Financing
Amortization Schedule Calculator
The payment is one number; where it goes changes every month. This builds the full schedule — how each payment splits between interest and principal, how the balance falls year by year, and how an extra payment shortens the whole loan — with the math open to inspection.
| Year | Principal | Interest | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,438 | $16,723 | $237,562 |
| 2 | $2,614 | $16,547 | $234,948 |
| 3 | $2,803 | $16,358 | $232,145 |
| 4 | $3,006 | $16,155 | $229,139 |
| 5 | $3,223 | $15,938 | $225,916 |
| 6 | $3,456 | $15,705 | $222,460 |
| 7 | $3,706 | $15,455 | $218,754 |
| 8 | $3,974 | $15,187 | $214,780 |
| 9 | $4,261 | $14,900 | $210,519 |
| 10 | $4,569 | $14,592 | $205,950 |
| 11 | $4,899 | $14,261 | $201,050 |
| 12 | $5,254 | $13,907 | $195,797 |
| 13 | $5,633 | $13,527 | $190,163 |
| 14 | $6,041 | $13,120 | $184,123 |
| 15 | $6,477 | $12,683 | $177,645 |
| 16 | $6,946 | $12,215 | $170,700 |
| 17 | $7,448 | $11,713 | $163,252 |
| 18 | $7,986 | $11,175 | $155,266 |
| 19 | $8,563 | $10,597 | $146,703 |
| 20 | $9,182 | $9,978 | $137,520 |
| 21 | $9,846 | $9,314 | $127,674 |
| 22 | $10,558 | $8,603 | $117,116 |
| 23 | $11,321 | $7,839 | $105,795 |
| 24 | $12,140 | $7,021 | $93,655 |
| 25 | $13,017 | $6,143 | $80,638 |
| 26 | $13,958 | $5,202 | $66,680 |
| 27 | $14,967 | $4,193 | $51,712 |
| 28 | $16,049 | $3,111 | $35,663 |
| 29 | $17,209 | $1,951 | $18,454 |
| 30 | $18,454 | $707 | $0 |
Informational only, not professional advice. This models a fixed-rate loan from your own figures — it doesn't include taxes, insurance, PMI, or any rate that changes over the loan. Your lender's statement is the authority on your actual balance.
Methodology
A fixed-rate loan amortizes by the standard formula (Investopedia: Amortization): a constant monthly payment where each period's interest is charged on the current balance and the rest reduces principal. Stepping through every month builds the schedule:
- Monthly payment = P · r(1+r)n ÷ ((1+r)n − 1), with r the monthly rate and n the number of payments
- Interest this month = current balance × monthly rate
- Principal this month = payment − interest (plus any extra payment)
- New balance = previous balance − principal paid
- Repeat until the balance reaches zero; the final payment trims to the exact remaining balance
An optional extra monthly payment is added straight to principal each month, so it removes both that principal and all the future interest it would have accrued — which is why even a small extra payment can shorten the loan by years. The table above rolls the month-by-month schedule up to one row per year for readability; the underlying calculation is monthly.
Assumptions and limitations
- Fixed rate only. Adjustable-rate loans re-amortize when the rate changes, so this schedule holds only for the rate you enter.
- Principal and interest only — property tax, insurance, PMI, and HOA aren't part of an amortization schedule; use the mortgage payment calculator for the full monthly outlay.
- Assumes every payment is made on time and in full; late or partial payments change the actual balance.
- Extra payments are assumed to apply to principal — confirm your servicer does this rather than holding them toward the next payment.
Last reviewed: July 2026
Frequently asked questions
How does loan amortization work?
Each payment is the same, but its split changes every month. Interest is charged on the balance you still owe, so early on — when the balance is largest — most of the payment goes to interest and little to principal. As the balance falls, the interest portion shrinks and more of each identical payment attacks the principal, which is why the balance drops slowly at first and then faster. By the final payments almost the whole amount is principal. This front-loading of interest is exactly why paying extra early, or refinancing, has such an outsized effect: you're cutting the balance that all the future interest is calculated on.
Why does so much early payment go to interest?
Because interest is always charged on the remaining balance, and the balance is at its highest the day the loan begins. On a 30-year loan at 7%, the first payment can be more than 80% interest. Nothing is unfair about it — you're simply paying to borrow a large sum — but it surprises people who expect the balance to fall in a straight line. The year-by-year table here makes the curve visible: watch how little the balance moves in the first few years compared with the last few, and you'll understand why the total interest on a long loan can rival the amount borrowed.
How much do extra payments save?
More than most people expect, because every extra dollar of principal removes not just that dollar but all the future interest it would have generated. Enter an extra monthly amount above and the tool shows both the months shaved off the loan and the interest saved. The effect is largest when you start early, while the balance — and therefore the interest being charged — is still high. Even a modest, consistent extra payment can retire a 30-year loan years ahead of schedule. The catch is opportunity cost: guaranteed savings equal to your rate versus what that money might earn invested elsewhere.
Is the amortization schedule the same as the payment?
The monthly payment is a single number; the amortization schedule is the full story behind it — the month-by-month record of how that fixed payment is divided between interest and principal until the balance reaches zero. The mortgage payment calculator answers 'what will I pay each month?'; this answers 'where does each payment actually go, and what will the loan cost in total?' They use the same underlying formula, so the monthly payment shown here matches what the payment calculator produces for the same loan.
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