Business loan payout figures, line by line

What exactly is in a payout figure?

A payout figure is the lender’s statement of what it takes to close the loan on a named date. Most include some or all of these lines:

Line	What it is
Principal outstanding	The amount borrowed less principal repaid so far
Accrued interest	Interest built up since the last payment, to the payout date
Capitalised or deferred amounts	Interest or fees added to the balance during the term
Unpaid fees	Any account, line or late fees not yet paid
Minimum interest or early repayment charge	If the contract has one and you’re finishing early
Discharge fee	Lender’s charge for releasing security or closing the account
Third-party costs	Legal, registration or settlement costs, for secured loans

The total of those lines is what the new lender, buyer’s settlement agent or you must pay for the loan to close. Anything short, and the loan stays open.

Why is it usually bigger than people expect?

Because the balance you see during the loan is rarely the whole story. Common surprises:

• Capitalised interest. On loans where interest isn’t paid monthly, it’s added to the balance. Months of it can make a noticeable difference.
• Minimum interest. If the contract requires a minimum period’s interest and you’re finishing early, the gap appears here.
• Discharge and legal costs. Particularly for property-secured loans, releasing a mortgage or withdrawing a caveat involves paperwork someone has to be paid for.
• Default charges. If any repayment was late, default interest or fees may still be sitting on the account.

None of this should be a surprise if you asked the right questions before signing. Our early repayment page lists them.

How do you request a payout figure?

Keep it simple and in writing:

1. Ask for the payout figure as at your expected settlement date.
2. Ask for the daily amount to add if settlement is later (the per diem).
3. Ask what notice the lender needs and how long the figure is valid.
4. For secured loans, confirm who prepares the discharge documents and what the lender needs from your solicitor or conveyancer.

Request it early. If you’re refinancing or selling, the settling party will need it, and last-minute requests are a common cause of delayed settlements. Our 90-day exit countdown puts the payout request at the right point in the timeline.

If a payout figure is driving a refinance you’re planning now, talk to a lending specialist — enquiring doesn’t involve a credit check.

How do you check the figure is right?

Take your contract and go line by line:

• Principal: does it match your statements after each repayment?
• Interest: is it calculated for the right number of days, on the right balance?
• Fees: is each fee in the contract? Is it the amount stated?
• Early repayment charges: does the calculation follow the clause in your agreement?
• Discharge costs: are they reasonable and itemised?

If something doesn’t reconcile, ask for a breakdown. Most discrepancies are timing issues or misunderstandings. If a genuine dispute remains, ASIC notes that small businesses may be able to complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority about lenders that are AFCA members — worth knowing, though most payout questions are resolved with a phone call.

What happens if settlement moves?

Interest usually keeps accruing daily, so a later settlement means a higher payout. That’s why the per diem matters. If a buyer delays or a refinance takes an extra week, you add the daily figure for each extra day. If settlement comes forward, the figure should reduce, provided the contract doesn’t impose a minimum.

For a secured loan repaid by a sale, the conveyancer or solicitor will usually request an updated figure close to settlement. For a refinance, the new lender does the same. Build a margin into your plans — see refinance to a bank loan.

Payout figures and extensions

If the payout figure arrives and the exit isn’t ready — the sale hasn’t settled, the refinance isn’t approved — you’re into extension territory. That’s a separate negotiation with its own costs. Our page on loan extensions and rollovers explains how to approach it and what to ask for.

A sample payout breakdown

Illustrative figures only — not a quote. Here’s how a payout statement for a property-secured short-term loan might look, paid out at month seven of twelve:

Line	Amount
Principal outstanding	$250,000
Interest accrued since last payment (12 days)	$1,150
Unpaid account fee	$50
Early repayment charge	Nil (daily accrual, no minimum)
Discharge fee	$350
Solicitor’s discharge costs	$450
Payout figure	$252,000
Daily adjustment if settlement is later	$95.83 per day

Notice that the borrower owes $2,000 more than the principal on the payout date, even with no early repayment charge. If the exit had been sized to cover only $250,000, settlement would have fallen short. That’s the gap this page is designed to help you avoid.

The daily adjustment matters just as much. In this example, a two-week delay to settlement would add about $1,340 to the payout — easy to cover if you’ve planned for it, awkward if the sale proceeds were sized to the dollar.

Planning a short-term loan with a clean exit

The best time to think about the payout figure is before you borrow. When you enquire with us, a specialist can explain exactly how the payout will be calculated on each option and what notice is needed. Your credit file isn’t checked when you enquire, and the details you give us aren’t sent round the market. Tell us on the form how and when you expect to repay, so the structure we suggest makes the payout straightforward.