Skip to content
CentExact

Borrowing

Loan Calculator

Work out your monthly loan payment, total interest and payoff date. Add extra payments to see how much you save, and download the full amortisation schedule.

Reviewed by CentExactCalculated in your browser. Shared links include inputs.

monthly payment

$396.02

60 payments · paid off in 5 yrs

Loan
$
%

Annual rate (APR without fees).

0%25%
yrs
mos
Payment frequency
Optional
$

Goes straight to principal each period.

  • Total interest

    $3,761.48

    15.8% of everything you pay

  • Total repaid

    $23,761.48

    $20,000.00 borrowed

  • Payoff

    5 yrs

How the $396.02 payment is worked out

Payment = P × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)^−n). With your figures P = $20,000.00, r = 7% ÷ 12 = 0.5833% for each payment, and n = 60 payments, which gives $396.02.

That payment is then split. The first one charges the period rate on the opening balance: $20,000.00 × 0.5833% = $116.67 of interest, so $279.35 of it comes off what you owe and the balance ends the period at $19,720.65. Next period the same rate is charged on that smaller balance, so a little more of the identical payment goes to principal every time, and the last payment is almost all principal.

Fixed rate, fees excluded. An estimate, not financial advice, providers may calculate differently.

Principal vs interest by year
  • Principal
  • Interest
Where the money goes
  • Principal$20,000.0084%
  • Interest$3,761.4816%

Amortisation schedule

Schedule view
Yearly amortisation summary
YearPaidPrincipalInterestBalance
1$4,752.24$3,461.90$1,290.34$16,538.10
2$4,752.24$3,712.20$1,040.04$12,825.90
3$4,752.24$3,980.52$771.72$8,845.38
4$4,752.24$4,268.27$483.97$4,577.11
5$4,752.52$4,577.11$175.41$0.00

Interest is rounded to the cent each period, as lenders do, so the schedule totals can differ from a spreadsheet formula by a few cents. Formula total: $3,761.44.

A result link includes the numbers you entered. Share it only with people you want to see them.

How this is calculated

A fixed-rate loan is repaid with equal payments, and each one is split in two: the interest owed for that period, and the rest, which reduces what you still owe. The calculator takes the amount you borrow, the annual interest rate, the term and how often you pay, then works out the regular payment, the total interest over the life of the loan and the date of the final payment. Add an extra amount each period and it rebuilds the whole schedule, so you can see how much sooner the loan ends and how much interest you avoid. Each period's interest is rounded to the cent before the next one, which is how a lender's statement does it.

PaymentP × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)−n)

P
the amount borrowed
r
the interest rate per period: the annual rate divided by the payments a year
n
the total number of payments
P is the Loan amount, r comes from the Interest rate and the Payment frequency, n from Years and Months. 'How the payment is worked out' beside the result shows this with your own figures; the guide follows the opening $20,000 loan through it line by line.

What this does not include

  • Arrangement fees and APR: enter the contract rate, and a fee only counts if it is financed in the loan amount.
  • Variable or tracker rates: the rate you enter is held for the whole term.
  • Daily interest accrual and lender day-count conventions.
  • Early-repayment charges and payment holidays.

How the loan calculator works: the payment formula, step by step. Follow the amortisation formula from a $20,000 loan to its $396.02 payment, see why the last payment differs, and what extra payments and the term change.

CentExactCalculator publisher

CentExact publishes the calculation method, worked examples and available data sources. Automated checks cover reference calculations; they do not certify a result for your circumstances or imply approval by a lender or tax authority.

How we build and test our calculators

This calculator is for general information only and is not financial advice. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter and the stated formula; lenders and providers may round or calculate differently. Check any decision with the institution involved or a qualified adviser.