DRIP Calculator
Calculate the power of dividend reinvestment and see exactly what a dividend drip calculator can tell you: how much your portfolio could be worth, how much of that growth came from reinvested dividends, and what changes when you take dividends as cash instead.
- Free to use
- No sign-up
- Year-by-year results
Investment Parameters
Results
This chart visualizes the power of dividend reinvestment over time. The green line shows portfolio growth with DRIP, the blue line shows growth without DRIP, and the gray dashed line represents your total contributions.
Year-by-Year Results
Yield on cost = dividends reinvested in that year ÷ total contributions so far. It shows how much income your original money is producing, and it rises over time even when the dividend yield you entered stays the same.
| Year | Portfolio value (with DRIP) | Portfolio value (without DRIP) | Dividends reinvested that year | Total contributions | Yield on cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $16,955.00 | $16,700.00 | $255.00 | $16,000.00 | 1.59% |
| Year 2 | $24,574.20 | $23,869.00 | $432.35 | $22,000.00 | 1.97% |
| Year 3 | $32,921.04 | $31,539.83 | $626.64 | $28,000.00 | 2.24% |
| Year 4 | $42,065.00 | $39,747.62 | $839.49 | $34,000.00 | 2.47% |
| Year 5 | $52,082.21 | $48,529.95 | $1,072.66 | $40,000.00 | 2.68% |
| Year 6 | $63,056.06 | $57,927.05 | $1,328.10 | $46,000.00 | 2.89% |
| Year 7 | $75,077.91 | $67,981.94 | $1,607.93 | $52,000.00 | 3.09% |
| Year 8 | $88,247.85 | $78,740.68 | $1,914.49 | $58,000.00 | 3.30% |
| Year 9 | $102,675.52 | $90,252.52 | $2,250.32 | $64,000.00 | 3.52% |
| Year 10 | $118,481.03 | $102,570.20 | $2,618.23 | $70,000.00 | 3.74% |
| Year 11 | $135,795.97 | $115,750.12 | $3,021.27 | $76,000.00 | 3.98% |
| Year 12 | $154,764.49 | $129,852.62 | $3,462.80 | $82,000.00 | 4.22% |
| Year 13 | $175,544.49 | $144,942.31 | $3,946.49 | $88,000.00 | 4.48% |
| Year 14 | $198,308.99 | $161,088.27 | $4,476.38 | $94,000.00 | 4.76% |
| Year 15 | $223,247.50 | $178,364.45 | $5,056.88 | $100,000.00 | 5.06% |
| Year 16 | $250,567.64 | $196,849.96 | $5,692.81 | $106,000.00 | 5.37% |
| Year 17 | $280,496.85 | $216,629.46 | $6,389.47 | $112,000.00 | 5.70% |
| Year 18 | $313,284.30 | $237,793.52 | $7,152.67 | $118,000.00 | 6.06% |
| Year 19 | $349,202.95 | $260,439.06 | $7,988.75 | $124,000.00 | 6.44% |
| Year 20 | $388,551.83 | $284,669.80 | $8,904.68 | $130,000.00 | 6.85% |
How to Read Your DRIP Returns
The calculator shows four numbers that matter. All of them come from the same inputs above — change any input and all four update together.
Final value
What your portfolio could be worth at the end of the investment period — with DRIP, and without it (dividends taken as cash). The difference between the two is the DRIP advantage.
Total contributions
Your initial investment plus every monthly contribution. This is the money you put in — everything above it is growth.
Total dividends reinvested
The sum of all dividends the calculator reinvested for you, after the tax rate you entered. Dividends you take as cash never appear here.
DRIP advantage
Final value with DRIP minus final value without DRIP. It is the extra wealth created only by reinvesting — the same dividends, the same contributions, the same return assumption.
Assumptions: the annual return and dividend yield you enter stay the same every year; monthly contributions are added during the year and start earning from the next year; tax applies to dividends only, at the rate you enter. No fees are included. Results are an illustration, not a prediction.
Understanding Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIP)
A Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) automatically reinvests cash dividends into additional shares of the same stock or fund. A dividend drip calculator — also called a drip reinvestment calculator — models that compounding for you: each dividend buys more shares, those shares pay more dividends, and the cycle repeats.
Use the calculator above to compare DRIP vs taking dividends as cash. The year-by-year table below shows the same inputs run both ways, so you can see the gap grow over time — not just the final numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a drip calc?
A drip calc is short for a DRIP calculator. You enter an initial investment, a monthly contribution, an expected return, a dividend yield, and a time horizon, and it shows what reinvesting your dividends could be worth versus taking them as cash.
How does this DRIP calculator handle monthly contributions?
Your monthly contribution is added to the portfolio during the year. It starts earning returns and dividends from the following year. The year-by-year table shows the effect, so you can see how regular contributions compound alongside reinvested dividends.
Do I pay tax on reinvested dividends?
In a taxable account, usually yes — reinvested dividends are generally taxed in the year they are paid, even though you never received the cash. Enter your dividend tax rate above and the calculator applies it. For the full picture, see our guide to tax on dividend reinvestment.
What is yield on cost, and why does it rise?
Yield on cost is the dividend you receive in a year divided by the total money you have put in so far. It rises over time because your share count grows through reinvestment while your original contributions stay fixed — the same yield on a bigger balance means more income per dollar you invested.
Are these results a prediction?
No. The return and dividend yield you enter are assumptions that stay constant for the whole period. Real returns vary every year, dividends can be cut, and fees are not included. Treat the numbers as a way to compare strategies, not as a forecast.
Is a drip calc the same as a dividend reinvestment calculator?
Yes — a drip calc, a dividend drip calculator, and a dividend reinvestment calculator are three names for the same tool. Enter your starting investment, monthly contribution, expected return, dividend yield, and time horizon, and it shows what reinvesting your dividends could be worth versus taking them as cash.
What does a dividend reinvestment calculator show you?
Four things: the final portfolio value with DRIP, the total dividends reinvested, the yield on cost in each year, and the same inputs run with dividends taken as cash — so you can see the gap DRIP creates. The year-by-year table shows how that gap grows over time.
More DRIP Calculators
- Goal calculator — work backwards from a target: how much to invest each month to reach it.
- Dividend income calculator — turn a portfolio value into monthly or annual dividend income, before and after tax.
- Comparison calculator — run two plans side by side, for example a high-dividend ETF vs a growth ETF.
- New to DRIP? Read what a Dividend Reinvestment Plan is first.
- VOO calculator with DRIP — model the S&P 500 ETF with dividends reinvested.
- Bitcoin & gold markets — live BTC and XAU prices with today's support, resistance, buy, sell and stop-loss levels.
- Bitcoin DCA calculator — buy a fixed dollar amount of BTC every month and see what it adds up to.
- SCHD calculator with DRIP — model the Schwab dividend ETF with dividends reinvested.
Ready to Start Your DRIP Journey?
Use the calculator above to plan your dividend reinvestment strategy and visualize your path to financial freedom.
Remember: The best time to start investing was yesterday. The second best time is today.