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Finance · Time Value of Money

Annuity Payment Calculator

Find the level payment for a loan or withdrawal plan, or the deposit needed to hit a savings goal.

What do you want to solve for?
The loan balance or lump sum you draw payments from today.
%
Nominal yearly interest rate.
Length of the payment plan.
Payments per yearHow often a payment is made.
Try a scenario
Payment per month
$1,110.21

Total paid: $133,224.60 · Total interest paid: $33,224.60.

Balance over the payments
Loan balance declining to zero over the payments$100,000.00$0.00Start120 payments

An annuity payment is the level amount paid each period, found with PMT = PV · i ÷ (1 − (1 + i)^−N), where i is the periodic rate and N the number of payments. Draw $100,000 at a 6% annual rate over 10 years, paid monthly (i = 0.005, N = 120), and each payment is about $1,110.21.

What an annuity payment is

An annuity is a stream of equal payments made at regular intervals. There are two mirror-image questions. In the present-value case you have a lump sum today — a loan balance or a retirement pot — and want the fixed payment that draws it down to zero over the term, with interest charged on the shrinking balance. In the sinking-fund case you have a future target and want the deposit that, with compounding, grows to that goal. Both use the same periodic rate i = annual rate ÷ payments per year and the same payment count N = years × payments per year.

PMT = PV · i ÷ (1 − (1 + i)^−N)

Ordinary-annuity payment from a present value; i is the periodic rate and N the total number of payments. When i = 0, PMT = PV ÷ N.

Worked example

Borrow $100,000 at a 6% annual rate, repaid monthly over 10 years.

  1. 1
    Find the periodic rate. i = 6% ÷ 100 ÷ 12 = 0.005 per month.
  2. 2
    Count the payments. N = 10 years × 12 = 120 monthly payments.
  3. 3
    Compute the discount factor. (1 + i)^−N = 1.005^−120 ≈ 0.549633.
  4. 4
    Apply the payment formula. PMT = 100,000 × 0.005 ÷ (1 − 0.549633) = 500 ÷ 0.450367 ≈ $1,110.21.
  5. 5
    Check the totals. 120 × $1,110.21 ≈ $133,224.60 paid, so about $33,224.60 is interest.

Present value vs. sinking fund

The same tool answers two opposite questions — start from a lump sum today, or aim at a target later.

Present value (draw down)Sinking fund (build up)
You knowA lump sum today (PV)A target amount later (FV)
You solve forPayment that repays itDeposit that reaches it
FormulaPMT = PV · i ÷ (1 − (1 + i)^−N)PMT = FV · i ÷ ((1 + i)^N − 1)
Typical useLoan, mortgage, retirement withdrawalCollege fund, down-payment savings
If i = 0PMT = PV ÷ NPMT = FV ÷ N

Ordinary annuity vs. annuity due

This calculator models an ordinary annuity, where each payment lands at the end of the period — the convention for most loans, mortgages, and bonds. An annuity due pays at the start of each period instead, as with rent or many insurance premiums. Because every payment then sits and earns for one extra period, an annuity-due payment is smaller by a factor of (1 + i): multiply the ordinary payment by 1 ÷ (1 + i) to convert. Keep your rate and term on the same basis — a monthly plan needs a monthly rate and a payment count in months, not years.

What is the difference between a present-value and a future-value annuity payment?
A present-value annuity solves the payment that draws a lump sum you have today down to zero — a loan or withdrawal plan. A future-value (sinking-fund) annuity solves the deposit that grows to a target you want later. They use different formulas but the same periodic rate i and payment count N.
What is the difference between an ordinary annuity and an annuity due?
An ordinary annuity pays at the end of each period (most loans and bonds); an annuity due pays at the start (rent, many premiums). Because each annuity-due payment earns one extra period of interest, its payment is smaller — multiply the ordinary payment by 1 ÷ (1 + i) to convert.
How do I get the periodic rate and number of payments?
Divide the annual rate by the payments per year for the periodic rate i, and multiply the years by payments per year for the count N. At 6% paid monthly for 10 years, i = 0.06 ÷ 12 = 0.005 and N = 10 × 12 = 120.
Why is the total paid more than the amount I borrowed?
Each payment covers the period’s interest on the outstanding balance plus a slice of principal. Over the full term those interest charges add up, so the sum of payments exceeds the original present value — the gap is the total interest. Borrowing $100,000 at 6% over 10 years costs about $33,225 in interest.
What happens when the interest rate is 0%?
With no interest the payment is simply the amount divided by the number of payments. A $12,000 present value over 24 payments at 0% is $500 each, and the same rule holds for a savings goal — PMT = FV ÷ N.
Does more frequent payment lower each payment a lot?
Paying more often raises the payment count N but shrinks each periodic rate i, so an individual payment falls while the number of them rises. The total repaid changes only slightly; frequency mostly affects cash-flow timing, not the overall cost.