Financial

Present Value of Cash Flows

PV of cash flow series. Free online Present Value of Cash Flows. Calculate present value of cash flows online — fast, accurate, mobile-friendly, no signup neede

PV total
$1,856.93

Derivation

  1. ├── 01Givenc1 = 500, c2 = 700, c3 = 1000, r = 8
  2. ├── 02Formulat / (1+r / 100)^(1)+a / (1+r / 100)^(2)+n / (1+r / 100)^(3)
  3. ├── 03Substitutet / (1+8 / 100)^(1)+a / (1+8 / 100)^(2)+n / (1+8 / 100)^(3)
  4. └── 04Compute PV total$1,856.93
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§01What is

Understanding the Present Value of Cash Flows

The Present Value of Cash Flows computes PV total from 4 inputs: year 1, year 2, year 3, rate (%). PV of cash flow series.

Quick calculators for the math that shouldn’t need a notepad — instant, accurate, private to your browser. The Present Value of Cash Flows sits in that toolkit — it PV of cash flow series. Enter your numbers above and the result updates instantly; every step of the math is shown in the Derivation panel so you can see exactly how the answer was reached.

§02The Formula

How it’s calculated

t / (1+r / 100)^(1)+a / (1+r / 100)^(2)+n / (1+r / 100)^(3)

Where

c1
Year 1
c2
Year 2
c3
Year 3
r
Rate (%)
§03Practical Example

Step-by-step walkthrough

Scenario

Apply the formula to a realistic set of inputs: Year 1 = 500, Year 2 = 700, Year 3 = 1000, Rate (%) = 8.

  1. 01Start by noting the input — Year 1: 500.
  2. 02Start by noting the input — Year 2: 700.
  3. 03Start by noting the input — Year 3: 1000.
  4. 04Start by noting the input — Rate (%): 8.
  5. 05Substitute these values into the formula: t / (1+r / 100)^(1)+a / (1+r / 100)^(2)+n / (1+r / 100)^(3)
  6. 06Compute PV total: the calculator returns 1856.93.
  7. 07Cross-check the answer by opening the Derivation panel above — every line of math is shown so you can follow the computation end-to-end.
§04Variants

Common Present Value of Cash Flows Problems

The formula gets rearranged depending on which variable you need. Here are the patterns you’ll run into in the real world — find the one that matches your problem and follow the worked steps.

01 · PATTERN

Year 1 halved

c1 = 250 (from 500)

Keep every other input at its default and halve the year 1. See how pv total responds.

  1. 01New Year 1: 250
  2. 02Baseline PV total: 1856.93
  3. 03New PV total: 1625.45
  4. 04PV total decreases by 12.5% → use this sensitivity to plan for real-world variation.
02 · PATTERN

Year 1 doubled

c1 = 1000 (from 500)

Keep every other input at its default and double the year 1. See how pv total responds.

  1. 01New Year 1: 1000
  2. 02Baseline PV total: 1856.93
  3. 03New PV total: 2319.9
  4. 04PV total increases by 24.9% → use this sensitivity to plan for real-world variation.
03 · PATTERN

Year 2 halved

c2 = 350 (from 700)

Keep every other input at its default and halve the year 2. See how pv total responds.

  1. 01New Year 2: 350
  2. 02Baseline PV total: 1856.93
  3. 03New PV total: 1556.86
  4. 04PV total decreases by 16.2% → use this sensitivity to plan for real-world variation.
04 · PATTERN

Year 2 doubled

c2 = 1400 (from 700)

Keep every other input at its default and double the year 2. See how pv total responds.

  1. 01New Year 2: 1400
  2. 02Baseline PV total: 1856.93
  3. 03New PV total: 2457.07
  4. 04PV total increases by 32.3% → use this sensitivity to plan for real-world variation.
§05FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The calculator implements the standard formula as documented and returns exact floating-point results. No approximations are used unless noted in the formula.
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