What is Amortization?

There are two general definitions of amortization. The first is the systematic repayment of a loan over time. The second is used in the context of business accounting and is the act of spreading the cost of an expensive and long-lived item over many periods. The two are explained in more detail in the sections below.

Paying Off a Loan Over Time

When a borrower takes out a mortgage, car loan, or personal loan, they usually make monthly payments to the lender; these are some of the most common uses of amortization. A part of the payment covers the interest due on the loan, and the remainder of the payment goes toward reducing the principal amount owed. Interest is computed on the current amount owed and thus will become progressively smaller as the principal decreases. It is possible to see this in action on the amortization table.

Amortization Schedule

An amortization schedule (sometimes called an amortization table) is a table detailing each periodic payment on an amortizing loan. Each calculation done by the calculator will also come with an annual and monthly amortization schedule above. Each repayment for an amortized loan will contain both an interest payment and payment towards the principal balance, which varies for each pay period. An amortization schedule helps indicate the specific amount that will be paid towards each, along with the interest and principal paid to date, and the remaining principal balance after each pay period.

Basic amortization schedules do not account for extra payments, but this doesn't mean that borrowers can't pay extra towards their loans. Also, amortization schedules generally do not consider fees. Generally, amortization schedules only work for fixed-rate loans and not adjustable-rate mortgages, variable rate loans, or lines of credit.