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Decision engines

Can I afford this business loan?

A loan is affordable only if the payment fits your profit with room to spare. Enter the loan and your monthly profit, and this shows the payment, the total interest, your profit after it, and how it holds up if business slows.

  1. The loan
  2. Your profit
  3. The payment
  4. Coverage & stress test
  5. Verdict
A business loan is affordable when the monthly payment leaves you profitable with a comfortable cushion — lenders look for debt-service coverage of about 1.25× or better. If the payment eats most of your profit, one slow month puts you underwater. This tool computes the payment, your profit after it, your coverage ratio, and stress-tests it.

The loan

Your business

After all current costs, including any debt you already pay.
Monthly payment
Total interest
Profit after payment
Debt-service coverage

Planning estimate only — general information to help you think it through, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Your numbers stay in your browser.

Enter your numbers

Fill in the fields above for your verdict.

Stress test

Don't just model a good month. Here's whether your profit still covers the payment if things tighten — a pass means the payment is still covered:

What would change my answer?

The tipping points around your result — so you know the conditions, not just the answer:

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How this is calculated

Monthly payment is the standard amortized loan payment for the amount, rate, and term. Total interest = payment × months − amount borrowed.

Debt-service coverage (DSCR) = operating profit ÷ total debt payments. Above 1.25× is comfortable, 1.0× means every dollar of profit is spoken for, below 1.0× means you can't cover the payments from profit alone. The stress test re-checks the payment against a weaker month.

A planning estimate — not financial advice. Actual approval and rates depend on credit, collateral, and the lender.

Quick FAQ

How do I know if I can afford a business loan?

Check that the monthly payment leaves you clearly profitable and that your debt-service coverage — profit divided by total debt payments — is at least 1.25×. If the payment takes more than about a third of your monthly profit, or coverage is near 1×, the loan is risky even if you can technically make the payment.

What is a good debt-service coverage ratio?

Lenders typically want 1.25× or higher, meaning your profit is at least 125% of your total debt payments. That cushion covers a slow month. At 1.0× every dollar of profit goes to debt; below 1.0× you can't cover the payments from profit and the loan is unaffordable as-is.

Why does total interest matter if I can make the payment?

Because a longer term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest you pay — sometimes dramatically. Seeing both lets you weigh an affordable monthly payment against the true lifetime cost of the loan, and decide whether a shorter term is worth the higher payment.

Last reviewed: September 2026. Free to use, no signup — a ToolWise Digital decision engine.

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