{"id":409,"date":"2015-06-16T10:49:04","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T08:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wpcalc.com\/?p=409"},"modified":"2026-10-26T09:49:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T06:49:52","slug":"return-on-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/finance\/return-on-investment\/","title":{"rendered":"ROI Calculator \u2013 Return on Investment and Percent Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"not-prose calculator-box\" aria-labelledby=\"calculator-title\"><div class=\"flex items-baseline sm:items-center justify-between gap-2 sm:gap-3\"><div class=\"flex flex-col sm:flex-row sm:items-center gap-2\"><span class=\"icon icon-calculator text-primary-700! text-base! dark:text-primary-300!\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2 id=\"calculator-title\" class=\"text-lg font-display font-bold\">Investment ROI Percentage Calculator<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"calcdash-favorite group\">\n  <button type=\"button\" class=\"favorite\" id=\"favorite\" data-favorite-id=\"409\" data-favorite-title=\"Return on Investment\" data-favorite-url=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/finance\/return-on-investment\/\" data-favorite-excerpt=\"Calculate the return on investment (ROI) of any project or asset in seconds. Enter your initial investment and total earnings to see your profit or loss as a percentage.\" aria-label=\"Add to Favorites\" data-favorite-icon=\"icon icon-loan\">\n    <span class=\"icon icon-shape-star-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n  <\/button>\n  <div class=\"calcdash-favorite__tip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n   <span class=\"favorite-tooltip\" id=\"favorite-tooltip\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  <span class=\"sr-only\" role=\"status\" id=\"favorite-status\"><\/span>\n<\/div><\/div><form action=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/finance\/return-on-investment\/\" method=\"POST\" class=\"calculator\" id=\"calculator-409\" data-post=\"409\"><fieldset class=\"fieldset-input is-2\"><legend class=\"sr-only\">Input Fields<\/legend><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-1\"><label for=\"field-1\">Initial Investment<\/label><input type=\"text\" name=\"initial_investment\" id=\"field-1\" aria-describedby=\"calc-unit-1 calc-info-1\" data-number inputmode=\"decimal\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\" min=\"0\" value=\"10000\"\/><div class=\"unit\" id=\"calc-unit-1\">$<\/div><small id=\"calc-info-1\">Enter the original amount invested<\/small><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-2\"><label for=\"field-2\">Return Amount (Earnings)<\/label><input type=\"text\" name=\"return_amount_earnings\" id=\"field-2\" aria-describedby=\"calc-unit-2 calc-info-2\" data-number inputmode=\"decimal\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\" min=\"0\" value=\"12000\"\/><div class=\"unit\" id=\"calc-unit-2\">$<\/div><small id=\"calc-info-2\">Enter the total value of the investment now or after sale<\/small><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-3\"><label for=\"field-3\">Costs and fees<\/label><input type=\"text\" name=\"costs_and_fees\" id=\"field-3\" aria-describedby=\"calc-unit-3 calc-info-3\" data-number inputmode=\"decimal\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\" min=\"0\" value=\"0\"\/><div class=\"unit\" id=\"calc-unit-3\">$<\/div><small id=\"calc-info-3\">Commissions, management fees, taxes paid<\/small><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-4\"><label for=\"field-4\">Dividends or income received<\/label><input type=\"text\" name=\"dividends_or_income_received\" id=\"field-4\" aria-describedby=\"calc-unit-4 calc-info-4\" data-number inputmode=\"decimal\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\" min=\"0\" value=\"0\"\/><div class=\"unit\" id=\"calc-unit-4\">$<\/div><small id=\"calc-info-4\">Cash received and not reinvested<\/small><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-5\"><label for=\"field-5\">Holding period: years<\/label><input type=\"text\" name=\"holding_period_years\" id=\"field-5\" data-number inputmode=\"decimal\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\" min=\"0\" value=\"3\"\/><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-6\"><label for=\"field-6\">Holding period: months<\/label><input type=\"text\" name=\"holding_period_months\" id=\"field-6\" data-number inputmode=\"decimal\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\" min=\"0\" max=\"11\" value=\"0\"\/><\/div><div class=\"field is-single\" id=\"input-7\"><label for=\"field-7\">Compare with other investments (optional)<\/label><textarea id=\"field-7\" name=\"compare_with_other_investments_optional\"><\/textarea><\/div><\/fieldset><div class=\"buttons\"><button type=\"submit\" data-text=\"Re-Calculate\" id=\"calculate-button\" data-post=\"409\">Calculate<\/button><button type=\"reset\">Reset<\/button><\/div><div class=\"field is-checkbox hidden!\" id=\"field-auto-calc\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"auto-calc\"><label for=\"auto-calc\">Calculate automatically<\/label><small>If enabled, the result will update automatically when you change any value.<\/small><\/div><div class=\"fieldset-result is-hidden\" aria-labelledby=\"result-title\" aria-live=\"polite\" role=\"region\"> <h3 class=\"result-title bg-gradient-to-r from-primary-50 to-gray-50 dark:from-primary-900 dark:to-gray-800\" id=\"result-title\"><span class=\"icon icon-s-pulse\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span> Your Results<\/h3><div class=\"result-box\"><div class=\"field-result\" id=\"output-1\"><span class=\"field-title\"><span>Return on Investment<\/span><\/span><span class=\"field-value\" id=\"result-1\" data-unit=\"%\"><\/span><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-result\" data-tooltip=\"Copy Result\" aria-label=\"Copy Result\"><span class=\"copy-icon icon icon-document-copy\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"field-result\" id=\"output-2\"><span class=\"field-title\"><span>Gain or loss<\/span><\/span><span class=\"field-value\" id=\"result-2\"><\/span><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-result\" data-tooltip=\"Copy Result\" aria-label=\"Copy Result\"><span class=\"copy-icon icon icon-document-copy\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"field-result\" id=\"output-3\"><span class=\"field-title\"><span>Annualized ROI<\/span><\/span><span class=\"field-value\" id=\"result-3\"><\/span><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-result\" data-tooltip=\"Copy Result\" aria-label=\"Copy Result\"><span class=\"copy-icon icon icon-document-copy\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"field-result is-column\" id=\"output-4\"><span class=\"field-title\"><span>Comparison<\/span><\/span><span class=\"field-value\" id=\"result-4\"><\/span><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-result\" data-tooltip=\"Copy Result\" aria-label=\"Copy Result\"><span class=\"copy-icon icon icon-document-copy\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"result-actions\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-link\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M12.232 4.232a2.5 2.5 0 0 1 3.536 3.536l-1.225 1.224a.75.75 0 0 0 1.061 1.06l1.224-1.224a4 4 0 0 0-5.656-5.656l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 .225 5.865.75.75 0 0 0 .977-1.138 2.5 2.5 0 0 1-.142-3.667l3-3Z\"\/><path d=\"M11.603 7.963a.75.75 0 0 0-.977 1.138 2.5 2.5 0 0 1 .142 3.667l-3 3a2.5 2.5 0 0 1-3.536-3.536l1.225-1.224a.75.75 0 0 0-1.061-1.06l-1.224 1.224a4 4 0 1 0 5.656 5.656l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-.225-5.865Z\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"copy-link__text\">Copy link to this calculation<\/span><\/button><span class=\"sr-only\" role=\"status\" id=\"copy-link-status\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><a href=\"#respond\" class=\"hidden transition-opacity duration-300 opacity-0 w-50 text-sm justify-center items-center gap-2 px-4 py-2 rounded bg-gray-200 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-300\" id=\"leave-comment\"><span class=\"icon icon-comments\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>Leave a Comment<\/a><\/form><\/section><section id=\"calc-reactions\" class=\"not-prose hidden my-12 bg-gradient-to-r from-primary-50 to-gray-50 border border-indigo-100 rounded-xl px-6 py-4 shadow-sm\" data-post=\"409\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-labelledby=\"calc-reactions-title\"><p id=\"calc-reactions-title\" class=\"text-sm text-gray-500 text-center mb-2\">How did this result make you feel?<\/p><div role=\"group\" aria-labelledby=\"calc-reactions-title\" class=\"grid grid-cols-3 sm:flex sm:flex-row sm:justify-around gap-4 sm:items-center sm:flex-wrap\"><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"like\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"like\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude00 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Like <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"helpful\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"helpful\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\udca1 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Helpful <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"confused\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"confused\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude15 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Confused <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"disappointed\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"disappointed\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude1e <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Disappointed <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"inaccurate\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"inaccurate\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u274c <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Inaccurate <\/span><\/button><\/div><div id=\"reaction-message\" class=\"hidden mt-8 rounded-md border border-primary-100 bg-white\/50 backdrop-blur-sm px-4 py-2 text-sm text-center shadow-sm\"><\/div><\/section><div class=\"calcdash-ad not-prose calcdash-ad--calc_result calcdash-ad--in-article\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1721569815777345\" data-ad-slot=\"6317458308\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div>\n<style id=\"wpcoderpro-inline-1\">.formula-box {\r\n\tborder-bottom: none !important;\r\n}<\/style><section class=\"formula-box\" aria-labelledby=\"formula-title\">\r\n\t<div id=\"formula-title\" class=\"not-prose font-display mb-4\"><span class=\"icon icon-formula\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2>Return on Investment (ROI) Formula<\/h2><\/div>\r\n\t<figure class=\"not-prose formula\">\r\n\t\t<figcaption class=\"formula-title\">Formula<\/figcaption>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"text-base text-gray-800\" id=\"formula\">\n\\[ ROI = \\left( \\frac{\\text{Earnings} - \\text{Investment}}{\\text{Investment}} \\right) \\times 100 \\]\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/figure>\r\n\t<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\\(ROI\\) \u2014 return on investment, expressed as a percentage<\/li>\n<li>\\(\\text{Earnings}\\) \u2014 the total value of the investment now, or the amount received after selling it<\/li>\n<li>\\(\\text{Investment}\\) \u2014 the original amount of money invested (the cost basis)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The formula subtracts the initial investment from the earnings to obtain the net profit (or loss), then divides it by the initial investment to show how large the gain was relative to the capital committed. Multiplying by 100 converts the result into a percentage.<\/p>\n<p>\r\n<\/section>\n<style id=\"wpcoderpro-inline-459\">.calculation-box {\r\n\tborder-bottom: none !important;\r\n}<\/style><section id=\"calculation\" class=\"calculation-box\" aria-labelledby=\"calculation-title\">\r\n\t<div id=\"calculation-title\" class=\"not-prose font-display\"><span class=\"icon icon-unordered-list\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2>Return on Investment \u2013 Calculation Example<\/h2><\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> you invested $10,000 in a small project and later sold your stake for $12,000.<\/p>\n<p>\\[ ROI = \\left( \\frac{12{,}000 - 10{,}000}{10{,}000} \\right) \\times 100 = \\left( \\frac{2{,}000}{10{,}000} \\right) \\times 100 = 20\\% \\]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result:<\/strong> your return on investment is <strong>20%<\/strong> \u2014 a net profit of $2,000 on a $10,000 investment.<\/p>\n<p>\n\r\n<\/section>\n<h2>How to Use the ROI Calculator<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Enter the <strong>Initial Investment<\/strong> \u2014 the original amount of money you put into the project, stock, property or business.<\/li>\n<li>Enter the <strong>Return Amount (Earnings)<\/strong> \u2014 the total value of the investment today, or the full amount you received when you sold it. This is not just the profit; include the original capital in the total.<\/li>\n<li>Read the result: the calculator instantly displays your <strong>Return on Investment<\/strong> as a percentage, rounded to two decimal places.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A positive percentage means the investment made money; a negative percentage means it lost money. If the initial investment is zero or negative, the calculator shows an error, because ROI is undefined without a positive cost basis.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is Return on Investment?<\/h2>\n<p>Return on investment (ROI) is one of the most widely used measures of profitability in finance. It answers a simple question: for every dollar I put in, how many dollars did I get back? Because the answer is expressed as a percentage, ROI makes it possible to compare investments of very different sizes \u2014 a $500 side project and a $50,000 real-estate purchase can be judged on the same scale.<\/p>\n<p>ROI is used everywhere in financial decision-making. Businesses use it to compare marketing campaigns, equipment purchases and expansion projects. Individual investors use it to evaluate stocks, funds, rental properties or even the payoff from education. Whenever you need to justify spending money with an expected return, ROI is the standard first-pass metric.<\/p>\n<p>Interpreting the result is straightforward in direction but context-dependent in magnitude. A 20% ROI is excellent for a savings account, merely good for a stock portfolio, and unremarkable for a risky startup. The right benchmark depends on the asset class, the risk taken and the time period. Note also that a total ROI says nothing about <em>how long<\/em> the money was tied up: 20% in one year is far better than 20% over a decade. When time matters, annualized ROI or the internal rate of return is a better tool \u2014 see our <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/finance\/required-rate-of-return\/\">Required Rate of Return Calculator<\/a> to find the minimum return an investment must offer to be worthwhile.<\/p>\n<h2>Assumptions, Limitations and Tips<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>ROI ignores time.<\/strong> The formula treats a gain over one month and a gain over ten years identically. For long investment horizons, compare annualized returns instead.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ROI ignores risk.<\/strong> A higher ROI does not automatically mean a better investment if it comes with much greater chance of loss. Weigh both together.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Count all costs and all earnings.<\/strong> For an accurate figure, include fees, commissions, taxes and any additional contributions in the investment, and include dividends, interest or rental income in the earnings. Omitting these is the most common source of misleading ROI numbers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The earnings figure is a total value, not a profit.<\/strong> If you sold an asset for $12,000 after buying it for $10,000, enter 12,000 \u2014 the calculator subtracts the investment itself. Entering only the $2,000 profit would overstate the ROI.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ROI can't handle zero investment.<\/strong> The division requires a positive initial investment; the calculator will show an error otherwise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For related analysis, the <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/finance\/profitability-index\/\">Profitability Index Calculator<\/a> compares the present value of future cash flows to the initial outlay \u2014 useful when returns arrive over several years. If you are evaluating investments within a long-term savings goal, the <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/finance\/retirement-planner\/\">Retirement Planner Calculator<\/a> can help you see how today's ROI translates into future wealth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Calculate the return on investment (ROI) of any project or asset in seconds. Enter your initial investment and total earnings to see your profit or loss as a percentage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[30],"class_list":["post-409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-finance","tag-mortgage"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67549,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409\/revisions\/67549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}