How to Quickly Calculate Your Monthly Payments
If you know your credit score, you can estimate the interest rate you're likely to qualify for.Knowing this, you can quickly figure out what your monthly payment will be using a variety of different loan periods (such as 24 months, 36 months, etc).
The following chart shows you what your monthly payment will be for every $1,000 financed.
If you need to finance $20,000, simply multiply the figures in the chart by 20 to get your monthly payment.
| Interest | 24 mo | 36 mo | 48 mo | 60 mo | 72 mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | $41.67 | $27.78 | $20.83 | $16.67 | $13.89 |
| 1% | $42.10 | $28.21 | $21.26 | $17.09 | $14.32 |
| 2% | $42.54 | $28.64 | $21.70 | $17.53 | $14.75 |
| 3% | $42.98 | $29.08 | $22.13 | $17.19 | $15.19 |
| 4% | $43.42 | $29.52 | $22.58 | $18.42 | $15.65 |
| 5% | $43.87 | $29.97 | $23.03 | $18.87 | $16.10 |
| 6% | $44.32 | $30.42 | $23.49 | $19.33 | $16.57 |
| 7% | $44.77 | $30.88 | $23.95 | $19.80 | $17.05 |
| 8% | $45.23 | $31.34 | $24.41 | $20.28 | $17.53 |
| 9% | $45.68 | $31.80 | $24.89 | $20.76 | $18.03 |
| 10% | $46.14 | $32.27 | $25.36 | $21.25 | $18.53 |
| 12% | $47.07 | $33.21 | $26.33 | $22.24 | $19.55 |
| 15% | $48.48 | $34.66 | $27.83 | $23.78 | $21.14 |
| 20% | $50.89 | $37.16 | $30.43 | $26.49 | $23.95 |
You can also use this chart to figure out the maximum amount you can finance based on the payment you can afford.
Let's assume you can afford a payment of $400 and you estimate that you will qualify for a 7% interest loan. To calculate the maximum amount you can finance, simply divide $400 by the figures in the 7% row.
If you were to get a 24 month loan, you would divide $400 by $44.77 which equals 8.9. Multiply that by 1,000 and you get your answer: $8,900 is the maximum amount you can finance.
If you extend the loan out to 60 months, the maximum amount you can finance will be $20,200. ($400 divided by $19.80) x 1,000.
This chart is a great way to quickly play around with numbers and get a good feel for what your monthly payments will be as well the maximum amount you can finance based on what you can afford.
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Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate
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