Investment Return Calculator
Calculate the total return and net gain on an investment, including any income received.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.
This is the total return over the whole period, not an annualized rate — use the CAGR calculator to annualize a multi-year return.
35.00%
Total return
3500.00
Net gain
What this calculator does
Adds any income received along the way to the change in value between an initial investment and its final value, and expresses the result both as a total return percentage and a net gain amount.
How to use it
Enter the initial investment, its final value, and any income or dividends received during the holding period (leave income at 0 if none was received). Use one currency consistently.
Worked example
For a 10,000 investment that grows to 13,500 with no interim income, net gain is 3,500 and total return is 35%. Automated tests verify this figure; adding 500 of interim income against a 12,000 final value instead gives a 2,500 net gain and a 25% total return.
Formula
Net gain = final value + income − initial investment. Total return % = net gain ÷ initial investment × 100. A final value below the initial investment produces a negative return and net gain, reflecting a loss.
Total return vs. annualized return
This is the return over the whole holding period, not per year — a 35% total return over one year and the same 35% total return over ten years describe very different investments. Use the CAGR calculator when you want one constant equivalent annual growth rate instead.
What is excluded
The result does not subtract taxes, transaction costs, advisory fees, or currency-conversion effects, and it is not adjusted for inflation. It is a straightforward before-cost, nominal return calculation.
Scope, sources and privacy
This is an educational estimate, not investment or tax advice. The total-return-versus-annualized-return distinction follows standard investment-performance concepts described in CFA Institute investment-performance education materials. Reviewed September 2026. Calculation runs locally in the browser; Quiklio does not upload the entered values.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why might my total return differ from what my brokerage statement shows?
- A brokerage may report an annualized, money-weighted, or fee-adjusted figure, or use a different cost basis for the initial investment; this tool computes a simple total return from exactly the three numbers you enter.
- How do I model a loss instead of a gain?
- Enter a final value lower than the initial investment (income can still be positive) — the net gain and total return will both come out negative, which is expected for a losing position.
- Does this calculator annualize the result for me?
- No, by design — it reports the return over the exact holding period you're measuring. Feed the same beginning and ending values into the CAGR calculator if you want one constant equivalent annual rate instead.