Key takeaways
- It's important to know how much your monthly repayments would be, so you can use Finder's mortgage repayment calculator to work that out.
- The amount your monthly repayments costs will depend not only on your loan amount but on your loan term, interest rate and repayment frequency.
- If you want to lower your repayments you should consider saving a bigger deposit or getting a lower interest rate.
With our mortgage repayment calculator you can quickly calculate how much your mortgage will cost you each week, fortnight or month.
Just enter the following details:
- Loan term: The length of the home loan (usually 30 years).
- Loan amount: The amount you wish to borrow or refinance (just put an estimate if you're not certain).
- Interest rate: Don't know your current rate? Find an average rate in the table below.
- Payment frequency: You can choose monthly, fortnightly or weekly.
Calculate your home loan repayments now
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Overview of your loan
| Years remaining | Principal remaining |
|---|
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How does the loan repayment calculator work?
The repayment calculation comes with three parts:
- Repayments: This is how much you will have to repay each month, fortnight or week depending on your payment frequency.
- Total cost of loan: This is the entire amount you will pay over the course of the loan, including the loan amount and the interest charged.
- Total interest payable: This is the amount of interest you end up paying on top of the amount you've borrowed.
Here's a simple example of what the calculator can tell you and what it means.
Example calculation
| Calculator input | Details |
|---|---|
| Loan term | 30 years |
| Loan amount | $600,000 |
| Interest rate | 4.50% |
| Payment frequency | Monthly |
| Repayment type | P&I (principal and interest) |
| Repayment | $3,041 |
| Total loan cost | $1,094,441 |
| Total interest payable | $494,441 |
How does the repayment calculation work?
Banks calculate your home loan repayment using a formula that takes into account the principal, or original amount you borrowed, your monthly interest rate and the number of payments over the life of the loan.
The formula is a bit complicated but generally looks like this: M = P [i(1+i)^n/ 1-(1+i)^n]
If that makes your head hurt, we'll break it down further for you.
- M = Your monthly repayment, the figure you're trying to solve for.
- P = The principal on the loan, or original amount you borrowed.
- i = Your effective monthly interest rate. Remember, the rate you see advertised by the bank is an annual interest rate, so you'll need to divide by 12 to get your monthly interest rate.
- n = The total number of repayments on the loan.
Confused? It's nothing a good scientific calculator can't sort out. Or, you can simply use our home loan repayment calculator above to save yourself a lot of guesswork and head-scratching.
How does my loan term, repayment type and frequency affect my repayments?
Every field of the calculator affects your repayments. Obviously the loan amount and interest rate have the biggest impact, but so do all the other fields. Here's how it works:
- Loan term. A longer loan term means lower monthly or fortnightly repayments but you will end up paying more in interest over time. This is because you take longer to repay the loan and are charged more interest.
- Repayment type. If you pick principal and interest repayments your overall loan costs will be lower. This is because interest only repayments defer the total cost of your loan until after the interest only period ends. You end up paying more overall.
- Repayment frequency. Here's a helpful tip: there are 12 months in a year but there are 26 fortnights. Making repayments fortnightly actually works out cheaper because you're making one extra month of repayments per year.
"When you're calculating your home loan repayments, don't forget to add in any other costs that might get rolled into your home loan. If it's your first home and you have less than 20% deposit, you'll need to include the cost of LMI. You can calculate that here if you're not sure how much that would be.
Your home loan may also come with monthly or annual service fees. Package home loans in particular come with annual fees that can be a few hundred dollars."
How can I repay my home loan faster or save money on my home loan?
Everyone wants to pay less on their mortgage.You can do this by paying the loan off faster or by finding other ways to lower your loan costs. Here are some steps you can take:
Get a lower interest rate
Finding the lowest possible interest rate for the type of home loan you need is a great way to save cash. Even just a small difference in a home loan's interest rate can add up over the long life of a home loan.
Here's the example home loan from earlier in this article, with an interest rate of 4.50%, but now compared to a higher rate of 5.00%. Everything else about the loan remains the same. But the difference in the loan repayment calculation is significant.
| Calculator input | Loan 1 | Loan 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Loan term | 30 years | 30 years |
| Loan amount | $600,000 | $600,000 |
| Interest rate | 4.50% | 5.00% |
| Payment frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Repayment type | P&I (principal and interest) | P&I (principal and interest) |
| Repayment | $3,041 | $3,221 |
| Total loan cost | $1,094,441 | $1,159,535 |
| Total interest payable | $494,441 | $559,535 |
Over 30 years, the higher interest rate on loan 2 would cost you an extra $65,094. That's a huge increase in costs for just 50 more basis points added to the interest rate.
Learn more about finding the cheapest home loan for you.
Save a bigger deposit
Another way to reduce your loan repayment costs is to save a bigger deposit and borrow less. This is easier said than done, of course. But if you can scrape together a bigger deposit it does make a difference.
Read our in-depth guide on saving a home loan deposit
Make extra repayments or use an offset account
Rather than reducing your monthly repayments specifically, you might choose to reduce your overall cost. You can do this in 2 ways:
- Extra repayments. Most loans allow you to repay more than the monthly minimum amount. These extra repayments effectively cut down how much you have to pay in interest. Use our extra repayment calculator to learn how it works.
- Offset account. If your loan has a 100% offset account then you can save any extra money there instead of making extra repayments on the loan. Money in your offset account also cuts down your interest, but the money is yours to spend if you need it.
Switch to fortnightly repayments
As we explained above, fortnightly repayments actually get you slightly ahead on your loan repayments. Try it out for yourself using the loan repayment calculator, or use our bi-monthly repayment calculator (this is very helpful if you already have a home loan with monthly repayments).
When taking out a new home loan you can set up fortnightly repayments from day one. If you already have a home loan you may need to log in to your online banking portal or call the lender to change the repayment frequency.
More questions about loan repayments
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How we picked theseWhat is Finder Score?
The Finder Score crunches 7,000 home loans across 120+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.
To provide a Score, we compare like-for-like loans. So if you're comparing the best home loans for cashback, you can see how each home loan stacks up against other home loans with the same borrower type, rate type and repayment type. We also take into consideration the amount of cashback offered when calculating the Score so you can tell if it's really worth it.
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hi,
I have an investment property in a trust and are looking to refinance on a interest only loan.
the property is a 3 bedroom unit in West Perth WA,
what can you offer me?
Hi Neil,
Thanks for your enquiry.
You may be interested to compare interest-only home loans to find a suitable lender.
I also recommend getting in touch with a licensed mortgage broker. A broker can help you understand your financial position and they can leverage their panel of networks to find a lender that’s more inclined to review your application.
Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria and read through the details of the needed requirements as well as the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you.
Thanks,
Belinda
I have a good job around 65000 pa I want to buy a home for approx. 210000 but only have 15000 saved up Can you help me please
Hi Michael,
Thank you for getting in touch.
Generally, you need a deposit worth at least 5% of a property’s value to get a loan. If you are able to pay the extra cost of lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) or if you are a first home buyer eligible for the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, then you could buy a property with just a 5% deposit.
I recommend getting in touch with a licensed mortgage broker. A broker can help you understand your financial position and they can leverage their panel of networks to find a lender that’s more inclined to review your application.
Regards
Jodie
Can I easily transfer my home loan from another lender to your Super Start Home Loan and am I eligible for a Super Start if I am already in the market?
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for your question.
The staff at Bankwest will be happy to assist you with the process. The Super Start home loan is available for refinancers and borrowers already in the market.
You also have the option to get conditional approval over the phone, the process takes about 15-20 mins.
Cheers,
Shirley
We want to borrow $105,000 and pay the loan off as quickly as possible. Is there a minimum term to have the Dream Loan Express or can it be paid off as quickly as possible. Is the rate of 4.57%p.a. still applicable for this type of loan. Thank you
Hi Donna,
Thanks for your comment.
The minimum loan term is 10 years for the Dream Loan Express. You may view our guide to loans.com.au to see current interest rates.
I also recommend getting in touch with a licensed mortgage broker. A broker can help you understand your financial position and they can leverage their panel of networks to find a lender that is more inclined to review your application.
Cheers,
Shirley