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Finance Calculator

Solves the time-value-of-money equation for any one of n, i, PV, PMT or FV given the other four, using HP 12C conventions: rate per period, END/BEGIN mode, the cash-flow sign convention and the odd-period rule.

PMT - payment each period
-523.99
Financial Calculator (TVM Solver)
n - periods (exact)
348.0000
n as the 12C stores it
348
i - rate per period
1.187500 %
Rate × periods per year
14.2500 %
PV - present value
43,400.00
FV - future value
0.00
Worked out from HP, hp 12c financial calculator user's guide (H Edition 4), Appendix D 'Formulas Used' p. 185, n rounding p. 40-41, sign convention pp. 36-37, odd periods pp. 50-53, Error 5 p. 183 and 3 other sources.
Sign convention: money received is entered positive, money paid out negative. Results follow the same rule.

Your figures

Updates as you type
Formatting only. This does not change the calculation.
The register left blank on a financial calculator. Its input below is ignored.
Payment periods, or years if the helper below is set to multiply by the periods a year (the 12C "g 12×" key). A fractional n is an odd period, not a fractional exponent.
Percent per period, or an annual rate if the helper below divides it (the 12C "g 12÷" key). Full precision is kept: 14.25% / 12 is stored as 1.1875%, not the displayed 1.19%.
The 12C keys assume 12 (monthly). Use 4 for quarterly or 2 for semi-annual periods, which the handbook does by hand.
Cash-flow sign convention: money received is positive, money paid out is negative. A loan you receive is a positive PV.
Negative for payments you make, positive for payments you receive. Ignored when solving for PMT.
The balance at the end. Zero for a fully repaid loan; negative for a balloon you will pay.
Only matters when the n you typed is not a whole number.

How this is worked out

5 steps
  1. n = 29 years × 12 = 348 periods (the 12C "g 12×" step).
  2. i = 14.25% / 12 = 1.1875% a period, kept at full precision (the 12C "g 12÷" step).
  3. v = (1 + i)^-n = 0.0164380614; a = (1 + i × S)(1 - v)/i = 82.8262685144 with S = 0.
  4. PMT = -(PV × PV factor + FV × v) / a = -523.99.
  5. Check: substituting all five registers back into the equation gives 0.00.

Its 6 worked examples are re-run on every release, last on 15 September 2026. What changed

Sources and references

4 sources
HP, hp 12c financial calculator user's guide (H Edition 4), Appendix D 'Formulas Used' p. 185, n rounding p. 40-41, sign convention pp. 36-37, odd periods pp. 50-53, Error 5 p. 183
H Edition 4
HP 12C Platinum Owner's Handbook, Appendix E "Formulas Used" (S = 0 END, S = 1 BEGIN)
OpenStax, Principles of Finance 2e, 8.2 Annuities (ordinary annuity and annuity-due factors)
2e
Texas Instruments knowledge base 11262 - P/Y and C/Y defaults on the BA II PLUS family
Cited for the contrast: the 12C has no P/Y setting, so the rate here is always per period.

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What this calculator does

Solves the time-value-of-money equation for any one of n, i, PV, PMT or FV given the other four, using HP 12C conventions: rate per period, END/BEGIN mode, the cash-flow sign convention and the odd-period rule.

How to use Finance Calculator

Enter Solve for, n - number of periods, The n entered is in, i - interest rate, The rate entered is, Periods per year for the helpers, PV - present value, PMT - payment each period, FV - future value, Payment timing and Interest on an odd (fractional) first period. The calculator checks the values, applies the stated method, and updates the result without saving your figures.

What the result means

The result includes n - periods (exact), n as the 12C stores it, i - rate per period, Rate × periods per year, PV - present value, PMT - payment each period, FV - future value, Final (smaller) payment when n was solved and Balloon if stopped one period earlier. Review the visible working and any warnings before using the answer for a decision.

Method and checks

The method cites HP, hp 12c financial calculator user's guide (H Edition 4), Appendix D 'Formulas Used' p. 185, n rounding p. 40-41, sign convention pp. 36-37, odd periods pp. 50-53, Error 5 p. 183; HP 12C Platinum Owner's Handbook, Appendix E "Formulas Used" (S = 0 END, S = 1 BEGIN); OpenStax, Principles of Finance 2e, 8.2 Annuities (ordinary annuity and annuity-due factors), among others. Its 6 built-in worked examples are checked on every full test run. The initial answer and working are rendered on the server, so they remain readable without JavaScript.

Results are general information, not financial, tax, legal, medical or engineering advice. Check any decision that matters with a qualified professional.

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Copy this code into any page. The calculator appears with the figures currently entered, sizes itself to fit, and a small credit line links back here. Free, no account, no ads inside it, no tracking of your readers. Set your own figures and fixed fields; Personal removes the credit line, sets your colour and shows you which sites use it.

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