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How-to guide

How to Calculate Sinking Fund: Formula, Steps & Examples

Learn how to calculate Sinking Fund — the formula explained step by step, with worked examples and a free calculator to check your answer.

By Aarav Mehta, CFA, MBA Finance · Updated Jun 2026 · 2 min read

Calculating your annual deposit needed is straightforward once you know the Sinking Fund formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Sinking Fund Calculator.

What is Sinking Fund?

The Sinking Fund calculation tells you your annual deposit needed from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the annual deposit needed, expressed in INR.

The Sinking Fund formula

The core formula is:

Annual deposit needed = Target amount × (Annual interest rate ÷ 100) ÷ ((1 + Annual interest rate ÷ 100)^(Time to reach target) - 1)

Here is what each input means:

  • Target amount — a money amount. Example: ₹10,00,000.
  • Annual interest rate — a percentage, such as an annual rate. Example: 8%.
  • Time to reach target — a value you set on the slider. Example: 10 years.

How to calculate it step by step

  • Write down the target amount (for example, ₹10,00,000).
  • Write down the annual interest rate (for example, 8%).
  • Note the time to reach target (for example, 10 years).
  • Apply the formula above to get your annual deposit needed.
  • Double-check the result with the Sinking Fund Calculator.

Worked examples

Example 1

Input / OutputValue
Target amount₹10,00,000
Annual interest rate8%
Time to reach target10 years
Annual deposit needed₹69,029

With target amount of ₹10,00,000, annual interest rate of 8% and time to reach target of 10 years, the annual deposit needed works out to ₹69,029.

Example 2

With target amount of ₹20,00,000, annual interest rate of 8% and time to reach target of 10 years, the annual deposit needed works out to ₹1,38,059.

ResultValue
Annual deposit needed₹1,38,059

Example 3

With target amount of ₹5,00,000, annual interest rate of 8% and time to reach target of 10 years, the annual deposit needed works out to ₹34,515.

ResultValue
Annual deposit needed₹34,515

Tips for an accurate result

  • Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
  • Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
  • Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
  • Annual rates must be converted to the period you are calculating for (for example, divide an annual rate by 12 for a monthly figure).

Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Sinking Fund Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.

Continue exploring finance calculators with these tools: SIP Calculator, EMI Calculator, CAGR Calculator, FD Calculator, Effective Annual Rate (EAR) Calculator.

Calculators in this guide

Frequently asked questions

The formula is: Annual deposit needed = Target amount × (Annual interest rate ÷ 100) ÷ ((1 + Annual interest rate ÷ 100)^(Time to reach target) - 1). With target amount of ₹10,00,000, annual interest rate of 8% and time to reach target of 10 years, the annual deposit needed works out to ₹69,029.

Gather each input, apply the formula step by step keeping your units consistent, and round only at the end. You can verify your answer instantly with the Sinking Fund Calculator.

It uses the standard formula with exact arithmetic, so the result is correct for the inputs you enter. Bear in mind that real-world outcomes can still differ when underlying assumptions change.

The annual deposit needed is expressed in INR. Make sure your inputs use matching units so the result is correct.

Aarav Mehta · CFA, MBA Finance

Aarav reviews every finance formula on CalcHub for accuracy.