What Is a Loan Term? (2024)

  • Loans

ByJustin Pritchard

Updated on November 3, 2021

Reviewed byAndy Smith

In This Article

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In This Article

  • What Is a Loan Term?
  • How a Loan Term Works
  • Other Types of Loan Terms
  • Loan Terms vs. Loan Periods
  • Effect of Loan Terms

Definition

A loan term is the length of time it will take for a loan to be completely paid off when the borrower is making regular payments. The time it takes to eliminate the debt is a loan’s term. Loans can be short-term or long-term notes.

Key Takeaways

  • A loan term is the duration of the loan until it's paid off, such as 60 months for an auto loan or 30 years for a mortgage.
  • You’ll pay more interest overall on a long-term loan, but your payments will likely be less because the principal balance you borrowed is spread out over more months.
  • “Loan terms” can also refer to the specifics of a loan, such as the interest rate you’ll be paying and other requirements.

What Is a Loan Term?

The term is easy and obvious to identify with some loans. For example, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgagehas a term of 30 years. Auto loans often have five- or six-year terms, although other options are available. Auto loans are often quoted in months, such as 60-month loans.

Loans can last for any length of time that's agreed upon by thelender and the borrower.

Note

A loan must be either paid off or refinanced during its term.

  • Alternate definition: Loan terms can also be factors like the interest rate and other requirements that the loan contract provides for
  • Alternate name: Terms and conditions

How a Loan Term Works

Your lender typically sets a required monthly payment when you take out a loan, such as a 60-month auto loan. That payment is calculated so that you pay off the loan gradually over the loan’s term. Your last payment will exactlycover what you owe at the end of the fifth year. This process of paying down debt is called amortization.

A loan’s term affects your monthly payment and your total interest costs. A long-term loan means you'll pay less in principal each month because the total amount you borrowed is broken down over more months, so it can be tempting to choose one with the longest term available. But a longer term also results in more interest charges over the life of that loan.

Note

You effectively pay more for whatever you’re buying when you pay more interest. The purchase price doesn’t change, but the amount you spend does.

Other Types of Loan Terms

Loan terms can also be the characteristics of your loan, which your loan agreement would describe. You and your lender agree to specific conditions—the "terms" of your loan—when you borrow money. The lender provides a sum of money, and you repay that sum according to an agreed-upon schedule. Each of you has rights and responsibilities per the loan agreement if something goes wrong.

Note

Some of the most common terms include the interest rate, monthly payment requirements, associated penalties, or special repayment provisions.

Loan Terms vs. Loan Periods

Loan periods are also related to time, but they aren’t the same as your loan term. A period might be the shortest period between monthly payments or interest charge calculations, depending on the specifics of your loan. In many cases, that’s one month or one day. For example, you might have a loan with an annual rate of 12%, but the periodic or monthly rate is 1%.

A term loan period can also refer to times at which your loans are available. For student loans, a loan period might be the fall or spring semester.

Loan TermLoan Period
The length of time it will take to pay off a loanThe shortest period between payments or interest calculations
The contractual obligations of a loan, such as interest rate and payment due datesThe period of time when a loan is available, such as a student loan for a given semester

Effect of Loan Terms

The interest rate describes how much interest lenders charge on your loan balance every period. The higher the rate, the more expensive your loan is. Your loan might have a fixed interest ratethat remains the same over the life of the loan, or a variable rate that can change in the future.

Note

Lenders usually quote rates as an annual percentage rate (APR), which can account for additional costs besides interest costs.

Your monthly payment is often calculated based on the length of your loan and your interest rate. There are several ways to calculate the required payment. Credit cards might calculate your payment as a small percentage of your outstanding balance.

Minimizing interest costs is often wise. You'll lose less money to interest charges if you can pay off your debt faster in a shorter loan term. Find out if there’s any penalty for paying off loans early or for making extra payments so you can pay it off before the set loan term ends. Paying more than the minimum is smart, especially when it comes to high-cost loans like credit cards.

You don’t pay down the balance gradually with some loans. These are called "balloon" loans. You only pay interest costs or a small portion of your loan balance during the loan’s term. You'll then have to make a large balloon payment or refinance the loan at some point.

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Sources

The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. USA.gov. "Credit Cards." Accessed Aug. 24, 2020.

  2. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "What Is a Prepayment Penalty?" Accessed Aug. 24, 2020.

  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "What Is a Balloon Payment? When Is One Allowed?" Accessed Aug. 24, 2020.

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What Is a Loan Term? (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of a loan term? ›

A loan term is defined as the length of the loan, or the length of time it takes for a loan to be paid off completely when the borrower is making regularly scheduled payments. These loans can either be short-term or long-term, and the time it takes to pay off debt from the loan can be referred to as that loan's term.

What is a loan term quizlet? ›

Loan Term. The length of time the borrower has to repay debt.

What best describes a term loan? ›

Loans can also be described as revolving or term. A revolving loan can be spent, repaid, and spent again, while a term loan refers to a loan paid off in equal monthly installments over a set period. A credit card is an unsecured, revolving loan, while a home equity line of credit (HELOC) is a secured, revolving loan.

What is the best reason to say when applying for a loan? ›

What is the best reason to give when applying for a personal loan? The best reason is exactly what you plan on using the loan for. Lying to your lender could lead to legal trouble.

What is a term loan example? ›

They are offered at both floating and fixed rates of interest. The repayment tenure of term loans ranges between 12 months to 60 months. Personal loans, business loans, auto loans, education loans, gold loans, and home loans are some examples of term loans.

What is loan in simple words? ›

What is a Loan? A loan is a sum of money that one or more individuals or companies borrow from banks or other financial institutions so as to financially manage planned or unplanned events. In doing so, the borrower incurs a debt, which he has to pay back with interest and within a given period of time.

What is the term of a loan refers to? ›

Loan terms can have a couple of different meanings. On one hand, it can refer to how long you'll be paying off your loan. On the other, it also refers to the details of your loan (or terms and conditions), like your monthly payment amount, your due date, your interest rate and any other finance charges.

What does loan term mean in math? ›

A loan term is the length of time over which the loan is to be repaid.

What is the term for loan words? ›

loan word
  • borrowed word.
  • borrowing.
  • calque.
  • imported word.
  • loan translation.
  • neology.
  • paronym.

What is a term out loan? ›

Term out is the accounting practice of capitalizing short-term debt into long-term without acquiring any new debt. The ability of a company or lending institution to "term out" a loan is an important strategy for debt management and normally occurs in two situations.

What is the loan term value? ›

Loan-to-value (LTV) is calculated simply by taking the loan amount and dividing it by the value of the asset or collateral being borrowed against. In the case of a mortgage, this would be the mortgage amount divided by the property's value.

What is a term loan 101? ›

A term loan is a lump sum amount borrowed from a financial institution, with a predetermined repayment schedule over a fixed period. This financial tool is a popular choice for individuals looking to fund various needs such as education, home renovation, medical expenses, or even a small business.

What is the best thing to say when asking for a loan? ›

The key is to get as specific as possible. For instance, if you need $700 for a car repair, tell your lender that the money is for that reason. You should also map out a repayment plan, like paying them back $70 a month for the next 10 months.

Why is it so hard to apply for a loan? ›

Lenders tend to tighten credit requirements during tough economic times, making it harder to get approved for credit products, including loans. Credit score, income and debt-to-income ratio are the main factors lenders consider when reviewing applications.

What makes you more likely to be accepted for a loan? ›

Credit history is another major consideration, accounting for 15% of your credit score. Unlike debt, your credit history is a cumulative measure of how much credit you have taken out in the past. The more extensive your credit history, the more likely you are to have your application accepted.

What happens at the end of a loan term? ›

In a loan transaction, the date on which the term of the loan expires and the outstanding principal balance of the loan must be repaid to the lender. All other amounts payable by the borrower under the loan agreement, such as interest, fees, and expenses, must also usually be paid at maturity.

How many years is a term loan? ›

The term loan's maturity lies between 5 -10 years. The repayment of the loan is made in instalments. The tenure can be rescheduled to help borrowers deal with the financial emergencies.

What does the term of a loan include? ›

Loan terms refer to the terms and conditions involved when borrowing money. This can include the loan's repayment period, the interest rate and fees associated with the loan, penalty fees borrowers might be charged, and any other special conditions that may apply.

What are the advantages of a term loan? ›

Term loans are beneficial by virtue of their duration for repayment of loan with interest. Short-term loans wind up the principal from the borrower in under a year, but term loans provide them the time to arrange funds and pay in measured installments.

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