Savings goal

How much to save each month, how long it takes, or which return you need to reach a target.

CSV

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€571.99 a month

Save €571.99 a month to reach €250,000 in 20 years.

Of the final amount you pay in €142,278 and taxes take €18,752.

Goal

I want to know I want to know Pick what to calculate. The calculator hides that input and works it out from the others.

Monthly amount Time needed Return needed

Target amount Target amount The amount you want to have saved, e.g. a down payment for a home or a pension pot.

€

Target is in today's money Grows with inflation, so it keeps its buying power Target is in today's money Turn this on if the target is what the amount should buy at today's prices. €100,000 in 20 years buys much less than €100,000 today.

Plan

Starting amount Starting amount Money you already have and invest at the start. Enter 0 if you start from nothing.

€

Years until the goal Years until the goal When you want to reach the target.

years

Return Per year Return Average growth per year before costs and taxes. A globally diversified stock ETF has historically returned about 5–7% a year over long periods, with large swings; savings accounts currently pay around 2%.

Product and taxes

Invested in Invested in Decides how gains are taxed. Interest on a savings account is taxed every year. A fund that reinvests its gains is taxed a little each year (advance tax) and the rest when you sell.

Gains above your allowance are taxed at a flat 26.4% ( Flat tax on capital income German: Abgeltungsteuer A flat 25% tax on interest, dividends and investment gains, plus the solidarity surcharge and possibly church tax – 26.375% in total without church tax. German banks deduct it automatically. All terms in the glossary ), about 28% with church tax. For stock funds only 70% of the gain is taxed. The bank deducts it for you.

Tax-free allowance Sparerpauschbetrag Saver's allowance German: Sparerpauschbetrag The first €1,000 of capital income per year are tax-free, €2,000 for married couples and civil partners filing jointly. To use it, give your bank an exemption order (Freistellungsauftrag); you can split it across several banks. All terms in the glossary

Allowance already used elsewhere Interest or dividends from other accounts, per year Allowance already used elsewhere Your allowance is shared by all your accounts and investments. Whatever other interest or dividends already use up is not available here. Check the exemption orders (Freistellungsaufträge) in your banking apps.

€

Church tax Kirchensteuer Church tax German: Kirchensteuer Only if you are a registered member of a church that collects it (e.g. Catholic or Protestant – you declared this when registering your address). It is 8% of the tax in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and 9% elsewhere. If you are not a member, choose "No church tax". All terms in the glossary

Type of investment Teilfreistellung Partial tax exemption for funds German: Teilfreistellung Part of the gains from investment funds is tax-free, because the fund already pays some tax itself: 30% for equity funds (e.g. most stock ETFs) and 15% for mixed funds. Bond and money-market funds get none. All terms in the glossary

Base rate for the advance tax Basiszins · 3.20% for 2026 Base interest rate German: Basiszins Accumulating funds are taxed a little every January (Vorabpauschale), based on this rate. Leave it at the official value unless you want to try what a different rate would mean in later years. A rate the Ministry of Finance publishes every January, derived from long-term government bond yields. It is only used to calculate the Vorabpauschale – a higher Basiszins means more advance tax. All terms in the glossary

More details

Raise savings every year by e.g. in step with your salary Raise savings every year by Increases the monthly amount once a year by this percentage (called Dynamik in German plans).

Running costs Laufende Kosten (TER) · Per year Total expense ratio German: Laufende Kosten (TER) The yearly fund fee, taken out of the fund's value. Broad ETFs cost about 0.1–0.3% a year, actively managed funds often 1.5% or more – over decades that difference adds up to a lot. All terms in the glossary

Inflation Inflation How fast prices rise per year. The European Central Bank aims for 2%; that is a sensible long-term assumption.

Results update as you type.

Monthly amount needed Monthly amount needed What you need to invest every month, on top of the starting amount.: €571.99
Target Target The amount you want to have. If the target is in today's money, the calculator raises it with inflation.: €250,000
Paid in Paid in Your own money: the starting amount plus all monthly savings. The rest is growth.: €142,278

Path to the goal Path to the goal The filled line is what your savings are worth, the lower line is what you paid in yourself, and the dashed line is the target. Where the filled line meets the dashed line, you have reached it.

Value after taxes at the end of each year

The return makes the difference The return makes the difference Each bar shows how much you would need to save per month if your investment grew by that much per year. Higher returns usually come with more risk.

Monthly amount needed for the same goal at other returns