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Expense Ratio Calculator

Turn fund expense ratios into money: compare long-term balances, add holdings for a weighted annual cost, or calculate a fund’s rate from its accounts.

Live resultUSD 14,197.34Ending balance differenceView results ↑

Your inputs

Choose a fee task. Compare over time uses a hypothetical gross return; the portfolio mode uses today’s balances for a static annual estimate. Fund-rate mode uses fund-wide accounting amounts.

USD amounts; no exchange conversion. Use 1,234.56 number format.

Each mode calculates a different fee task.
$
Current amount invested.
$/month
Added at month end.
years
Whole years, 1–60.
%
Hypothetical return before fees. Do not deduct fees twice.
%
Enter 0.10 for 0.10%, not 10.
%
Other assumptions stay identical.

Examples are editable. Use a decimal point and commas only for thousands, such as 1,250.5.

Results

Live
Ending balance differenceUSD 14,197.34Fund B minus Fund A · same gross return
Fund A ending balanceUSD 106,858.221% annual expense ratio
Fund B ending balanceUSD 121,055.550.1% annual expense ratio
Fund A fees deductedUSD 10,208.41total balance impact: USD 15,900.87
Fund B fees deductedUSD 1,104.28total balance impact: USD 1,703.53
Zero-fee comparisonUSD 122,759.08USD 58,000.00 total contributions

Long-term comparisons use identical assumed gross returns. Portfolio annual costs hold balances fixed. These answer different questions; actual funds can differ in holdings, risks and returns.

Balances over time

Same deposits and gross return; different ongoing fees. Balance scale starts at zero.

USD 122,759.08Balance
Year 0Year 20
  • Fund A: USD 106,858.22
  • Fund B: USD 121,055.55
  • Zero fee: USD 122,759.08

The table and CSV below use these same year-end balances. Fees deducted and the total effect on growth are listed separately.

Complete the inputs to update the chart.

What this result includes

Constant hypothetical returns, fees and month-end contributions. No tax, sales loads, trading charges, advisory fees, inflation, fee waivers or market volatility. A prospectus expense ratio may not include every investor cost. No live fund data or investment recommendation.

Breakdown reflects the current valid inputs.Breakdown unavailable. Correct the highlighted inputs to update.

Year-by-year fund fee comparison

USD. Start USD 10,000.00; month-end contribution USD 200.00; gross effective annual return 6%; A expense ratio 1%; B 0.1%. Monthly approximation: balance × (1 + annual return)^(1/12) × (1 − annual fee)^(1/12), then contribution. Fees are deducted after growth and before deposits. No taxes, other charges or inflation. Fees-to-date are deductions; balance impact also includes their effect on growth.

Year-by-year fund fee comparison
YearTotal contributionsFund A balanceFund A fees to dateFund B balanceFund B fees to dateZero-fee balanceB minus A
1USD 12,400.00USD 12,947.87USD 114.47USD 13,053.56USD 11.45USD 13,065.31USD 105.70
2USD 14,800.00USD 16,041.36USD 259.37USD 16,287.10USD 26.04USD 16,314.53USD 245.75
3USD 17,200.00USD 19,287.67USD 436.20USD 19,711.23USD 43.98USD 19,758.71USD 423.56
4USD 19,600.00USD 22,694.35USD 646.53USD 23,337.17USD 65.45USD 23,409.54USD 642.83
5USD 22,000.00USD 26,269.31USD 892.03USD 27,176.83USD 90.66USD 27,279.41USD 907.52
6USD 24,400.00USD 30,020.88USD 1,174.42USD 31,242.80USD 119.84USD 31,381.48USD 1,221.91
7USD 26,800.00USD 33,957.78USD 1,495.54USD 35,548.41USD 153.21USD 35,729.68USD 1,590.63
8USD 29,200.00USD 38,089.17USD 1,857.30USD 40,107.80USD 191.03USD 40,338.76USD 2,018.63
9USD 31,600.00USD 42,424.64USD 2,261.69USD 44,935.91USD 233.55USD 45,224.40USD 2,511.28
10USD 34,000.00USD 46,974.28USD 2,710.84USD 50,048.60USD 281.06USD 50,403.17USD 3,074.32
11USD 36,400.00USD 51,748.68USD 3,206.94USD 55,462.63USD 333.84USD 55,892.66USD 3,713.95
12USD 38,800.00USD 56,758.93USD 3,752.33USD 61,195.76USD 392.21USD 61,711.53USD 4,436.83
13USD 41,200.00USD 62,016.69USD 4,349.43USD 67,266.80USD 456.50USD 67,879.52USD 5,250.11
14USD 43,600.00USD 67,534.18USD 5,000.79USD 73,695.67USD 527.06USD 74,417.60USD 6,161.49
15USD 46,000.00USD 73,324.23USD 5,709.11USD 80,503.46USD 604.25USD 81,347.96USD 7,179.22
16USD 48,400.00USD 79,400.32USD 6,477.19USD 87,712.49USD 688.47USD 88,694.15USD 8,312.18
17USD 50,800.00USD 85,776.56USD 7,307.98USD 95,346.43USD 780.13USD 96,481.10USD 9,569.87
18USD 53,200.00USD 92,467.79USD 8,204.59USD 103,430.31USD 879.67USD 104,735.27USD 10,962.53
19USD 55,600.00USD 99,489.56USD 9,170.26USD 111,990.66USD 987.56USD 113,484.69USD 12,501.10
20USD 58,000.00USD 106,858.22USD 10,208.41USD 121,055.55USD 1,104.28USD 122,759.08USD 14,197.34

Reference formulas and worked examples below keep their stated units. Monetary examples use USD; dimensional examples use US customary units unless labeled otherwise. Metric calculator inputs are converted to these reference units before calculation. Choosing another currency does not convert example amounts or exchange money.

How to use this expense ratio calculator

Choose a fee task. Compare over time uses a hypothetical gross return; the portfolio mode uses today’s balances for a static annual estimate. Fund-rate mode uses fund-wide accounting amounts.

How the calculation works

For a portfolio, multiply each holding’s value by its expense ratio / 100 and add the costs. Divide total annual cost by total value to get the weighted rate. At 6,000 with 0.1% and 4,000 with 0.5%, annual cost is 26 and the weighted ratio is 0.26%. This static estimate does not include compounding. Fund-rate mode divides annual operating expenses by average net assets for the same reporting period.

Expense ratios express annual fund operating costs as a percentage. Find the stated ratio in the fund prospectus. On an unchanged 10,000 balance, 1% corresponds to 100 per year and 0.10% to 10.

This scenario spreads a constant gross annual return r into monthly factors (1 + r)^(1/12). For annual expense ratio e, its modeled monthly fee fraction is 1 − (1 − e)^(1/12). Use decimal r and e in these formulas.

Each month: grow the opening balance, deduct the modeled fee from that grown balance, then add the end-of-month contribution. Repeat for each fund and a zero-fee comparison. This explicit monthly approximation is not an actual fund’s daily accounting method.

The yearly table separates accumulated fees from total balance impact. Impact equals the zero-fee balance minus the fund balance and includes the effect of growth on deducted fees. With negative assumed returns, that impact need not exceed the fees deducted.

Worked example

With USD 10,000, no additions and 0% gross return for one year, a 1% ratio leaves USD 9,900 in this model; 0.10% leaves USD 9,990. The difference is USD 90. Longer periods and contributions change the balances and the fees each year.

Limits and assumptions

Constant hypothetical returns, fees and month-end contributions. No tax, sales loads, trading charges, advisory fees, inflation, fee waivers or market volatility. A prospectus expense ratio may not include every investor cost. No live fund data or investment recommendation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I calculate one fund’s annual fee or a portfolio average?

Yes. Choose Annual cost & weighted portfolio rate. Use one holding for a quick annual fee, or add multiple holdings. The value-weighted rate is not the arithmetic average of fund percentages.

Where do I find a fund’s expense ratio?

Look in the fund prospectus fee table. Check whether the quoted net ratio relies on a temporary waiver and whether separate investor fees apply.

Are published fund returns before fees?

Many published returns already reflect ongoing fund expenses. This input requires a hypothetical return before the modeled expense ratio, so costs are not deducted twice.

Does a lower ratio always mean a better investment?

It reduces costs when every other assumption is identical. This comparison does not evaluate a fund’s holdings, risk, performance or suitability.

Can I compare a fee-free option?

Yes. Set either expense ratio to zero. You can also set monthly contributions to zero.

References

SEC Investor.gov: mutual fund and ETF fees and expenses

SEC Investor.gov: how fees affect an investment portfolio