Year to Date Calculator
Enter your portfolio’s value on January 1, what it is worth now, and the net cash you added this year. The calculator strips contributions out of the gain so you see the true year-to-date return.
Net cash added = deposits minus withdrawals. Enter a negative number if you withdrew more than you deposited.
Estimates only — not financial advice. This calculator gives approximate figures for planning. It is not financial, tax, or legal advice; check with a qualified professional before making decisions.
How the year to date return calculator works
“Year to date” (YTD) measures performance from January 1 through today. The trap most investors fall into: they compare the current balance with the January balance and call the difference their return — but that difference includes every deposit they made. This calculator subtracts your net cash contributions first, so the remaining gain is the market’s doing, not yours.
The return percentage is the gain divided by the money that was actually exposed to the market: the start-of-year value plus your contributions. If that base is zero — say you started the year with nothing and added nothing — there is no meaningful return to compute, and the calculator says so.
gain = current − start − contributions · return = gain ÷ (start + contributions)
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Year to date calculator FAQ
What does “year to date” mean?
Year to date (YTD) covers the period from January 1 of the current year through today. A YTD return tells you how your investments have performed so far this calendar year.
How is YTD return calculated?
Take the current value, subtract the January 1 value, subtract any net cash you added, and divide by the January 1 value plus contributions. That strips out deposits so only market performance counts.
Do deposits count as return?
No — and that is the whole point of the adjustment. Money you deposited did not grow in the market; counting it would inflate your return. Withdrawals are handled symmetrically.
YTD vs annualized return: what is the difference?
YTD covers just the current year so far, while an annualized return smooths performance into a per-year rate over multiple years. In October, a 10% YTD return is not the same as a 10% annual return.
Why is my YTD return negative?
The market value of your holdings fell by more than your contributions added. A negative return simply means your invested dollars lost value since January 1 — before any new deposits.