Personal Loan & Credit Calculators
Understand the true cost of unsecured credit in South Africa — including the credit life premium most quotes hide, the NCA maximum rate, and tools to compare, consolidate, and settle your debts.
Personal Loan Calculator
Unsecured loan instalments with the NCA rate-cap check and a month-by-month credit life simulation.
Open the calculator →Personal Loan Affordability
How much you could safely borrow, worked out from your disposable income with a built-in buffer.
Open the calculator →Debt Consolidation Calculator
Combine debts into one loan and see the monthly relief — and whether a longer term costs you more.
Open the calculator →Debt Snowball Calculator
List your debts and an extra payment to see your debt-free date and the interest you save.
Open the calculator →Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator
The affordability ratio lenders use under the NCA — see whether yours is healthy, manageable or high.
Open the calculator →Personal Loan Early Settlement New
Settle a personal loan early and see the interest you save, with the NCA early-settlement rule.
Open the calculator →50/30/20 Budget Calculator
Split your take-home pay into needs, wants and savings, and compare it with what you actually spend.
Open the calculator →Personal Loans Guides
Plain-language explainers to go with the tools.
Borrowing Smart Under the National Credit Act
An unsecured personal loan is one of the most expensive ways to borrow, and the quote you are shown rarely makes the full cost obvious. This calculator shows the real instalment, checks it against the NCA rate cap, and includes the credit life premium many quotes leave out.
How to use this tool
- Enter the loan amount, rate and term to see the monthly instalment and total cost, including the NCA initiation and monthly service fees.
- It flags whether the rate exceeds the NCA maximum for unsecured credit (repo + 21%), and estimates the credit life premium, which is capped at R4.50 per R1,000 of the outstanding balance.
- Use the Loan Comparison Calculator to compare up to three offers side by side before you sign.
What the figures mean
The total cost — not the instalment — is what the loan really costs you. A lower instalment over a longer term usually means more interest overall. Under the NCA, a lender must disclose the principal debt, fees and rate in a pre-agreement quote, and you are entitled to see it before you sign.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Choosing a loan on the monthly instalment alone, ignoring the total repaid.
- Not checking the quoted rate against the legal maximum (repo + 21%).
- Accepting the lender's credit life policy automatically — under the NCA you may provide your own cover of at least equal value, which is often cheaper.
- Rolling old debt into a new consolidation loan without closing the original credit accounts — you end up deeper in debt.
See our credit life insurance guide for your rights, and the National Credit Regulator for the current NCA fee and rate caps.
Questions
What is the maximum interest rate on a personal loan in South Africa?
The NCA caps unsecured credit at the repo rate plus 21% — currently 28% with the repo rate at 7.00%. The calculator warns you if a rate exceeds this cap.
Is credit life insurance included in the calculation?
Yes. The calculator simulates credit life on the declining balance at the NCA cap of R4.50 per R1,000 per month, a cost most quick quotes leave out. You can toggle it off, and you have the legal right to use your own policy.
Can I settle my personal loan early?
Yes. Under the NCA, you can settle early at any time. The lender may charge an early-settlement fee, capped by regulation. Use our Early Settlement Calculator to see what you'd save.