Fund fees calculator

Charges on a fund look small as a yearly percentage, but over decades they take a real bite out of what you keep. Enter your own figures — a starting amount, an optional monthly contribution, an assumed return and your charge rates (ongoing charge, initial charge, platform fee, dealing charge) — and the calculator compares the end value with and without charges. It holds no product, platform or fund data, rates nothing and recommends nothing. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.

Your result

–

–End value with charges
–End value without charges
–Charge impact
–Return reduction (p.a.)

–Fees paid
–Total paid in

End value at the end of the term: without and with charges

Path: pot value with and without charges
Year	Paid in (cumulative)	Value with charges	Value without charges

This calculator needs JavaScript because the calculation runs entirely in your browser – so your inputs never leave your device. Fully worked examples are shown further down this page.

What your result means

The headline is the gap the charges open up: how much lower the end value is once they are taken. The cards give the end value with and without charges, the charge impact in money and the yearly return reduction; below, the fees actually paid and the total you put in. The charge impact is larger than the fees paid because every pound taken also stops earning — over long periods that compounding gap dominates. The table traces both paths year by year.

How this calculator works

The calculator simulates the pot month by month, then a second time with every charge set to zero, and compares the two. The order within each month is fixed: (1) the contribution goes in — the starting amount in month one plus the monthly amount — less the initial charge as a percentage and any per-deal dealing charge; (2) the pot grows by the monthly share of the return (the yearly rate divided by twelve, nominal); (3) the ongoing charge is taken as the monthly share of the yearly figure. A fixed platform fee is deducted at each year end.

From the two runs come the end value with and without charges, the charge impact (the gap between them, which includes the growth those charges never earned), the fees actually paid, and the yearly reduction in return, in percentage points, that the ongoing charge alone causes.

The cost model is deliberately simple and disclosed; real structures (such as tracking difference) can differ. Tax is not included. Internally the calculation is unrounded and only rounded for display.

Formula and variables

Monthly net growth=(1 + Return/12) · (1 − OCF/12) − 1

Charge impact=End value without charges − End value with charges

Yearly return reduction=(1 + g)^12 − ((1 + g)·(1 − t))^12 (percentage points)

Return: assumed yearly return in per cent
OCF: ongoing charge per year in per cent (TER/OCF)
g: monthly return = Return / 12 / 100
t: monthly ongoing charge = OCF / 12 / 100

Worked examples

Example 1: a low-cost tracker held for the long term

Example inputs
Starting amount	€5,000.00
Monthly contribution	€250.00
Assumed return	7% p.a.
Duration	25 years
Ongoing charge (OCF/TER)	0.15% p.a.

Example results
End value with charges	€226,450.44
End value without charges	€232,326.37
Charge impact	€5,875.93
Fees paid	€3,226.06
Yearly return reduction	0.16 pp p.a.

A €5,000.00 start plus €250.00 a month at 7% grows to €232,326.37 with no charges, but €226,450.44 once a 0.15% ongoing charge is taken — a charge impact of €5,875.93, well above the €3,226.06 actually paid, because the charges also cost future growth. That is about 0.16 percentage points of return a year. All figures are example assumptions.

Example 2: a higher ongoing charge with an initial charge

Example inputs
Starting amount	€10,000.00
Monthly contribution	€300.00
Assumed return	6.5% p.a.
Duration	20 years
Ongoing charge (OCF/TER)	0.75% p.a.
Initial charge	1.5% per contribution

Example results
End value with charges	€164,129.50
End value without charges	€184,487.68
Charge impact	€20,358.18
Fees paid	€12,169.60
Yearly return reduction	0.80 pp p.a.

A 0.75% ongoing charge plus a 1.5% initial charge on each payment turn a no-charge €184,487.68 into €164,129.50 — a €20,358.18 gap over 20 years against €12,169.60 in charges paid. A higher all-in cost bites hard over time. All figures are example assumptions.

Assumptions

The return and every charge rate stay constant over the term.
The monthly return is the yearly return divided by twelve (nominal).
All charge figures are your inputs — no product or platform data is held.

Limitations of this calculator

No statement about any specific ETF, fund, platform or provider, and no recommendation.
A simplified cost model; real structures (e.g. tracking difference) can differ.
No tax is applied (version 1 calculates without tax).
The assumed return is not a forecast; real returns fluctuate.
No storage of your inputs (privacy by design).

Common misconceptions

Judging a charge by one year: A 0.5% ongoing charge sounds trivial for one year; over decades it compounds into a large share of the end value.
Confusing fees paid with the real cost: Fees paid are the direct deductions; the charge impact adds the growth those fees never earned, and is bigger.
Reading the return as a forecast: The assumed return is your input, not a prediction; real returns vary and are not guaranteed.
Expecting product data: No fund, ETF or platform charges are built in — every rate is your own assumption.

Frequently asked questions

Are any real fund or platform charges built in?

No. Every rate is your own input. The calculator rates no ETF, fund or platform and makes no recommendation — it only shows how the charges you enter work out over time. You can take the figures from a fund's key information document or a platform's charges page.

Why is the charge impact larger than the fees paid?

Because every amount taken in charges also stops earning a return. The fees paid are the direct deductions; the charge impact is the gap between the two end values and adds the growth those fees would have made. Over long periods that difference is substantial.

What is the ongoing charge (OCF/TER)?

It is the yearly running cost of a fund, shown as a percentage of the amount invested — the ongoing charges figure (OCF) in the UK and EU, or total expense ratio (TER). It is deducted from the fund itself, so you never see a separate bill, which is exactly why it is easy to overlook.

Is tax included?

No. This version calculates without tax. Investment returns can be taxable depending on where you live and the account you use — worth checking your own position separately.

Sources and further reading

Official and independent sources on this topic. The links open each website in a new tab; no content is loaded from them into this page.

Mutual Fund and ETF Fees and Expenses – Investor BulletinU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Investor.gov)Official explanation of the ongoing and transaction fees funds charge and how they reduce returns over time.
Fund AnalyzerFinancial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)Regulator's tool illustrating how a fund's fees and expenses affect its value over a holding period.

Spotted an error in the calculation or the text?

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Last reviewed: 28/07/2026 · All calculations run in your browser – inputs are not stored. ·How we check our calculators