Many people who are in the market for making a large purchase and need to make use of a bond often find themselves a bit confused when trying to understand how bond repayment is calculated. The overall process is actually far easier than most people realize. Much of this confusion is related to the fact that there isn?t as much readily available information on the subject as most people would expect. Despite this the process involves little more than a simple mathematical formula and a few factors.

A number of factors play into what the monthly payment will be on a bond. The most obvious factor is the amount which is actually borrowed. The larger the bond the higher the monthly payments are going to be. Another major factor in determining the monthly payments on a bond is the number of years the term is on the bond. Bond terms can vary depending on a number of factors but typically they are set for 10, 15 or 20 years. In some rare cases people can acquire a bond for as long as 30 years but this is generally considered rare. It is however, important to remember that the longer the loan the more you will pay back in interest. This is due to the fact that the interest rate will be applied to the remaining balance every month for the entire length of the loan. In fact, on a longer loan can quickly lead to a person paying back as much as twice what they initially borrowed.

The next major factor which is applied in determining the monthly repayment amount on a bond is the interest rate. Many factors are considered when determining the interest rate on a bond. The most important factor is the credit rating of the person getting the loan. People with excellent credit histories will often get a significantly better interest rate than people with poor histories. In some cases, the length of the term can also impact the interest rate. This is because banks consider longer bond terms to be higher risks so they often include higher interest rates.

After these simple figures have been determined the bank now needs to figure out how much interest you will be paying per month. The interest rate that you receive is actually an APR or annual percentage rate. This rate is based on an entire year. To acquire your monthly interest rate you take the APR and divide it by 12.

Once they have this information the banks use a simple mathematical formula to determine the actual monthly payback you will have on the bond. This formula is far easier than many people believe and will quickly give you your payback. There are also many online bond calculators available freely which will allow you to easily take figures and determine what kind of monthly bond rate you will have. There are also some reverse calculators which allow you to input how much you can afford per month and they will output how much of a bond you can really afford.

Susan Reynolds is a content coordinator for a leading South African bond originator. For more information visit: http://www.bondcredit.co.za/