Updated
By:Dana George
Our Loans Expert
When you take out a personal loan, you may have the option to pay your loan off over several possible timelines. You might be able to pay it off in as short as a few months or you may have the choice to stretch payments out for a decade. There are advantages and disadvantages associated with longer repayment terms on personal loans.
Longer repayment terms on personal loans will lower your monthly payment and a long-term loan might make you feel as though you're under less pressure to get the loan paid back quickly. However, longer repayment terms on personal loans also make those loans more expensive.
Jump ahead
On this page:
- Loan term calculator
- Pros of longer repayment terms on personal loans
- Cons of longer repayment terms on personal loans
- What's the best choice for you?
Loan term calculator
The calculator below can help you see how different loan terms affect your monthly payment. Just enter the amount you plan to borrow, the term you want, and the interest rate. If you're not sure what interest rate to use, 14-18% is a good starting point for borrowers with average credit -- check out our guide to interest rates for personal loans for more information.
Personal loan calculator
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Pros of longer repayment terms on personal loans
Some of the biggest benefits of choosing longer repayment terms on personal loans include the following:
- Your monthly payments are lower. The longer you take to repay your loan, the lower the monthly payments will be. Say you take out a $10,000 personal loan at 10% interest. If your repayment timeline is three years, your monthly payments are $323 per month. Now, let's imagine you're a fan of longer repayment terms on personal loans. Instead of three years, you pay off your loan over eight years. In this scenario, your monthly payments are just $152 per month. This frees up $171 monthly. This is the perfect example of how longer repayment terms on personal loans can keep your monthly payment low.
- You have more flexibility. Just because you're drawn to longer repayment terms on personal loans doesn't necessarily have to mean you must take the full amount of time to pay off your loan. You could opt to make extra payments if you have some spare cash to do so. This strategy will give you many of the same benefits that come with a shorter-term loan -- but you wouldn't be locked into a higher payment in months when you don't have extra funds. Just be sure that your loan doesn't have a prepayment penalty if you think you may pay it off early.
- You free up cash for other things. Because your monthly payments are lower with longer repayment terms on personal loans, this gives you more wiggle room in your budget. You may need this extra cash to put towards other important obligations, like credit card debt, a payday loan, or other unsecured debt. Or, if you have access to a 401(k) with an employer match at work, you may need to put more of your money towards investing in this account.
These are all major benefits that should be carefully considered when deciding whether to choose longer repayment terms on a personal loan. If you don't have a ton of spare cash and you have other pressing financial needs, the benefits -- including a lower monthly payment -- will likely outweigh the downside.
Cons of longer repayment terms on personal loans
While there are significant advantages to longer repayment terms on personal loans, there are some big downsides too. Here are some of the disadvantages:
- A longer loan term means accumulating more interest charges over time. When you pay interest for eight years instead of for three years, obviously you're going to end up owing a lot more in interest due to the extra five years you're stuck paying it. Remember that $10,000 loan at 10% interest from our example above? If you pay it off over eight years, you'd pay a total of $4,567 in interest -- but if you paid it off over three years, your total interest cost would be just $1,616. Your longer repayment term makes your loan almost $3,000 more expensive -- assuming your interest rate is the same.
- You'll likely have to pay a higher interest rate. With many personal loan lenders, the length of your loan is one factor determining the interest rate you're charged to borrow money. A longer term is riskier for the lender because there's more of a chance interest rates will change dramatically during that time. There's also more of a chance something will go wrong and you won't pay the loan back. Because it's a riskier loan to make, lenders charge a higher interest rate. If you get stuck with a higher interest rate on top of paying interest for longer, your loan could be much more expensive.
- It will take longer to become debt-free. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of longer repayment terms on personal loans. Becoming debt-free is a major financial goal for many people, and it's an important first step to financial freedom. When you don't have to worry about paying creditors anymore, you have more flexibility in what you can do with your money. Your credit score improves. You can do things like use a credit card to cover everyday items and pay the credit card off before the due date. Not only does that make the credit card interest-free for you to use, but it may also give you some pretty great perks, like airline miles. Sure, anyone can use their credit card to pay everyday expenses, but being debt-free means never having to worry about whether you can pay it off at the end of the month.
- You may have fewer choices for who you borrow from. Not every lender offers longer repayment terms on personal loans. When you don't have a wide selection of lenders, you could end up with a loan that has a higher interest rate or other unfavorable terms such as prepayment penalties. You may even end up with a lender who tells you what the repayment term will be rather than offering you options.
As you can see, there are many situations where the disadvantages outweigh the benefits of longer repayment terms on personal loans. If becoming debt-free ASAP is important to you and you have the wiggle room in your budget to increase the monthly payment, a shorter repayment timeline is usually the way to go.
Compare the best personal loans
Get the best rates and terms to fit your needs. Here are a few loans we'd like to highlight, including our award winners.
| Lender | APR Range | Loan Amount | Min. Credit Score | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Apply Now for SoFi Personal Loans Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars. 5.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | Fixed: 8.99%-29.99% APR (with all discounts) | $5,000 - $100,000 | 680 | Apply Now for SoFi Personal Loans |
Apply Now for Upstart Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars. 4.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | 5.20% - 35.99% | $1,000 - $50,000 | None | Apply Now for Upstart |
Apply Now for Citi® Personal Loan Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | 10.49% to 19.49% | $2,000 - $30,000 | 720 | Apply Now for Citi® Personal Loan |
What's the best choice for you?
The right choice on your loan repayment timeline will vary depending on your financial situation, including how much flexibility you have in your budget, how much of a monthly payment you can afford, and what your money goals are. Before you decide whether you want a short-term loan or a long-term loan, carefully consider which will work best in your particular situation. Once you have your loan, you have to stick to the terms unless you refinance to a new loan with a different repayment timeline.
The Ascent's best personal loans
Looking for a personal loan but don’t know where to start? Our favorites offer quick approval and rock-bottom interest rates. Check out our list to find the best loan for you.
Best personal loans
Our Loans Expert
By:Dana George
Writer
Dana George has a BA in Management and Organization Development from Spring Arbor University. For more than 25 years, she has written and reported on business and finance, and she's still passionate about her work. Dana and her husband recently moved to Champaign, Illinois, home of the Fighting Illini. And though she finds the color orange unflattering on most people, she thinks they'll enjoy Champaign tremendously.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
Please note that this calculator is not personalized financial advice and should not be considered or used as such. Nor are we promising that by use of this calculator, will you be able to save more money, preserve wealth, or otherwise.
Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Dana George has positions in Target. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Target and Upstart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
Please note that this calculator is not personalized financial advice and should not be considered or used as such. Nor are we promising that by use of this calculator, will you be able to save more money, preserve wealth, or otherwise.
Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Dana George has positions in Target. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Target and Upstart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Citi Personal Loan disclaimer:
**Rates as of 10-06-2023 . Your APR may be as low as 10.49% or as high as 19.49% for the term of your loan. The lowest rate quoted assumes excellent credit, and a loan term of 36 months or shorter. Otherwise, a higher rate will apply. For example, if you borrow $10,000 for 36 months at 15.99% APR, to repay your loan you will have to make 36 monthly payments of approximately $351.52.
There is a 0.5% APR discount if you enroll in automatic payments at loan origination. Additionally, existing Citigold and Citi Priority customers will receive a 0.25% discount to the interest rate. If you are in default, your APR may increase by 2.00%. No down payment is required. Rates subject to change without notice.
You must be at least 18 years of age (21 years of age in Puerto Rico). Co-applicants are not permitted. Loan proceeds cannot be used for post-secondary educational or business purposes.
If you apply online, you must agree to receive the loan note and all other account disclosures provided at loan origination in an electronic format and provide your signature electronically.
Credit cards issued by Citibank, N.A. or its affiliates, as well as Checking Plus and Ready Credit accounts, are not eligible for debt consolidation, and Citibank will not issue payoff checks for these accounts. If you are unsure of the issuer on the account, please visit https://www.citi.com/affiliatesproducts for a list of Citi products and affiliates.
*Upstart Loan Disclaimer
The full range of available rates varies by state. The average 3-year loan offered across all lenders using the Upstart platform will have an APR of 21.97% and 36 monthly payments of $35 per $1,000 borrowed. For example, the total cost of a $10,000 loan would be $12,646 including a $626 origination fee. APR is calculated based on 3-year rates offered in the last 1 month. There is no down payment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application.
*SoFi Personal Loan Disclaimer
Fixed rates from 8.99% APR to 29.99% APR reflect the 0.25% autopay interest rate discount and a 0.25% direct deposit interest rate discount. SoFi rate ranges are current as of 02/06/2024 and are subject to change without notice. The average of SoFi Personal Loans funded in 2022 was around $30K. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed and will depend on the term you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, and a variety of other factors.
Loan amounts range from $5,000–$100,000. The APR is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 0%-7%, which will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive.
Autopay: The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi.
Direct Deposit Discount: To be eligible to potentially receive an additional (0.25%) interest rate reduction for setting up direct deposit with a SoFi Checking and Savings account offered by SoFi Bank, N.A. or eligible cash management account offered by SoFi Securities, LLC (“Direct Deposit Account”), you must have an open Direct Deposit Account within 30 days of the funding of your Loan. Once eligible, you will receive this discount during periods in which you have enabled payroll direct deposits of at least $1,000/month to a Direct Deposit Account in accordance with SoFi’s reasonable procedures and requirements to be determined at SoFi’s sole discretion. This discount will be lost during periods in which SoFi determines you have turned off direct deposits to your Direct Deposit Account. You are not required to enroll in direct deposits to receive a Loan.Impact to credit score: To check the rates and terms you may qualify for, SoFi conducts a soft credit pull that will not affect your credit score. However, if you choose a product and continue your application, we will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit pull and may affect your credit.
