What is an EMI and why does it matter?
An EMI (Equated Monthly Instalment) is the fixed amount you pay your lender every month until a loan is fully repaid. Each EMI has two parts: interest on the balance you still owe, and a repayment of principal. In the early years most of the EMI is interest; as the balance falls, more of it goes towards principal.
Knowing your EMI before you borrow helps you choose a loan you can comfortably afford, compare lenders, and see how tenure and interest rate change the total cost.
How the EMI formula works
The formula spreads the loan, and the interest that builds up on it, evenly over n months so every instalment is identical. Interest is charged on the reducing balance, which is why the interest portion shrinks with every payment.
Worked example
₹10,00,000 loan at 9% for 10 years
- Monthly rate (r)
- 0.75%
- Number of months (n)
- 120
- Monthly EMI
- ₹12,668
- Total payment
- ₹15,20,109
- Total interest
- ₹5,20,109
You repay ₹15,20,109 in total — interest adds 52% on top of what you borrowed.
Ways to lower your loan cost
- A longer tenure lowers the EMI but increases total interest.
- Part-prepayments reduce the outstanding principal, cutting interest and shortening the loan.
- Even a 0.5% lower rate on a 20-year home loan can save several lakh rupees — compare offers.
- Keep all EMIs within roughly 40–50% of take-home income, the range most banks use.
Floating-rate loans change when the lender's benchmark rate moves, altering your EMI or tenure. This calculator assumes one fixed rate for the whole tenure.

