Personal Loan Total Cost Calculator
Total interest paid, full repayment amounts, and how personal loan interest works — for every loan size and rate.
How Personal Loan Interest Works
Personal loans use simple interest amortization — you pay interest only on the remaining balance. Each monthly payment is fixed, but the split between interest and principal shifts over time: early payments are mostly interest, later payments are mostly principal.
Formula: Monthly interest = Remaining balance × (APR ÷ 12)
Month-by-Month Breakdown
Example: $10,000 at 10% APR over 3 years — monthly payment: $322.67
| Month | Payment | Interest | Principal | Remaining Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $322.67 | $83.33 | $239.34 | $9,760.66 |
| 2 | $322.67 | $81.34 | $241.33 | $9,519.33 |
| 3 | $322.67 | $79.33 | $243.34 | $9,275.98 |
| 4 | $322.67 | $77.30 | $245.37 | $9,030.61 |
| 5 | $322.67 | $75.26 | $247.42 | $8,783.20 |
| 6 | $322.67 | $73.19 | $249.48 | $8,533.72 |
| · · · months 7–34 · · · | ||||
| 7 | $322.67 | $71.11 | $251.56 | $8,282.16 |
| 8 | $322.67 | $69.02 | $253.65 | $8,028.51 |
| 9 | $322.67 | $66.90 | $255.77 | $7,772.74 |
| 10 | $322.67 | $64.77 | $257.90 | $7,514.84 |
| 11 | $322.67 | $62.62 | $260.05 | $7,254.79 |
| 12 | $322.67 | $60.46 | $262.22 | $6,992.58 |
| 13 | $322.67 | $58.27 | $264.40 | $6,728.17 |
| 14 | $322.67 | $56.07 | $266.60 | $6,461.57 |
| 15 | $322.67 | $53.85 | $268.83 | $6,192.75 |
| 16 | $322.67 | $51.61 | $271.07 | $5,921.68 |
| 17 | $322.67 | $49.35 | $273.32 | $5,648.36 |
| 18 | $322.67 | $47.07 | $275.60 | $5,372.75 |
| 19 | $322.67 | $44.77 | $277.90 | $5,094.85 |
| 20 | $322.67 | $42.46 | $280.21 | $4,814.64 |
| 21 | $322.67 | $40.12 | $282.55 | $4,532.09 |
| 22 | $322.67 | $37.77 | $284.90 | $4,247.19 |
| 23 | $322.67 | $35.39 | $287.28 | $3,959.91 |
| 24 | $322.67 | $33.00 | $289.67 | $3,670.23 |
| 25 | $322.67 | $30.59 | $292.09 | $3,378.15 |
| 26 | $322.67 | $28.15 | $294.52 | $3,083.63 |
| 27 | $322.67 | $25.70 | $296.97 | $2,786.65 |
| 28 | $322.67 | $23.22 | $299.45 | $2,487.20 |
| 29 | $322.67 | $20.73 | $301.95 | $2,185.26 |
| 30 | $322.67 | $18.21 | $304.46 | $1,880.80 |
| 31 | $322.67 | $15.67 | $307.00 | $1,573.80 |
| 32 | $322.67 | $13.11 | $309.56 | $1,264.24 |
| 33 | $322.67 | $10.54 | $312.14 | $952.10 |
| 34 | $322.67 | $7.93 | $314.74 | $637.37 |
| 35 | $322.67 | $5.31 | $317.36 | $320.01 |
| 36 | $322.67 | $2.67 | $320.01 | $0.00 |
Total Interest Paid — All Amounts & Rates
Term:
| Loan Amount | 6% | 8% | 10% | 12% | 15% | 18% | 24% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $476 | $641 | $808 | $979 | $1,240 | $1,507 | $2,062 |
| $10,000 | $952 | $1,281 | $1,616 | $1,957 | $2,480 | $3,015 | $4,124 |
| $15,000 | $1,428 | $1,922 | $2,424 | $2,936 | $3,719 | $4,522 | $6,186 |
| $20,000 | $1,904 | $2,562 | $3,232 | $3,914 | $4,959 | $6,030 | $8,248 |
| $25,000 | $2,380 | $3,203 | $4,040 | $4,893 | $6,199 | $7,537 | $10,310 |
| $30,000 | $2,856 | $3,843 | $4,849 | $5,871 | $7,439 | $9,045 | $12,371 |
| $50,000 | $4,759 | $6,405 | $8,081 | $9,786 | $12,398 | $15,074 | $20,619 |
* Total interest paid over 3-year term. No origination fee included.
Total Repayment on a $15,000 Loan — by Rate & Term
This shows what you'll actually hand over to the lender — principal + all interest:
| APR | 2-year term | 3-year term | 5-year term | 7-year term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6% | $15,955 $955 interest (6.4%) | $16,428 $1,428 interest (9.5%) | $17,400 $2,400 interest (16.0%) | $18,407 $3,407 interest (22.7%) |
| 8% | $16,282 $1,282 interest (8.5%) | $16,922 $1,922 interest (12.8%) | $18,249 $3,249 interest (21.7%) | $19,639 $4,639 interest (30.9%) |
| 10% | $16,612 $1,612 interest (10.7%) | $17,424 $2,424 interest (16.2%) | $19,122 $4,122 interest (27.5%) | $20,917 $5,917 interest (39.4%) |
| 12% | $16,946 $1,946 interest (13.0%) | $17,936 $2,936 interest (19.6%) | $20,020 $5,020 interest (33.5%) | $22,242 $7,242 interest (48.3%) |
| 15% | $17,455 $2,455 interest (16.4%) | $18,719 $3,719 interest (24.8%) | $21,411 $6,411 interest (42.7%) | $24,314 $9,314 interest (62.1%) |
| 18% | $17,973 $2,973 interest (19.8%) | $19,522 $4,522 interest (30.1%) | $22,854 $7,854 interest (52.4%) | $26,482 $11,482 interest (76.5%) |
| 24% | $19,034 $4,034 interest (26.9%) | $21,186 $6,186 interest (41.2%) | $25,891 $10,891 interest (72.6%) | $31,092 $16,092 interest (107.3%) |
Calculate Your Total Cost
Frequently Asked Questions
Personal loans use simple amortization with fixed payments. Your interest is calculated as: Balance × (APR ÷ 12) each month. The first payments are mostly interest; the last are mostly principal. There's no compounding on your balance — interest only accrues on what you haven't paid back yet.