🧮 FINANCE TOOL

APR Calculator

Calculate the true Annual Percentage Rate of any loan — including all fees. Compare multiple lenders side by side to find the lowest real cost of borrowing.

APR ≠ Rate

Fees make APR higher

0.5% diff

≈ $30K on 30yr $300K

Required

Truth in Lending Act

General APR Calculator

Any loan type with fees

LOAN DETAILS

FEES

Results update live as you type.

True Annual Percentage Rate

6.563%

Nominal Rate: 6.00% · APR is 0.56% higher due to fees

$1,110

Monthly Payment

$133,225

Total Payments

$33,225

Total Interest

$2,500

Total Fees

Nominal Rate vs Real APR

Nominal Rate6.00%
0%12%
True APR (with fees)6.563%
0%12%
APY (compounded)6.764%
0%12%

Fee Impact on APR

Fee TypeAmountAPR Impact
Nominal Interest$33,2256.00%
Upfront Fees$2,500+0.56%
True APR Total Cost$35,7256.563%

Lender Comparison

ScenarioRateFeesMonthlyTrue APR
This Offer 🏆6.00%$2,500$1,1106.563%

Payment Breakdown: Principal vs Interest vs Fees

  • Principal
  • Interest
  • Fees

APR vs Interest Rate: Why It Matters

The interest rate tells you the cost of borrowing the principal. The APR (Annual Percentage Rate) tells you the true all-in cost once mandatory fees are included. Our APR calculator exposes the real cost of any loan offer and lets you compare lenders on equal footing. For full loan analysis, also use our loan calculator, mortgage calculator, and refinance calculator.

How APR Is Calculated

APR ≈ (Total Interest + Fees) / Principal / Term × 100

More precisely, APR is the interest rate that makes the present value of all future loan payments equal to the net loan amount (after fees):

Loan − Fees = Σ [Payment / (1 + APR/n)^t]

This is solved numerically (our calculator uses bisection). Our calculator does this automatically.

APR vs APY vs Interest Rate

  • Interest Rate: cost of borrowing principal only. No fees.
  • APR: interest rate + mandatory fees, annualized. Use this to compare loan offers.
  • APY: accounts for compounding within the year. APY > APR when compounding more than annually.
APY = (1 + APR/n)^n − 1

At 6% compounded monthly: APY = (1 + 0.06/12)^12 − 1 ≈ 6.168%

Included in APR

  • Origination fees — lender’s processing charge
  • Discount points — prepaid interest to lower the rate
  • Broker fees — mandatory third-party costs
  • Lender-required mortgage insurance (PMI)
  • Underwriting and admin fees

Excluded from APR

  • Appraisal fees — third-party cost
  • Title insurance — third-party cost
  • Property taxes / escrow — recurring ownership costs
  • Optional warranties
  • Home inspection fees

Always review the Loan Estimate for excluded costs — APR alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

— FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions