Percentage Return Calculator

Formulas

Absolute return = (Final − Initial) ÷ Initial × 100

Annualised return = (Final ÷ Initial)^(365 ÷ days) − 1

Annualising very short holding periods can give misleading, very large numbers.

Worked example

You invested ₹50,000, the holding is now worth ₹62,000 and you received ₹1,500 in dividends. Total gain is ₹62,000 + ₹1,500 − ₹50,000 = ₹13,500, an absolute return of 27%. If you held it for 2 years, the annualised return is about 12.69% a year.

Absolute vs annualised return

Absolute return tells you how much you made in total; annualised return tells you how fast. A 27% return over 2 years and a 27% return over 5 years are very different results — annualising makes them comparable with each other and with a fixed deposit or index.

Tips

• Leave the holding period at 0 if you only need the absolute return.
• Enter the holding period in years; use decimals for months (18 months = 1.5).
• Include dividends or interest received to get the total return, not just price return.
• If you added money in several instalments, this calculator overstates or understates your return; use XIRR for multiple cash flows.