Calculate your USDA payment
Change any input and the estimate updates immediately. The defaults show a $400,000 purchase with no down payment at an illustrative 6.5% rate.
Results are estimates for a 30-year fixed USDA Guaranteed purchase loan. Property location and household income eligibility are not checked.
How each input works
Home price and down payment
USDA Guaranteed loans can finance the full price for eligible buyers, so the default down payment is 0%. If you do put money down, the loan, the upfront fee and the annual fee all get smaller. USDA fees are not based on credit or LTV tiers.
Interest rate and term
USDA Guaranteed purchase loans are 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, so 30 years is the realistic term. You can change it to compare, but a shorter term is not a USDA option. The 6.5% rate is only an illustration.
Property taxes, insurance and HOA
Enter the yearly tax bill and the yearly homeowners insurance premium; the calculator divides each by 12. On a purchase, use the tax the property will carry after the sale, not the seller's bill if a reassessment or exemption change is coming. HOA dues are entered monthly. These three items usually end up in the monthly payment through an escrow account, but they are your estimates, not quotes.
Extra principal per month
Any amount you add here goes straight to principal every month starting with the first payment. The results then show how much interest you avoid and how much sooner the loan is paid off compared with the scheduled payments. Leave it at 0 to see the standard schedule.
What you need to check separately
The home must be in a USDA-eligible area and your household income must be under the area limit. Neither can be checked by a payment calculator. Use the USDA eligibility site or ask a lending partner.
Program parameters this calculator uses
- Upfront guarantee fee: 1% of the base loan, financed.
- Annual fee: 0.35%, shown monthly as 0.35% × total loan ÷ 12.
- The annual fee lasts the full term in the calculator. USDA bases it on the average scheduled balance each year, so the real fee declines slightly over time; the calculator shows the first-year amount.
- No credit-score pricing for the fees.
- No LTV warning, because USDA allows 100% financing for eligible buyers.
Worked example: $400,000 with no down payment
Base loan: $400,000, an LTV of 100%.
Upfront guarantee fee: $400,000 × 1% = $4,000, financed. Total loan = $404,000.
Principal and interest: $404,000 at 6.5% for 30 years = $2,553.55 a month.
Annual fee: $404,000 × 0.35% = $1,414 a year ÷ 12 = $117.83 a month.
Taxes and insurance: $500.00 + $166.67.
Total: $2,553.55 + $117.83 + $500.00 + $166.67 = $3,338.05, shown as $3,338.
Interest: about $515,280 over 30 years. Adding $100 a month of extra principal saves about $64,007 and pays the loan off 3 years and 1 month sooner, according to the calculator.
Compared with FHA on the same home and rate, the monthly cost is close: $3,338 for USDA with nothing down against $3,329 for FHA with 3.5% down. The difference is cash. USDA needs no down payment and a $4,000 upfront fee; FHA needs $14,000 down and a $6,755 upfront premium. Open the FHA calculator with the same price to compare your own numbers.
Eligibility comes before the payment
For most USDA buyers, the payment is not the hurdle. Location and income are. The property has to be in an area USDA considers eligible, which includes many small towns and outer suburbs, not only farmland. Household income, counting every adult who will live in the home, has to be at or below the limit for the county. Lenders also review credit, debts and the property itself. Check the address and income limits first, then use this calculator to see what the payment would look like.
Buying in a rural or suburban area?
Tell LoanFight about the property and your household, and a lending partner can check location and income eligibility and quote a real rate.
Tell Us About Your Deal →What the calculator includes, and what it doesn't
Included: principal and interest on the base loan plus the financed guarantee fee, the annual fee, taxes, insurance, HOA, LTV, total interest, payoff date and extra principal.
Not included: property and income eligibility, the USDA Direct (Section 502 Direct) program and its payment assistance, closing costs, financing closing costs into the loan when the appraisal allows it, debt-to-income limits and the annual decline in the fee.
USDA calculator FAQs
What are the USDA loan fees?
USDA Guaranteed loans carry a 1% upfront guarantee fee, usually financed, and a 0.35% annual fee paid monthly. The calculator uses both.
Is the USDA annual fee the same as PMI?
It plays a similar role but is not private mortgage insurance. It is a guarantee fee paid to USDA, and it is not priced on credit score.
Does the USDA annual fee ever end?
It is charged for the life of the loan. Because it is based on the average balance each year, the dollar amount declines slowly.
Do I need a down payment for a USDA loan?
Eligible buyers can finance 100% of the price. The calculator defaults to 0% down.
Does the calculator check if a property is eligible?
No. Use the USDA property eligibility map or ask a lending partner. Household income limits also apply.
Can I choose a 15-year USDA loan?
USDA Guaranteed purchase loans are 30-year fixed. You can enter another term to compare payments, but it would not be a USDA option.
Sources
- USDA Rural Development: Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program — program terms, fees and eligibility.
- USDA eligibility site — property and income eligibility lookups.
- CFPB: Loan Estimate explainer — how to read the fees and payment on a real offer.
Educational estimate only. LoanFight is not a lender, does not make credit decisions and does not set loan terms. The default interest rate is an illustration, not a rate quote. Your lending partner will provide actual figures on a Loan Estimate.