Early years are mostly interest
On a 30-year fixed, month one is often 70%+ interest; by mid-term, the principal share finally overtakes interest.
Buying a home or taking out a loan can feel overwhelming because the numbers are big and the timelines are long. This mortgage repayment calculator makes the process easier by estimating your monthly payment, total interest, and how your balance changes over time. It is a practical tool for comparing loan offers, planning a budget, or seeing how a different interest rate or term affects what you pay.
At a high level, a mortgage or fixed-rate loan is repaid through regular monthly payments. Each payment includes two parts: interest (the cost of borrowing) and principal (the amount that reduces your balance). Early payments are mostly interest, while later payments apply more toward principal. This shifting balance is captured in an amortization schedule, which shows how your loan changes month by month.
Example: If you borrow $300,000 at a 6% annual interest rate for 30 years, your payment is a little under $1,800 per month. Over the life of the loan, the total interest can exceed the original amount borrowed. If you shorten the term to 15 years, the monthly payment goes up, but you pay far less interest overall. This is why mortgage calculators are useful for side-by-side comparisons before you commit.
This calculator uses the standard fixed-rate loan amortization formula:
\(M = P \times \frac{i(1+i)^n}{(1+i)^n - 1}\)
All calculations are performed client-side in your browser for complete privacy.
On a 30-year fixed, month one is often 70%+ interest; by mid-term, the principal share finally overtakes interest.
Making one extra full payment per year can cut ~4–5 years off many mortgages and save tens of thousands in interest.
26 half-payments a year equals 13 full payments—an automatic prepayment that accelerates payoff without changing the rate.
Quoted APR is simple; interest accrues daily between payments. Effective cost is higher due to compounding.
Divide refi costs by monthly savings to get break-even months—an easy sanity check before refinancing.