Personal Loan Calculator
Most personal loans take an origination fee out before the money reaches you. So to receive $10,000 you might borrow $10,526 - and pay interest on the whole lot. This works that out properly, and shows what the fee does to your real rate.
Your monthly payment
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- You would have to borrow
- $0
- Fee taken out
- $0
- Total interest
- $0
- Total cost of borrowing
- $0
- Your real rate with the fee
- 0%
Where the money goes
Each block is sized by its share, so you can see whether you would have to borrow or fee taken out is the bigger part without reading a single number.
Move it and watch
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at {v} for how much you need to receive
And what you can change
Why your own figure may differ
Payment down, total up
Every term for the same loan. Watch the payment fall and the total rise at the same time - that is the trade every offer is really making.
| Over | Monthly payment | Total interest | Total cost |
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Personal loans: real examples
Three offers worth seeing in full before signing. Click any card to load it.
- The fee that hides
$10,000 needed, 5% origination fee
The fee comes out before the money reaches you.
You must borrow $10,526 to receive $10,000, and pay interest on all of it. The advertised rate is not the rate you pay.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - Beating a credit card
$12,000 of card debt at 24% moved to 11%
A three-year personal loan instead of card minimums.
A large drop in rate and a fixed end date. The card could have drifted for decades; the loan cannot.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - The longer term
The same loan over 7 years instead of 3
The monthly payment looks much friendlier.
The payment drops a long way and the total cost rises sharply. The table shows every term so the trade is visible.
Load this scenario in the calculator →
Common questions about personal loans
What will my personal loan actually cost?
More than the amount you borrow, and often more than the rate suggests. Most personal loans carry an origination fee taken out before the money reaches you, so to receive $10,000 you may have to borrow $10,500. This tool works that out properly rather than pretending the fee does not exist, and shows the true rate once it is included.
What is an origination fee?
A charge for setting up the loan, usually a percentage of the amount. Almost always deducted from the money before you get it, which means you pay interest on money you never received. A loan advertised at a good rate can be noticeably worse once the fee is counted. The tool shows both rates side by side.
Is a personal loan cheaper than a credit card?
Usually, yes, and often by a lot. Cards commonly run in the twenties while personal loans are frequently in the single digits or low teens for decent credit. The other advantage is a fixed end date - a card can drift for decades, a loan cannot. The catch is that clearing a card only helps if you then leave it alone.
Should I take the longer term for a smaller payment?
Only if you genuinely need to. A longer term always costs more overall, sometimes much more. The table on this page shows the payment and the total side by side for every term, so you can see exactly what the smaller payment is costing you.
Does checking my rate hurt my credit?
Usually not. Most lenders let you check with a soft enquiry that leaves no mark. Actually applying does leave one. Comparing several lenders within a short window is normally treated as a single enquiry, so do your shopping close together rather than spread over months.
Can I pay it off early?
Nearly always, and it saves real interest. A few lenders charge a fee for it, so check the paperwork before signing. If there is no such fee, paying extra on a personal loan is a guaranteed return equal to your rate - which is better than most things you could do with the money.