Amortization Schedule
Have you been looking for an amortization schedule to handle a loan feature that other web calculators can't accommodate?
If so, then this is the calculator for you. Scroll down the page, and below the calculator, you'll find all the options and features explained.
If, on the other hand, what you want is a quick schedule, then here is all you need to do...
Steps for a Quick Payment Schedule
Amortization Schedule
- Create printable amortization schedules with due dates
- Calculate loan payment amount or other unknowns
- Supports 9 types of amortization.
- User can set loan date and first payment due date independently.
- Leave all inputs and setting set to their defaults
- Enter the "Loan Amount"
- Enter expected "Number of Payments"
- Enter the "Annual Interest Rate"
- Set "Payment Amount" to "0" (the unknown)
- Click either "Calc" or "Print Preview" for your schedule
That's it! That's all you need to do to create a standard loan schedule.
But what if the terms of your loan do not conform to this calculator's default settings? Or what if you want to know what amortization method will save you the most in interest charges?
Info...
Click, copy, paste this URL to save the inputs for yourself or to share with others.
This custom URL updates when you click the "Calc", "Clear" or "Schedule" buttons. Paste it into a browser's address bar to reload.
What is amortization?
Quickly Select a Date
According to Wikipedia "Amortization refers to the process of paying off a debt (often from a loan or mortgage) over time through regular payments. A portion of each payment is for interest while the remaining amount is applied towards the principal balance."
Further, "an amortization schedule is a table detailing each periodic payment on an amortizing loan (typically a mortgage), as generated by an amortization calculator."
(To be technical here, I take issue with the use of the word "regular" as used in the definition. I prefer "periodic" or "recurring" instead. Perhaps I should edit the entry?)
That's what amortization is, but the definition does not address, naturally, the different methods used for calculating an amortization schedule.
This calculator does!
It supports the following nine amortization types.
- Normal Amortization
- Rule-of-78s Payment Table
- Interest Only Payment Schedules
- No Interest Loan Schedules
- Fixed Principal Amortization
- Canadian Loan Schedule
- Amortization with Points & Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
- Loan Schedule with Final Balloon Payment
- Negative Amortization
You'll find each method discussed below.
But, before we discuss how to create the various loan tables, I need to point out some essential options impacting the initial period's interest calculations.
About Dates, First Period Interest & Year-End Totals
Important Note About Dates: This calculator supports variable length first periods. That is, the calculator calculates the exact amount of interest due even when the initial period is shorter or longer than the other scheduled periods. Supporting odd length first periods results in more accurate calculations, but you'll see interest charges that do not match other calculators. If you want to match other calculators, then set the "Loan Date" and "1st Payment Date" so that they equal one full period as selected in "Payment Frequency." Example: If the "Loan Date" is May 15th and the "Payment Frequency" is "Monthly," then the "1st Payment Date" should be set to June 15th, that is IF you want a conventional interest calculation.
Click on "Settings" for "Long / Short Period Options"
Long first period
A long first period occurs when the period between the loan date and the first payment date is longer than the selected payment frequency. The calculator can calculate the interest due for these extra or odd days in one of four ways.
- None - free money! No interest calculated on the odd days
- With first - odd day interest paid with first payment due. Payment will be larger than the other periodic payments.
- With origination - odd day interest is due when the loan originates - commonly known as "prepaid interest"
- Amortized - a small amount of odd day interest is paid with each payment. The calculator increases all payments to be equal.
Short first period
A short first period occurs when the period between the loan date and the first payment date is shorter than the selected payment frequency. The calculator can calculate the interest due for the short period in one of three ways.
- No payment reduction - the calculator calculates what is considered to be a "normal" normal payment amount and uses it for the first payment. The last loan payment is reduced to compensate for the short period
- Reduce first - the first payment is reduced to compensate for the short period
- Reduce all - all payments are reduced to compensate for the short period.
Here's a more formal definition of odd days interest from the Financial Dictionary.
One more comment about dates.
By default, the schedule's totals are calculated as of December 31.
But some taxpayers pay taxes based on a different year-end. This calculator supports annual and cumulative totals as of any month end.
Click the "Settings" button and select "Year End Month."
9 Types of Loan Amortization Schedules
Normal Loan Amortization
If in doubt, use this setting when amortizing a loan. In the US at least, nearly all loans use the "normal" method.
These are the characteristics of a normal loan or mortgage:
- They have "level payments" i.e., the scheduled periodic payment amount does not change. (With the possible allowance, as discussed above, for odd day interest.)
- The interest amount paid declines each period as the loan balance is being paid down.
- Thus, the principal amount paid each period increases to keep the payment amount level.
- There may be a slight adjustment ("rounding") of the final payment so that the loan is brought to a 0 balance.
The next method, consumers will want to avoid.
Rule-of-78s Payment Schedule
The Rule-of-78s method front loads the interest due. That is, the debtor pays more interest early in the payment schedule and less interest later when compared to a "normal" loan.
Both the periodic payment amount and the total loan interest due are the same for both the Rule-of-78s and the "normal" methods. The only difference is how the interest gets allocated each period.
The blog post here thoroughly explains the Rule-of-78s amortization and why, as a consumer, you may want to avoid such loans.
For the lowest periodic payment, get a loan using the next payback method. There's only one catch...
Interest Only Amortization
Some loans require the borrower to pay only the interest due each period. Such loans are known as "interest only loans"
These are the characteristics of an interest only loan or mortgage:
- The periodic payment amount generally does not change.
- The interest amount paid each period is the same because no principal is paid, the loan balance does not change.
- The entire principal balance plus the last period's interest is due with the last payment.
If you think that interest only loans are not very common, then think again.
Many bonds sold to investors are interest only loans. The bond's buyers are lending the issuer money. The bonds pay the buyer a periodic coupon payment which is the interest on the debt. And as reported by Zacks the size of the bond debt in the US at "the end of 2017 was more than $40.7 trillion"
That's a lot of debt financed with interest only payments!
If you represent a bond issuer, you can prepare a bond coupon payment schedule with this amortization calculator. The "loan date" is the bond's issuance date and the "first payment date" is the date of the first coupon payment. Make sure to select the "Interest Only" amortization method.
No Interest Loan Amortization
Yes, it happens! I added this amortization method to the Windows version of this calculator 20 or more years ago. Someone called me (remember phone calls?) and said he and his wife were lending money to their son and they wanted to create a payment schedule that they could agree to, the catch was, there would be no interest charged.
This amortization schedule continues to support an interest-free loan.
You may ask, "Why not just enter a "0" interest rate?"
The answer is simple. If a user enters a "0" for any input, then the calculator interprets that as the unknown value. So if a user enters a "0" for the interest rate, the calculator will attempt to calculate the rate.
To get around this, select the "No Interest" option for an amortization method.
The following amortization method will save you interest charges if you can afford it.
Fixed Principal Loan Table
Before computers and calculators, that is, before it was easy to calculate a level payment amount, lenders frequently had lenders payoff loans using the fixed principal amortization method.
Why?
Determining the payment amount requires only simple arithmetic. To calculate the payment due, first, divide the principal loan amount by the number of payments in the term and then add the periodic interest.
These are the characteristics of a fixed principal loan or mortgage:
- Payment amount start higher than a "normal" loan.
- The loans feature a declining payment amount. As the borrower pays down the principal balance, the interest due each period is reduced and therefore the payment decreases over time.
- The principal amount paid each period is fixed. The principal paid on a $1,200 loan with a term of one year will always be $100.
- The borrower pays less total interest
- There may be a slight adjustment ("rounding") of the final payment so that the loan is brought to a 0 balance.
Canadian Amortization Schedule
The Canadian amortization method is the same as the "normal amortization method" except for one detail. When the user selects the Canadian method, the calculator automatically sets the payment frequency to monthly and the compounding frequency to semiannual.
A conventional loan typically uses the same frequency for both payments and compounding.
The Canadian method, because it uses less frequent interest compounding, results in a slightly lower scheduled payment amount because the interest due is somewhat less each period when compared to the interest charges owed under monthly compounding.
For more details, here's a A Guide to Mortgage Interest Calculations in Canada.
Amortization with a Balloon Payment
Occasionally, there are times when the terms of a loan call for a payment to be calculated on a 30-year payback but the loan will come due after five years of payments (for example).
Because the payment calculation uses a 30-year term, the balance of the loan will still be substantial relative to the starting balance when the term is up in five years, and the balance is due.
Creating an amortization schedule showing the balloon payment amount is simple with this calculator.
- First...
- Enter the loan amount
- Enter the interest rate
- Enter the number of payments which will be used to calculate the periodic payment due - in this case 30-years or 360 monthly payments.
- Enter "0" for the payment amount and click on "Calc"
- Then....
- Change the number of payments to the actual term of the loan - per this example that's 5 years or 60 payments
- Click on "Print Preview" to see your amortization schedule with a balloon payment.
Loan Schedule with Points, Fees and APR Support
Some loans require the borrower to pay an upfront charge called "points."
Why would a borrower be willing to pay an extra charge?
When the borrower pays points, the lender reduces the interest rate. Points are in essence prepaid interest (and the IRS treats them that way). One point is one percent of the loan amount. Thus, one point on a $300,000 is equal to $3,000.
The user has two choices for how to create an amortization schedule with points. Click on "Settings" and select "Points, Charges & APR Options."
If "Include dollar value of points in interest charges" is checked then the calculator calculates the dollar cost of the points, and the payment schedule shows them paid at the loan origination. The calculator also adds the cost of points to the total interest charges.
If the user didn't check this option, then the dollar value gets reported in the header only, and the amount does not get added to the total interest.
See Moving.com "What Are Mortgage Loan Points?" for more details.
Points impact the loan's annual percentage rate. If you want to check the APR (and if you are the borrower, you should), you can include a Truth-in-Lending Act compliant calculation in the schedule's footer. Just check the option "Include Regulation "Z" APR Disclosure calculation at the end of the schedule?". For an accurate APR, don't forget to include any fees in "Other charges & fees (for APR calculation)?" input.
Negative Amortization Calculation
Users frequently tell me they use this calculator to "check their lender's payment amount."
That's fine, of course. But all borrowers should also understand, there is no such thing as a "correct payment amount." The only payment amount of concern is the amount agreed to between the lender and borrower. All things being equal if the lender says the payment is $315 a month and the borrower expects it to be $311 a month, it doesn't matter - as long as they both agree on the initial period's calculated interest amount. If the parties agree on the interest calculation, then paying a slightly higher amount will pay the loan off marginally faster or result in a smaller final payment, and the total collected as interest will be slightly less.
So what does this have to do with negative amortization?
Simple, if the lender and borrower agree on an amount that is not large enough to pay the interest due it results in negative amortization.
This amortization calculator gives the user the ability to set any payment amount. Rather than enter a "0" for the payment, enter the agreed upon payment amount.
When the payment amount is less than the periodic interest due, the loan balance will increase each period because the interest not covered by the payment must get added to the balance.
There is nothing wrong with a negatively amortizing loan per say. However, the borrower will have to be prepared to pay a single, large payment at the end of the term.
If you are the borrower, be sure to check the last payment row of the schedule for the final payment amount, which includes the accrued interest, to see if you can handle it.
Note the negative principal amounts in the below figure.
Need an Amortization Schedule in MS Excel®?
From time-to-time, I get requests from users for the ability to export an amortization schedule to Excel. This calculator won't do that. However, users can select the data and copy/paste to Excel.
You can copy/paste from either the main window or from the print preview window. If you copy from the main window, then formatting will remain intact. If you copy from the print preview window, then only the values will be copied. Depending on the browser you are using, you may have to use Excel's Paste Special feature and select "Text" for copy/paste to work.
If you want to copy from the main window, I think the easiest way to do that is to scroll to the end of the schedule and select the last row and then scroll upwards to select the entire table.
Save Payment Schedule to PDF
If you want to share this calculator's schedule with someone or save it in a digital format for later reference, you can print the results to a PDF file.
If you are using Google's Chrome browser, printing to PDF is a standard feature. Click on Chrome's menu (the 3 verticle dots) and select "Print..." Click on the "Change..." button and select "Save as PDF."
If you are not using a browser that supports printing to a PDF, no problem. You can install a PDF print driver. It pretty easy to do this. And there are many free ones from which to pick. In the past, I used PrimoPDF.
By the way, one advantage of installing a PDF print driver, even if you use Chrome, is you'll then be able to create PDF files from any application you use, not just your browser.
Make sure, when saving to PDF that you use the "Print" button on the "Print Preview..." window.
Printing the Payment Schedule
Actually, there's not a lot to say about printing...
Users should know that printing is expected to work from any device. It's pretty cool to print a well-formatted schedule from a smartphone that is connected wirelessly to a modern printer. (I've personally tested this using an iPhone 5 and iPhone X printing to an HP LaserJet Pro 400.)
Make sure you are printing from the "Print Preview..." window where there are two print buttons available.
If you have any problems, please let me know what browser and version you are using. I can test various browsers, but unfortunately, I can't check too many printers (unless you are prepared to donate one to the cause!).
What Do You Think?
Or what would you lke to know?
While this page covers a lot of material on amortization schedules, it can't cover everything.
Let me know in the comments below what I missed. Or feel free to ask your questions and I'll answer them (to the best of my ability).
MS Excel® is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.
Loan Payment Schedule Help
Every loan has four primary attributes or variables. (1) The loan amount, (2) the number of payments, (3) the annual interest rate and (4) the payment amount.
Enter any 3 values and zero ('0') for the unknown value. Click the "Calc" button to solve for the unknown and create a schedule.
Note: you can enter a non-zero value for all 4 variables. In that case, your inputs will be used to create the amortization schedule.
The "Loan Date" is the date the monies are advanced. It is also called the "origination date".
The "First Payment Date" is the date the first payment is due. It may be the same date as the "Loan Date" but not usually. When they are the same, this is known as "Payment-in-Advance". Leases are typically paid-in advance.
"Payment Frequency" determines how often payments are due. Monthly is the most common in the USA.
"Compounding" impacts how interest is calculated. In most cases "Compounding" should equal the "Payment Frequency".
"Points" are charged on some loans by the lender. Points are expressed as a percentage of the loan amount. A 300,000.00 loan with 2 points results in an extra fee due the lender of 6,000.00. Points are common for mortgages in the US only. Normally, you will want to leave this input set to 0.0%.
To print any loan schedule, click on "Print Preview" and then "Print this schedule". "Print Preview" will also function as a "Calc" button.
| Cheat Sheet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Years | Biweekly | Monthly |
| 4 | 104 | 48 |
| 5 | 130 | 60 |
| 6 | 156 | 72 |
| 10 | 260 | 120 |
| 15 | 390 | 180 |
| 20 | 520 | 240 |
| 25 | 650 | 300 |
| 30 | 780 | 360 |
Join the conversation. Tell me what you think.
Rajendra says:
Hi, I am trying to reconcile some results on your chart with calculations I did by hand and notice differences. I hope you can shed some light to help me understand. I use Principal = $500,000, Interest rate is 8% annually , payment frequency is monthly for 1 year. Your table showed for the first line Payment = $43,464.13, Interest = $3,217.02, Principal = $40, 247.11 and Balance = $459,752.89. My hand calculations showed that Payment = $43,494.21, and Interest = $3,333.33
The formula I used for the Interest is I = P x i where P = $500,000 and i = .08/12
And to find Payment I used R = P x i[(1 + i)exp12]/[(1 + i)exp12 – 1]
Karl says:
There are two category of questions I’ll answer: (a) what calculator do I use to answer a particular question; or (b) how do I use a calculator. If I answer questions about the equations, that’s going down a rabbit hole.
As they stand though, your equations are correct, but not flexible. They do not allow for different compounding or loan date and first payment date, or different length first periods. I will say, when I used your inputs and this calculator, I did get a result that equals your hand calculated numbers.
Sheila Holley says:
Hi Karl. I have used this site for my commercial amortization schedules for weeks and it works the best for me.
Please tell me where the actual calculator is and how do I get to it now? This is the only page that comes up when I type in the same address I have used for months! financial-calculators.com
Please help me asap!
Karl says:
Hello, financial-calculators.com is back up and running. I’m sorry for the problems you experienced. An automatically applied update went wrong and it eventually brought down the entier site on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the problem and get it fixed until late Tuesday (eastern time USA). Thank you for reporting the problem.
Rajendra says:
Thanks for your reply. You mentioned that you got the same answers using the table as I have by inputting some parameters that are different from what I inputted. Can you say which parameters you changed and to what values? I was trying to copy and paste a screen shot of my inputs for you to see but unfortunately nothing was pasted.
Karl says:
You’re welcome. I used the calculator’s defaults and change the loan amount, interest rate and term to match what you told me.
If you want to send me your data, simply copy/paste the custom URL below the calculator to a message. But as I stated, your equations do not take into account dates or many of the other options that this calculator supports. Notice if you change any date by even one day, the results change.
Nancy Taub says:
Good morning – I work at a Bank and was recently using your amortization schedule. I saved the site and was able to go to it directly for several weeks. Now I get the comments which are very interesting. I was able to get to the Ultimate schedule and it does not give me the option to put in loan date and first payment date – How can I do that. Thank you very much in advance for your assistance.
Karl says:
Hello, financial-calculators.com is back up and running. I’m sorry for the problems you experienced. An automatically applied update went wrong and it eventually brought down the entier site on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the problem and get it fixed until late Tuesday (eastern time USA). Thank you for reporting the problem.
Joan Palmer says:
Where did the amortization calculator go?
Karl says:
Hello, financial-calculators.com is back up and running. I’m sorry for the problems you experienced. An automatically applied update went wrong and it eventually brought down the entier site on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the problem and get it fixed until late Tuesday (eastern time USA). Thank you for reporting the problem.
Jeanette says:
Hi
Karl says:
Hello, financial-calculators.com is back up and running. I’m sorry for the problems you experienced. An automatically applied update went wrong and it eventually brought down the entier site on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the problem and get it fixed until late Tuesday (eastern time USA). Thank you for reporting the problem.
Renita says:
Where did the calculator with amortization schedule go? I am not able to locate the calculators today. Is there a new way to access them?
Thanks so much for these calculators. They are extremely useful!
Karl says:
Hello, financial-calculators.com is back up and running. I’m sorry for the problems you experienced. An automatically applied update went wrong and it eventually brought down the entier site on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the problem and get it fixed until late Tuesday (eastern time USA). Thank you for reporting the problem.
Sheila Holley says:
HOW DO I GET TO THE ACTUAL AMORTIZATION CALCULATOR THAT I HAVE BEEN USING FOR A VERY LONG TIME? PLEASE HELP ME ASAP.
Karl says:
Hello, financial-calculators.com is back up and running. I’m sorry for the problems you experienced. An automatically applied update went wrong and it eventually brought down the entier site on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the problem and get it fixed until late Tuesday (eastern time USA). Thank you for reporting the problem.
Colleen Kruger says:
What happened to the calculator program that was on this website? I loved it but when I went to the site all these questions and answers came up. I’m looking for the calculator program that was on this website?
.
Karl says:
Hello, financial-calculators.com is back up and running. I’m sorry for the problems you experienced. An automatically applied update went wrong and it eventually brought down the entier site on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the problem and get it fixed until late Tuesday (eastern time USA). Thank you for reporting the problem.
Aisha says:
The calculator does not show up. Is it currently down?
Karl says:
Hello, financial-calculators.com is back up and running. I’m sorry for the problems you experienced. An automatically applied update went wrong and it eventually brought down the entier site on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the problem and get it fixed until late Tuesday (eastern time USA). Thank you for reporting the problem.
AH says:
Good Morning,
Love this calculator.
Is it possible to incorporate periodic, lump sum additional principal payments with this?
Would love to know how.
Thanks!
AH says:
Good Morning!
Nevermind, I figured it out. The Ultimate Financial Calculator tool is great!
Thanks!!
Karl says:
You’re welcome. Glad you like it.
Sylvia says:
Hi! Thanks for the calculator, this is great! I am trying to calculate payments for a loan starting today but payments not to start until 9/10/19. It lists a payment for today of the interest accrued from today through the first payment in September. How would I rectify that?
Karl says:
Thank you.
The loan in question has a long first period. That is, the time between the loan date and first payment date is longer than the payment frequency. The amount due on the loan date covers the interest due between June 26 and August 10th.
The user has full control over when this "odd day interest" is paid or collected. Click on the "Settings" button and select "Long/Short Period Options". Doing so will open the options window and you’ll see the 4 options for how the odd days can be collected – or there’s even an option for ignoring the interest for these odd days.
Hope this helps.
Norma says:
Hello!
I find this website very helpful, but I’m having trouble to do an amortization schedule with extra payments ( several extra payments),
Karl says:
Good. Let’s see if we can make it even more useful. If the extra payments are for the same amount and are regular in frequency, then you can use this extra payment calculator or this loan calculator.
If the extra payments are for either random amounts or on a random schedule, then you’ll need to use this Ultimate Financial Calculator. If you use this one, scroll down the page to the tutorials to get started.
Note that the Extra Payment Calculator will not only tell you how much interest you’ll save and when the loan will be paid off, it will also tell you how much the extra payments would be worth in the future if you decided to invest the money instead of making extra payments.
Dick Goodrich says:
When I go to the print preview screen I want to print the actual schedule. I click on the print function at the bottom of the schedule, but I cannot print the schedule.
What do I need to do to print my created amortization schedule?
Karl says:
There should be no issues with printing following the procedure you mentioned. (There should also be a "Print" button in the upper left corner of the print preview window.)
Since it’s not printing for you, I would try some basic trouble shooting. Can you print from other sites? Applications? Possibly the print driver has crashed? You can try closing the browser completely and restarting. Or even reboot the computer.
If you are using Chrome, you can also try saving to a PDF file (again from the Print feature) and then printing the PDF.
Leigh Anne says:
Hi, I need a single pay amortization calculator….is there such a thing on here?
Thanks!
Karl says:
This amortization schedule should do it for you. Did you try it? What issue did you have?
When the calculator first loads, use the default values, but change "Number of Payments" to "1" and leave the "Payment Amount" set to "0".
The resulting calculation will give you a single payment. The schedule will have 4 rows however. 1 row for the loan amount, 1 row for the payment and 2 rows for totals.
Also, notice under "Settings" these 2 options:
Long/Short Period Options
Last Period Rounding Options
They control how the interest is charged.
Bruce says:
On your amortization calculator, your Continuous Amortization appears to be wrong in the sense that principle and interest do not continually increase and decrease respectively as well as the payment being completely wrong. I reworked the equations and found the expected results for both payment at the beginning of the loan and in arrears. Just look at your schedule and please explain the aberrations in the interest and principle payments as you scan through any schedule.
Karl says:
I need the inputs to see any and understand any potential issues. They are easy to provide. After you click on calc, copy the custom URL below the calculator and paste it to a reply to the comment. That custom URL contains all the details.
While I’m not saying there isn’t a possible problem, to say "just look at your schedule and please explain…" implies that I’ve not already done that during the development of this calculator. In fact, I probably have over a dozen automated tests that tests just the continuous compounding calculation and those tests compare the results to sources known to be good.
Bruce says:
https://financial-calculators.com/amortization-schedule
6% Interest, 100,000 P, 360 Pay periods paid monthly, Continuous Amortization. My conjecture is that the principle and interest payments shouldn’t jump around.
Karl says:
What you pasted is not the custom URL found in the box below the calculator. That contains all the settings and inputs after you have clicked calc.
But to your point, the interest will "jump around" depending on the number of days between payments. Interest on $100,000 @ 6% interest continuous compound for 31 days will be greater than interest on $100,000 @6% for 28 days. That is, the amount of interest and principal will not be smooth due to the number of days in the periods varying.