A loan calculator estimates the payment required to repay borrowed money over a fixed term — plus the total interest, the total paid, and the payoff date. For a fixed-rate amortized loan, each payment includes interest plus principal, and extra payments reduce the principal, which can lower total interest and shorten the payoff time.
Quick answers
What is a loan calculator?
A loan calculator estimates the payment required to repay borrowed money over a fixed term, along with the total interest, the total amount paid, and the payoff date. This one also models extra payments, interest-only and balloon loans, deferred lump-sum loans, and bond/present-value calculations, with any payment frequency and compounding, and it builds a full amortization schedule.
How is a loan payment calculated?
For a fixed-rate amortized loan the payment is M = P × i(1+i)ⁿ ÷ ((1+i)ⁿ − 1), where P is the amount borrowed, i is the interest rate per payment period, and n is the number of payments. Each payment covers the interest due first, and the rest reduces the principal, so the balance falls to zero by the end of the term.
How do extra payments change payoff time?
Extra payments reduce the outstanding principal directly. Because interest is charged on the balance, a lower balance means less interest accrues every following period, so the loan is repaid sooner and total interest falls. Extra principal paid early saves the most. This calculator shows the new payoff date, the months saved, and the interest saved versus the original schedule.
What is the difference between APR and the interest rate?
The interest rate is the base cost of borrowing and is what drives the payment and the amortization schedule. The APR (annual percentage rate) folds the interest rate together with certain lender fees into one yearly figure, so it is a better number for comparing offers. This calculator uses the interest rate; if you enter the rate without fees, the result is a principal-plus-interest estimate.
Does payment frequency affect total interest?
It can. Paying more often — for example biweekly instead of monthly — can lower total interest because the balance is reduced more frequently and, with many biweekly plans, you make the equivalent of one extra monthly payment a year. The exact effect depends on how the lender compounds interest and applies payments, so confirm the terms before assuming a saving.
What is an interest-only loan?
On an interest-only loan you pay only the interest for a set period, so the balance does not fall. After that period you either start repaying principal or a balloon payment for the full balance comes due. Interest-only payments are lower at first but you build no equity, and the eventual principal or balloon must still be repaid or refinanced.
What is a balloon payment?
A balloon payment is a large, one-time payment due at the end of a loan term. Balloon loans keep periodic payments low — often by amortizing over a longer schedule than the loan term — and leave a big remaining balance, the balloon, payable at maturity. They carry refinancing and payment risk, because that lump sum has to be found or refinanced.
What is a deferred payment loan?
A deferred payment loan makes no periodic payments during the term. Interest compounds on the balance and a single lump sum — the original amount plus all accrued interest — is due at maturity. This calculator computes that maturity amount as P × (1 + r/c)^(c·t), or P·eʳᵗ for continuous compounding. It is not an ordinary monthly-repayment loan.
How accurate is this loan calculator?
For a fixed-rate loan the math is exact given the amount, rate, term, frequency, and compounding you enter, and the final payment is trimmed so a fully amortizing loan ends at exactly zero. Real lender figures can differ because of fees, APR, payment-timing rules, day-count conventions, and rounding, so treat it as a close estimate and confirm with your lender.