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Amortization Calculator (Loan Schedule)

Full amortization schedule for any fixed-rate loan. See monthly P+I, total interest, payoff time, and savings from extra payments.

FINANCE

This amortization calculator turns any fixed-rate loan - mortgage, auto, or student - into a month-by-month payment plan. It shows your monthly principal-plus-interest payment, the lifetime interest cost, and a year-by-year breakdown of how the balance falls. Add an optional extra monthly payment to see how much faster you pay off and how much interest you save.

The math behind every amortization schedule is M = P × r(1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n - 1), where P is the loan amount, r is the monthly rate (APR ÷ 12), and n is total months. Example: a $400,000 mortgage at 7% APR over 30 years gives r = 0.005833 and n = 360, producing M ≈ $2,661.21. Over the full term you pay back about $958,000 - meaning $558,000 of interest on the original $400k. Add $200 extra principal per month and the loan ends in roughly 24 years, saving close to $100,000 in interest.

Disclaimer: Educational estimate only. Real US loans may include escrow, PMI, origination fees, and rate-lock terms not modeled here - contact your lender for an exact payoff quote and binding amortization schedule.

Amortization Calculator (Loan Schedule)

Build a full amortization schedule for any fixed-rate loan - mortgage, auto, or student. See how each payment splits between interest and principal, and how extra payments shorten the term.

Original principal borrowed.
Fixed annual rate. Current 30-yr mortgage ~7%, auto ~8%, federal student ~6.5%.
Common: 30 for mortgage, 5-7 for auto, 10 for student.
Optional. Applied to principal each month. Set 0 for standard schedule.
Monthly Payment (P+I)
$2,661.21
Total Interest (No Extra)$558,036
Total Interest (With Extra)$558,036
Payoff Time30 yr
Interest Saved$0
Total Cost (Principal + Interest)$958,036
Principal + interest. Taxes and insurance not included.

Year-by-Year Schedule

YearPrincipalInterestEnd Balance
1$4,063$27,871$395,937
2$4,357$27,578$391,580
3$4,672$27,263$386,908
4$5,010$26,925$381,898
5$5,372$26,563$376,526
6$5,760$26,174$370,766
7$6,177$25,758$364,590
8$6,623$25,311$357,967
9$7,102$24,833$350,865
10$7,615$24,319$343,250

How Amortization Works

Amortization spreads a fixed-rate loan into equal monthly payments using M = P × r(1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n - 1), where P is principal, r is the monthly rate (APR ÷ 12), and n is total months. On a $400,000 mortgage at 7% for 30 years, M ≈ $2,661. Each month, interest = remaining balance × r, principal = M - interest, and the balance drops by that principal amount. The math guarantees the loan reaches zero exactly at month n.

Early payments are mostly interest because the balance is highest at the start. On that $400k loan, month 1 sends about $2,333 to interest and only $328 to principal. By year 15 the split flips and most of each payment finally chips at principal. This back-loaded equity buildup is why selling a home in the first 5-7 years often returns very little appreciation after closing costs - you barely paid down the loan.

Extra principal payments shorten the term dramatically because they kill future interest. Adding just $200/month to a 7% 30-yr $400k mortgage pays it off in roughly 24 years and saves about $100k in interest. The biweekly trick (half payment every 2 weeks = 13 full payments per year) gives a similar effect. Compare against investing instead: if you can earn more after-tax than your loan rate, invest. Mortgage interest is deductible only on loans up to $750k under TCJA, which lowers the effective rate further.

Educational tool only. Real loans may include escrow, PMI, or origination fees not modeled here. Contact your lender for an exact payoff quote and official amortization schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is amortization?
Amortization is the process of paying off a fixed-rate loan through equal periodic payments where each payment covers the interest accrued that period plus a chunk of principal. Because interest is calculated on the remaining balance, early payments are mostly interest and later payments are mostly principal. The schedule is designed so the balance hits zero exactly when the final scheduled payment lands. Standard US mortgages, auto loans, and federal student loans all use this structure - revolving products like credit cards and HELOCs in their draw phase do not.
How does the monthly payment formula work?
The formula is M = P × r(1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n - 1), where P is the principal, r is the monthly interest rate (APR ÷ 12), and n is the total number of monthly payments. For a $400,000 mortgage at 7% APR over 30 years: r = 0.07/12 = 0.005833 and n = 360, yielding M ≈ $2,661.21. The formula comes from the present-value-of-annuity equation - it solves for the fixed payment that, when discounted at rate r, exactly equals the loan balance today. Change any of P, r, or n and the payment moves predictably.
Why is most of my early payment going to interest?
Because interest each month equals your remaining balance times the monthly rate, and the balance is highest at the start. On a $400,000 7% mortgage, month 1 interest is $400,000 × 0.005833 ≈ $2,333, so only about $328 of the $2,661 payment reduces principal. As the balance drops, the interest portion shrinks and the principal portion grows. The split flips around year 15 on a 30-year loan. This back-loaded equity buildup is why selling within the first 5 to 7 years usually returns little after closing costs - you have barely dented the principal.
How much can extra payments save me?
A lot, especially early in the loan. On a $400,000 30-year mortgage at 7%, adding $200 per month to principal pays the loan off in roughly 24 years instead of 30, saving about $100,000 in lifetime interest. Adding $500 per month cuts the term to about 20 years and saves around $185,000. The biweekly trick - paying half the monthly amount every two weeks - produces 13 full payments per year and shaves roughly 5 to 6 years off a 30-year loan. Earlier extra dollars save more because they kill the most future interest.
Should I make extra payments or invest the difference?
Compare your after-tax mortgage rate to the realistic after-tax return on investing. At 7% with no deduction, paying down the loan gives a guaranteed 7% return - hard to beat after tax. But if you itemize and your loan is under the TCJA $750,000 cap, mortgage interest is deductible, dropping the effective rate to roughly 5 to 5.5% for a 24% bracket borrower. A long-horizon S&P 500 index fund has historically returned about 7% real after tax, so investing can edge out paydown - but with volatility risk. Many people split the difference: pay extra when rates exceed 6 to 7%, invest when below.