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IRR Calculator

Calculate IRR and NPV for multi-year cash flows (up to 10 years) and benchmark against the S&P 500 or your own hurdle rate.

✓ Tested formula & cited sources Checked against independent sources · Oct 11, 2026 Private: runs in your browser

This is the cash you invest upfront. It will be treated as a negative cash flow (outflow).

Used to calculate Net Present Value. If left blank, only IRR is calculated. Typically your required rate of return or WACC.

Net cash flow in Year 1. Can be positive (income) or negative (additional investment).

Results

Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

19.71%

IRR is the discount rate at which this project's cash flows break even — compare it to your required return or cost of capital, not to zero. A high IRR on a tiny investment can matter less than a modest IRR on a large one, so weigh it alongside the payback period and total cash generated, not alone.

Net Present Value (NPV)
$29,078.68
Total Cash Inflows (Years 1+)
$175,000
Net Return (All Cash Flows, Undiscounted)
$75,000
Payback Period
3.3 years

The formula

NPV = Σ CFt / (1+r)^t = 0 (solve for r)

IRR
Internal Rate of Return
NPV
Net Present Value
r
Discount Rate

Worked example — Initial Investment (Year 0) 100000, Discount Rate / Cost of Capital (for NPV) 10 %, Year 1 Cash Flow 25000, Year 2 Cash Flow 30000

Internal Rate of Return (IRR) = 19.71%

Full explanation ↓

How IRR Calculator Works

NPV = Σ CFt / (1+r)^t = 0 (solve for r)

IRR is the discount rate that makes the Net Present Value (NPV) of all cash flows equal to zero. It represents the annualized rate of return you earn on your investment, accounting for the timing of each cash flow. The calculator solves for the rate numerically (scanning for where NPV changes sign, then bisecting), because no closed-form solution exists in general. This finds every IRR in the range -99% to 100,000% and cannot converge to the wrong one.

IRR
Internal Rate of Return — The annualized return rate. Compare to your cost of capital (WACC). If IRR > WACC, the investment creates value. If IRR < WACC, the investment destroys value.
NPV
Net Present Value — The total value of the investment in today's dollars. Positive NPV means the investment exceeds your required return rate. NPV is considered the more theoretically sound metric by finance academics.
r
Discount Rate — Your required rate of return (or WACC). NPV > 0 when IRR > discount rate. The discount rate represents your opportunity cost — the return you could earn on a comparable investment.
IRR is the discount rate that makes the net present value of all cash flows equal to zero - the breakeven return rate that determines whether an investment creates value

Understanding the Result

The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is one of the most widely used metrics in corporate finance, private equity, and real estate investment analysis. It represents the annualized effective compounded return rate that makes the net present value of all cash flows from a particular investment equal to zero. Unlike simple return metrics (ROI), IRR accounts for the time value of money by weighting earlier cash flows more heavily than later ones.

This makes it particularly useful for comparing investments with different time horizons and cash flow patterns. The calculator solves for the rate numerically, since no general closed-form solution exists for polynomials of degree 5 or higher. When evaluating investments, the general rule is: accept projects where IRR exceeds the cost of capital, and reject those where it falls below. However, IRR has limitations — it assumes interim cash flows are reinvested at the same rate, and multiple IRRs can exist when cash flows change direction more than once.

In these cases, NPV analysis is considered more theoretically sound.

How to Use

  1. Enter your initial investment (Year 0 cash outflow) — treated as a negative cash flow.
  2. Add expected cash inflows for each future year up to 10 periods. You can skip later years by leaving them blank.
  3. Optionally enter a discount rate or cost of capital to calculate NPV alongside IRR.
  4. Compare the computed IRR against your required rate of return or WACC to determine if the investment creates value.
  5. A positive NPV and IRR above your cost of capital indicates a value-creating investment. If they disagree, trust NPV.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good IRR?
A "good" IRR depends on your cost of capital and risk tolerance. As a general rule: IRR > 15% is strong for most business investments; IRR > 20% is a high-return target common in private equity; IRR > WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital) means the investment is creating value. For real estate, 8–12% IRR is typically considered good. For venture capital, target IRRs of 25–30%+ are common due to the high failure rate of individual investments.
What is the difference between IRR and ROI?
ROI measures total return as a percentage of investment without accounting for time. IRR accounts for the timing of cash flows — a dollar received in Year 1 is worth more than a dollar received in Year 5. IRR is a more accurate measure for multi-year investments. For example, an investment that doubles your money in 2 years has an IRR of ~41%, while the same return in 10 years has an IRR of ~7% — but both have an ROI of 100%.
When can IRR be misleading?
IRR assumes interim cash flows are reinvested at the same IRR rate, which may not be realistic. For projects with multiple sign changes in cash flows (e.g., years with negative cash flows after positive ones), multiple IRRs may exist. In these cases, Modified IRR (MIRR) or NPV analysis is preferred. Also, IRR can be misleading for comparing mutually exclusive projects of different sizes — a small project with high IRR may create less total value than a large project with moderate IRR.

Common Uses

  • •Evaluate a potential investment by calculating the annualized return rate that makes all future cash flows equal to the initial outlay.
  • •Compare multiple investment opportunities with different cash flow patterns and time horizons using a single standardized return metric.
  • •Determine whether a project or acquisition creates value by comparing its IRR against your cost of capital or hurdle rate.

Sources

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Cite this calculator

TheCalcUniverse. "IRR Calculator — Internal Rate of Return with NPV (Free)." TheCalcUniverse, 2026, https://thecalcuniverse.com/finance/irr-calculator/. Accessed October 25, 2026.

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