Real return calculator
A savings rate looks different once tax and rising prices come out of it. Enter a rate to see how much buying power your money gains or loses in a year.
Your rate after tax and inflation
Federal plus state, if any
CPI-U, 12 months to Sep 2026
After tax, 4.00% becomes 4.00%. After inflation of 3.70%, your money’s buying power grows by 0.29% a year.
Real return = (1 + rate after tax) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1. The inflation default is the latest 12-month change in CPI-U from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; change it to try other rates. Interest on Treasury bills, notes and I bonds is exempt from state and local income tax; most bank interest is not.
Where the numbers come from
Bank and money market rates tend to move with short-term Treasury yields and the Fed’s rate; see the Treasury yields and Fed rate trackers. The inflation rate updates with each CPI release.