IPMT function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation

What is IPMT function in Excel?

IPMT function is one of the Financial functions in Microsoft Excel that returns the interest payment for a given period for an investment based on periodic, constant payments and a constant interest rate.

Syntax of IPMT function

IPMT(rate, per, nper, pv, [fv], [type])

The IPMT function syntax has the following arguments:

• Rate: The interest rate per period.
• Per: The period for which you want to find the interest and must be in the range 1 to nper.
• Nper: The total number of payment periods in an annuity.
• Pv: The present value, or the lump-sum amount that a series of future payments is worth right now.
• Fv (Optional): The future value, or a cash balance you want to attain after the last payment is made. If fv is omitted, it is assumed to be 0 (the future value of a loan, for example, is 0).
• Type (Optional): The number 0 or 1 and indicates when payments are due. If type is omitted, it is assumed to be 0.

Set type equal to	If payments are due
0	At the end of the period
1	At the beginning of the period

IPMT formula explanation

• Make sure that you are consistent about the units you use for specifying rate and nper. If you make monthly payments on a four-year loan at 12 percent annual interest, use 12%/12 for rate and 4*12 for nper. If you make annual payments on the same loan, use 12% for rate and 4 for nper.
• For all the arguments, cash you pay out, such as deposits to savings, is represented by negative numbers; cash you receive, such as dividend checks, is represented by positive numbers.

Worked Example:   Calculate interest for given period in Excel

Example of IPMT function

Steps to follow:

1. Open a new Excel worksheet.

2. Copy data in the following table below and paste it in cell A1

Worked Example:   Calculate interest for given period in Excel

Note: For formulas to show results, select them, press F2 key on your keyboard and then press Enter.

You can adjust the column widths to see all the data, if need be.

Data	Description
10.00%	Annual interest
1	Period for which you want to find the interest paid.
3	Years of loan
$8,000	Present value of loan
Formula	Description	Live Result
=IPMT(A2/12, A3, A4*12, A5)	Interest due in the first month for a loan with the terms in A2:A5.	($66.67)
=IPMT(A2, 3, A4, A5)	Interest due in the last year for a loan with the same terms, where payments are made yearly.	($292.45)