What the crossover point is
A fixed-rate mortgage has the same payment every month, but what that payment buys changes. Early on, most of it is interest, because interest is charged on a large balance. Each payment trims the balance a little, so the interest share falls and the principal share rises. The crossover is the first month the two swap places: principal becomes the larger part of your payment.
On a 30-year loan at 6.5%, that happens at payment #233 (19 yrs 4 mo). By then you'll have paid 82% of all the interest the loan will ever charge. That's why people call mortgages front-loaded. You'll also see the crossover called the tipping point; it's the same month.
Nothing about your payment amount changes at the crossover. What changes is where the money goes: from that month on, most of every payment builds equity. The CFPB's explainer on paying down a mortgage describes the same amortization pattern.
Crossover by interest rate
The crossover depends only on the rate and the term, not the loan size. For any fixed-rate loan:
| Rate | 30-year: crossover | Interest paid by then | 15-year: crossover | Interest paid by then |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3% | payment #84 (6 yrs 11 mo) | 37% | from the first payment | — |
| 4% | payment #153 (12 yrs 8 mo) | 61% | from the first payment | — |
| 5% | payment #195 (16 yrs 2 mo) | 73% | payment #15 (1 yr 2 mo) | 13% |
| 6% | payment #223 (18 yrs 6 mo) | 80% | payment #43 (3 yrs 6 mo) | 37% |
| 6.5% | payment #233 (19 yrs 4 mo) | 82% | payment #53 (4 yrs 4 mo) | 45% |
| 7% | payment #242 (20 yrs 1 mo) | 84% | payment #62 (5 yrs 1 mo) | 51% |
| 7.5% | payment #250 (20 yrs 9 mo) | 86% | payment #70 (5 yrs 9 mo) | 57% |
| 8% | payment #257 (21 yrs 4 mo) | 87% | payment #77 (6 yrs 4 mo) | 61% |
Calculated with the same engine as the calculator above, rounding to the cent each month.
Two things stand out. A higher rate pushes the crossover much later, because more of each payment is needed just to cover interest. And a 15-year loan crosses over far sooner, at low rates from the very first payment, because the larger payment leaves more for principal from the start. The 15 vs 30 year mortgage calculator shows what that costs month to month.
Moving the crossover closer
You can't change a fixed rate without refinancing, but you can change the balance. Any extra principal lowers every future interest charge, so the crossover arrives sooner and stays ahead. Enter an amount in "Extra toward principal each month" above to see how many months it moves. To plan a full strategy with monthly, yearly and lump-sum extras, use the extra payment calculator. Before you do, it's worth reading whether paying off early makes sense for you. To see every payment's split month by month, use the amortization schedule calculator. How has the crossover moved as rates changed? Our crossover study covers every year since 1971.
The formula
With balance B, monthly rate r (annual rate ÷ 12) and payment M, a payment is mostly principal when interest r·B is at most half the payment, that is when the balance falls to:
B ≤ M ÷ (2r)
Working back through the amortization schedule, the number of payments already made when that happens is:
k = ln( M ÷ (2 · (M − r·B₀)) ) ÷ ln(1 + r)
where B₀ is the original loan. Round k up; the crossover is payment number k + 1. The calculator doesn't rely on the shortcut: it walks through every payment, rounding each month's interest to the cent like a servicer does, and reports the first month principal is at least as large as interest.
Questions people ask
When does a 30-year mortgage start paying more principal than interest?
It depends only on the rate. At 6.5% it happens at payment #233 (19 yrs 4 mo); at lower rates it comes sooner: at 3% it's payment #84 (6 yrs 11 mo). The table on this page gives the month for rates from 3% to 8%, for 30-year and 15-year loans.
Why is so much of my mortgage payment interest at the start?
Interest is charged on what you still owe. At the start you owe the most, so interest takes most of a fixed payment. Each payment trims the balance, interest shrinks, and a bigger slice goes to principal.
Does the crossover point depend on the loan amount?
No. For a fixed-rate loan, the crossover payment number depends only on the interest rate and the term. A $150,000 and a $900,000 loan at the same rate and term cross over in the same month.
How can I reach the crossover sooner?
Pay extra toward principal. Any extra payment lowers the balance, which lowers every future interest charge, so more of your regular payment goes to principal from then on. A shorter term or a lower rate (through a refinance) also moves it earlier.
Is the crossover point a good time to stop paying extra?
It's a milestone, not a rule. After the crossover, extra payments still save interest; each dollar just saves a little less than it would have earlier. Many people use it as motivation: from here on, most of every payment builds equity.
For education and estimates only; not financial advice. Adjustable-rate loans, recasts and missed payments change the schedule. Your servicer's figures are final. See How we calculate.