About the XIRR Calculator
XIRR (extended internal rate of return) is the annualised return on a series of cash flows that happen on different dates and in different amounts. It is the fairest way to measure how an investment really performed when you added money at several points, took some out, and want one yearly percentage — for example a mutual fund SIP with missed or extra instalments, a brokerage account with top-ups, or a private investment with staggered capital calls.
Enter one cash flow per line as a date and an amount. Money you invest is negative (it leaves your pocket) and money you receive — withdrawals, dividends paid out and the current value of what you still hold — is positive. The calculator then finds the single annual rate at which all those flows would net to zero, the same result Excel and Google Sheets give with =XIRR().
Absolute return (total gain ÷ total invested) ignores how long each amount was invested; XIRR accounts for it, so money added last month does not dilute or inflate the result. You need at least one negative and one positive amount.
With the default inputs, the xirr (annualised return) is 10.68%. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the xirr calculator
- 1List every investment on its own line as “YYYY-MM-DD, -amount”.
- 2Add any withdrawals or payouts as positive amounts on their dates.
- 3Add the current value of the investment as a positive amount on today’s (valuation) date.
- 4Read the XIRR — your effective annual return — and compare it with the absolute return.
Formula and method
XIRR is the discount rate that makes the net present value of all cash flows equal to zero. Each cash flow Cᵢ is discounted by (1 + rate) raised to the number of years between its date dᵢ and the first date d₀, using a 365-day year exactly as Excel’s XIRR does. There is no closed-form solution, so the calculator searches for the rate numerically with a bisection method until the sum is effectively zero.
Invested amounts are negative and money received (including the current market value on the last date) is positive. If the flows change sign more than once there can in rare cases be more than one valid rate; the calculator returns the one it finds between −99.99% and very high positive rates.
- Cᵢ
- Cash flow i (negative = invested, positive = received)
- dᵢ
- Date of cash flow i
- d₀
- Date of the first cash flow
- XIRR
- Annualised internal rate of return
Worked examples
Three investments and a final value
You invested 10,000, 5,000 and 5,000 at different dates and the holding is worth 23,500 two years after the first purchase. The absolute gain is 17.5%, but because much of the money was invested for less than two years, the annualised XIRR is about 10.68%.
One year, single investment
With one investment held for exactly 365 days, XIRR equals the simple return: 6,000 ÷ 50,000 = 12%.
Contributions with a partial withdrawal
Three 2,000 contributions, a 1,500 withdrawal and a final value of 5,600 give a net gain of 1,100 (18.3% absolute). Taking timing into account, the annualised XIRR is about 11.04%.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between XIRR and CAGR?+
CAGR measures growth between one starting value and one ending value. XIRR handles many cash flows on irregular dates, so it is the right measure for SIPs, top-ups and withdrawals. With a single investment and no other flows the two are the same.
Why should investments be entered as negative numbers?+
XIRR is based on cash flows from your point of view: money leaving your pocket is negative and money coming back is positive. At least one of each sign is needed, otherwise no rate can make the total zero.
How do I calculate XIRR for a mutual fund SIP?+
Enter each SIP instalment date with the amount as a negative, then add the current value of your units on today’s date as a positive number. The result is the annualised return your fund statement usually reports as XIRR.
Does this match Excel’s XIRR function?+
Yes. It uses the same definition — discounting each flow by (1 + rate)^(days ÷ 365) from the first date — so results match =XIRR(values, dates) in Excel or Google Sheets to within rounding.
Why is my XIRR so high for a short period?+
XIRR annualises the return. A 5% gain in two months compounds to roughly 34% a year, which is mathematically correct but not a reliable guide to future returns. Use absolute return for periods under a year.
Results are estimates for educational purposes and are not financial advice. Rates, fees and terms vary — confirm with your lender or a licensed advisor before making decisions.