See what a decade in a CD actually earns.
Rate is quoted as
10 years
Common terms
Compounding frequency
$25,000.00 in a 10 years CD at 3.60% APY, compounded daily, grows to $35,607.18 — that’s $10,607.18 of interest, averaging $88.39 per month.
Balance over the term
| Month | Principal | Interest | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| At opening | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | $25,000.00 |
| 2y | $25,000.00 | $1,832.40 | $26,832.40 |
| 4y | $25,000.00 | $3,799.11 | $28,799.11 |
| 6y | $25,000.00 | $5,909.97 | $30,909.97 |
| 8y | $25,000.00 | $8,175.54 | $33,175.54 |
| 10y | $25,000.00 | $10,607.18 | $35,607.18 |
Calculated in your browser using A = P(1 + r/n)nt. Nothing is sent to a server. Figures are before tax; confirm exact terms with your bank.
Formulas and content last reviewed . Bank rates change frequently — confirm current rates directly with your institution.
The short answer
A 10-year CD locks a fixed rate for a decade, and it is the term where compounding finally dominates: a $25,000 deposit at 3.60% APY earns $10,607.18 and matures at $35,607.18, with more than $1,600 of that coming from interest earned on interest. On $100,000 the same term matures at $142,428.71. The catch is that ten-year CDs rarely pay a premium for the extra time — the rate is often below the five-year and well below the one-year. Rolling a one-year CD at 4.25% for the decade would produce $37,905.36, or $2,298.18 more, and the ten-year CD only wins if the average short rate over ten years falls below 3.60%. Inflation then takes another bite: at 2.5% a year, the $35,607.18 is worth $27,816.27 in today's money, a real gain of $2,816.27 on $25,000 across ten years. The term makes sense as insurance against a sustained low-rate decade, and for very little else.
Formula & method
A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt), t = 10
A decade of compounding. On $25,000 at 3.60% it contributes $1,607.18 above what simple interest would have paid.
Convert the 120-month rate to a decimal and divide by n.
Raise (1 + r/n) to the power n × 10.
Multiply by the deposit for the maturity value.
Subtract the deposit for the decade's total interest.
Divide by (1 + inflation)^10 to restate the result in today's money.
Guide
Type the amount or drag the slider. Over ten years the accrued interest is large enough that a deposit comfortably under $250,000 can mature above the FDIC limit.
Ten-year CDs are uncommon; the rate frequently sits below the five-year term. If it does, that is the market telling you it does not want your money for a decade.
Switch the term chip to 60 or 12 months. If the shorter terms pay more, the ten-year CD is only worth it as protection against rates falling.
Divide the maturity value by (1 + inflation) to the power ten. Over a decade this changes the answer more than the rate does.
Examples
Inputs
Result
The deposit grows by 42.4% and compounding supplies $1,607.18 of the $10,607.18 — 15.2% of the total return. This is what a decade of compounding looks like, and it is the one genuine argument for the term.
Inputs
Result
Rolling wins by $2,298.18 while short rates hold, and the ten-year CD only comes out ahead if the average one-year rate across the decade falls below 3.60%. After 2.5% inflation the real gain on $25,000 is $2,816.27 over ten years — about 1.07% a year.
Methodology
The rate is fixed for all 120 months. Ten-year CDs are almost always fixed, but callable versions exist and can be redeemed by the bank early — check before assuming the rate is yours for the decade.
The rolling comparison holds the one-year rate at 4.25% for ten consecutive years. Over a decade that is a scenario, not a forecast; it is shown to define the break-even, which is 3.60%.
Inflation is assumed at a constant 2.5%. The actual figure over ten years will differ and is the single largest source of uncertainty in the real return.
Figures are gross of tax. Ten years of ordinary-income tax on interest you cannot access is a substantial and often overlooked cost.
Conventions follow Regulation DD (12 CFR 1030), which governs how US institutions disclose APY on deposit accounts. Deposits at insured institutions are FDIC-protected up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category.
Primary sources
Details
Ten-year CDs frequently pay less than five-year ones. The term premium that ought to exist for a decade of illiquidity generally does not, because banks have limited appetite for deposits they must pay a fixed rate on for that long.
Callable CDs are common at long terms. If rates fall the bank redeems the CD and you reinvest at the lower rate; if rates rise you are locked in. The optionality runs one way, and the extra yield is the price of it.
The early withdrawal penalty is severe — commonly 365 to 730 days of interest. On $25,000 at 3.60%, a 730-day penalty is $1,800.00, so an exit at year three nets $25,998.37 against $27,798.37 held.
Ten years of accrued interest can breach FDIC coverage on its own. A $200,000 deposit at 3.60% matures at $284,857 — around $34,857 of it uninsured unless the account is restructured before then.
A Treasury note or a long ladder does the same job with more flexibility. The ten-year CD's only genuine edge is that its principal never moves in value, which matters if you might have to look at the balance rather than sell it.
How it connects
Applications
A decade at today's rate is the strongest expression of that view available in an insured product. If you are right, the $2,298.18 you appear to give up becomes a substantial gain.
For money genuinely not needed for ten years, a CD guarantees the figure. What it does not do is grow ahead of inflation by much — 1.07% a year in real terms on these numbers.
Check it against the five-year and one-year terms first. If the ten-year pays less, the extra nine years of lock-up are buying you nothing but certainty.
Related tools
FAQs
At 3.60% APY, a $25,000 deposit earns $10,607.18 and matures at $35,607.18 — a 42.4% total gain. On $100,000 the same term matures at $142,428.71. Compounding supplies 15.2% of the return.
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See the compounded maturity value, the real return after inflation, and what rolling shorter CDs would have paid instead.