How to Use a Loan Calculator
Estimate monthly loan payments, total repayment, and total interest using principal, annual rate, and loan term.
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Quick answer
Enter the principal amount, annual interest rate, and term in years or months. Select Calculate loan to estimate the fixed monthly payment, total repayment, total interest, and the first payment’s principal and interest.
What information does a loan calculator need?
Kivrum uses three main inputs: the amount borrowed, the annual interest rate, and the repayment term. The term can be entered in whole years or months. The calculator converts years into monthly payments and supports terms up to 1,200 months.
Use the loan principal rather than the purchase price when a down payment is involved. Enter the annual percentage rate shown by the lender, and confirm whether the quoted term is in months or years.
How to calculate a monthly loan payment
The calculation takes only a few steps.
- 1
Enter the principal
Type the amount you expect to borrow after any down payment.
- 2
Enter the annual rate
Add the annual interest rate as a percentage. A zero-interest loan is also supported.
- 3
Choose the term
Enter a positive whole number and select years or months.
- 4
Calculate the loan
Review the estimated monthly payment, total repayment, total interest, and number of payments.
- 5
Compare another scenario
Change the rate, amount, or term to see how the estimate changes.
How to read the loan results
Monthly payment is the estimated fixed amount paid each month. Total payment is the sum of all scheduled payments, while total interest is the estimated cost above the original principal.
The basic amortization summary also separates the first payment into principal and interest. With a positive interest rate, the balance changes over time, so later payments generally contain a different mix.
Compare loan amount, rate, and term
A longer term can reduce the monthly payment but may increase total interest. A lower rate or smaller principal can reduce both the monthly cost and overall repayment. Compare multiple realistic scenarios instead of focusing only on the smallest monthly number.
Private calculation in your browser
Loan values are calculated locally in the browser and do not need to be uploaded. You can copy the summary when you want to save or compare an estimate.
Try it on Kivrum
Open the real tool and follow the steps in this guide.
Frequently asked questions
What does the monthly payment include?
It estimates principal and interest for a fixed-rate installment loan. It does not include taxes, fees, insurance, or other lender charges.
Can I calculate a zero-interest loan?
Yes. With a zero annual rate, the calculator divides the principal evenly across the selected number of monthly payments.
Why might a lender quote be different?
A lender may include fees, insurance, taxes, rounding rules, or other terms that are outside this basic estimate.