Someone promises “1% a day” or “8% a week”, and the number looks small. Enter the promised rate, how often it is paid and the amount you would put in. The calculator compounds it for one year and shows the balance after a year, the annual rate, how many times the starting amount that is, and how long it would take to double.
What 1% a day comes to when compounded for a year
At 1% a day, with each day's return added back in for 365 days, the starting amount becomes about 37.8 times as large, an annual rate of about 3,678%. Mental arithmetic tends to give 1% × 365 = 365%; that is the figure when the daily return is not reinvested. A scheme that says it pays every day and lets the payout keep rolling is describing the compounded kind.
The calculator uses one formula: balance after a year = principal × (1 + rate per period)number of periods, with 365 periods for daily, 52 for weekly and 12 for monthly. “Time to double” is the same formula solved for the number of periods. Using it: 8% a week compounded for 52 weeks comes to about 54.7 times the starting amount, and 1% a day compounded doubles in about 70 days.
They say it's simple interest, not compound: how far apart are the numbers?
Take 1% a day again. As simple interest it is 365% a year, and the starting amount becomes 4.65 times as large; compounded, it is about 37.8 times. The two are far apart, so first ask which one they mean, and then ask where that 1% a day comes from.
What the result can't tell you
It answers one question: what the numbers would be if this rate really held for a year. It can't tell you whether a project is a scam or whether the money can be withdrawn, and it is not investment advice. Once you have the figure, compare your situation with these pages:
- Someone you met online is taking you to a platform to invest: see Pig Butchering Scams: 7 Stages and What You Can Check.
- An online “job” pays commissions and then asks you to deposit before the next task: see Task Scams: When an Online Job Asks You to Deposit.
- The promise comes with “guaranteed”, “capital protected” or a deadline: run the scam self-check.
- You have already paid in: go to Scammed in Crypto? What to Do and Where to Report It.