+r/n)^nt, where:

P = Principal amount (the beginning balance).

r = Interest rate (as a decimal).

n = Number of times interest is compounded in a specific time frame.

Compound interest is a good way to have your money work for you, but you can really boost your savings if you take the additional step of making regular savings deposits. Additional deposits help you grow your account balance more than with interest alone. In the example above, say you deposit an extra $100 a month after the initial $10,000. In five years, you would have deposited an extra $6,000 ($100 x 12 months a year x 5 years = $6,000). But when compounded at 2% APY, your balance grows to about $17,367.

It’s worth noting that interest rates in savings accounts are variable and can change at any time. If you would like to deposit your money in an account with a fixed rate, consider a high-performing certificate of deposit.

How to earn more interest in a savings account

To earn more interest, you’ll need to put your money in an account with a strong interest rate. Many online banks tend to have savings accounts with above-average interest rates. Check out this list of the best high-yield online savings accounts to see how they compare.

How can you tell if the interest on an account is simple or compound?

The interest, typically expressed as a percentage, can be either simple or compounded. Simple interest is based on the principal amount of a loan or deposit. In contrast, compound interest is based on the principal amount and the interest that accumulates on it in every period.

What is the formula to find amount in simple interest?

Simple interest is calculated with the following formula: S.I. = P × R × T, where P = Principal, R = Rate of Interest in % per annum, and T = Time, usually calculated as the number of years. The rate of interest is in percentage r% and is to be written as r/100.