Term Deposit Ladder Calculator

This calculator works out the returns from a term deposit ladder, a New Zealand savings strategy that splits one lump sum across several term deposits maturing at different times rather than locking it all away in a single term. You enter the total amount you want to invest, how many rungs you want in your ladder, the number of months between each rung's maturity, and the annual interest rate you expect to earn. The calculator divides your total equally across the rungs, gives each one a progressively longer term based on your spacing, and works out the interest earned on every rung using simple interest for its term. It returns the total interest across the whole ladder before tax, the amount invested per rung, and a breakdown table showing each rung's amount, term in months, and interest earned. This helps you see how laddering spreads out your access to cash, with a portion maturing every few months while the rest keeps earning, rather than locking everything into one long-term deposit. Because the figures use a single rate for simplicity, remember that longer terms often pay slightly more in practice, and resident withholding tax will reduce your actual return. As each rung matures, reinvesting it at your longest term keeps the ladder rolling. Treat the results as an indicative estimate for planning your savings strategy, not financial advice.

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This applies your single rate across each rung for its term, on a simple basis, before tax. In practice longer terms often pay slightly higher rates, and resident withholding tax applies to interest. As each rung matures you can reinvest at the longest term to keep the ladder going. Estimate only, not financial advice.