Personal Loan Rates by Credit Score Chart: 2026 APRs

Average personal loan APR by credit tier, March 2026

These are MARKET AVERAGES, not offers — your quote depends on the lender, your income, your debt-to-income ratio, and your full credit profile. Rates move every quarter (this table is October 2026). The figures assume no origination fee, no prepayment penalty, and no late fees — a 5% origination fee on a $10,000 loan means you receive $9,500 but repay the full amount; paying early saves interest (check for a prepayment penalty first).

Table 1 — Average personal loan APR by credit tier, March 2026 ($10,000 loan, 36 months)

The same $10,000 loan costs $1,758.96 more in interest at the poor rate than at excellent ($3,683.60 − $1,924.64); $1,077.48 more at fair than at excellent ($3,002.12 − $1,924.64).

Table 2 — Market benchmarks on a $10,000 / 36-month loan

The Federal Reserve’s 11.90% and Bankrate’s 12.54% both sit just above the excellent tier’s 11.81% — the average borrower pays a little more than the best tier, and a lot less than the poor tier’s 21.65%.

How your score sets your payment

On the defaults — a 720 score, a $10,000.00 loan, and a 36-month term — your tier is Excellent (720–850), the average personal loan APR is 11.81%, the monthly payment is $331.24, the total interest is $1,924.64, and the total paid is $11,924.64. The whole calculation is three moves: look up the tier’s average APR, run the amortisation formula for the monthly payment, and multiply by the term for the total paid.

Five things about the model are worth stating plainly. First, the tiers use FICO score ranges, and a 720 score is Excellent (720–850). Second, the monthly payment is $10,000.00 at 11.81% over 36 months = $331.24. Third, the total paid is $331.24 × 36 = $11,924.64. Fourth, the total interest is $11,924.64 − $10,000.00 = $1,924.64. And fifth, the payment is rounded to cents first, and the total and interest follow from the rounded payment; all listed in Accuracy & limitations.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 720 score, $10,000.00 loan, 36 months.

Line 1 — the tier. A 720 score is Excellent (720–850) — the average personal loan APR is 11.81%.

Line 2 — the monthly payment. The payment is $10,000.00 × r(1+r)^n ÷ ((1+r)^n − 1) with r = 11.81% ÷ 12 = $331.24.

Line 3 — the total paid. The total paid is $331.24 × 36 = $11,924.64.

Line 4 — the total interest. The total interest is $11,924.64 − $10,000.00 = $1,924.64.

Every branch, checked

Score 800, $10,000, 36 mo: Score 800, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $331.24, total interest $1,924.64, total paid $11,924.64 — An excellent 800 earns the lowest average rate — $331.24 a month and $1,924.64 of interest over 3 years.

Score 650, $10,000, 36 mo: Score 650, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Fair (630–689), average personal loan APR 17.93%, monthly payment $361.17, total interest $3,002.12, total paid $13,002.12 — A fair 650 costs $361.17 a month — $29.93 more than excellent on the same loan.

Score 720, $5,000, 24 mo: Score 720, loan $5,000.00, term 24 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $234.92, total interest $638.08, total paid $5,638.08 — A smaller loan over a shorter term costs $234.92 a month and $638.08 of interest.

Score 720, $20,000, 60 mo: Score 720, loan $20,000.00, term 60 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $442.97, total interest $6,578.20, total paid $26,578.20 — A $20,000 loan over 5 years costs $442.97 a month — $6,578.20 of interest in total.

Score 550, $10,000, 36 mo: Score 550, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Poor (300–629), average personal loan APR 21.65%, monthly payment $380.10, total interest $3,683.60, total paid $13,683.60 — A poor 550 pays $380.10 a month and $3,683.60 of interest — $1,758.96 more than excellent.

Score 800, $3,000, 12 mo: Score 800, loan $3,000.00, term 12 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $266.28, total interest $195.36, total paid $3,195.36 — A small 12-month loan at the excellent rate costs $266.28 a month and $195.36 of interest.

Score 690, $10,000, 36 mo: Score 690, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Good (690–719), average personal loan APR 14.48%, monthly payment $344.11, total interest $2,387.96, total paid $12,387.96 — 690 is the bottom of Good — one point lower is Fair — and the figures match the good tier exactly.

The reverses, worked backwards

Score at the tier boundary: 720 is Excellent at 11.81%; 719 is Good at 14.48% — one point costs $12.87 a month ($344.11 − $331.24). The star is SCORE.

Loan amount for a monthly payment of exactly $300.00 at 11.81% / 36 mo: $9,056.98 — the exact amount is 9056.9769. At the displayed $9,056.98 the payment is $300.00, the interest is $1,743.02, and the total is $10,800.00. $9,056.97 also rounds to a $300.00 payment (unrounded $299.9998) — $9,056.98 is the smallest cent amount whose unrounded payment reaches $300.00. The star is DOLLARS.

APR for a monthly payment of exactly $350.00 on a $10,000 / 36-month loan: 15.68% — the exact APR is 15.6815%. At the displayed 15.68% the payment is $349.99 — one cent under the $350.00 target. 15.69% gives $350.04. The star is RATE.

Term where total interest first reaches $2,000.00 ($10,000 at 11.81%): 38 months is the shortest term where interest reaches $2,000 (payment $316.70, interest $2,034.60, total $12,034.60); 37 months gives interest $1,979.49 (payment $323.77, total $11,979.49). The star is MONTHS.

Loan amount for total interest of exactly $1,500.00 at 11.81% / 36 mo: $7,794.20 — the exact amount is 7794.1972. At the displayed $7,794.20 the unrounded interest is $1,500.00 but the displayed rounded interest is $1,499.92 (the $258.17 rounded payment × 36 = $9,294.12); the payment is $258.17 and the total is $9,294.12. $7,794.19 gives interest $1,499.93. The star is DOLLARS.

Score for the bottom of Fair: 630 is Fair at 17.93%; 629 is Poor at 21.65% — one point costs $18.93 a month ($380.10 − $361.17). The star is SCORE.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are a 720 score, a $10,000.00 loan, and a 36-month term — Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $331.24. With a score of 800, Score 800, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $331.24, total interest $1,924.64, total paid $11,924.64 — the payment is $331.24. With a score of 650, Score 650, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Fair (630–689), average personal loan APR 17.93%, monthly payment $361.17, total interest $3,002.12, total paid $13,002.12 — the payment is $361.17. With a $5,000.00 loan over 24 months, Score 720, loan $5,000.00, term 24 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $234.92, total interest $638.08, total paid $5,638.08 — the payment is $234.92. With a $20,000.00 loan over 60 months, Score 720, loan $20,000.00, term 60 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $442.97, total interest $6,578.20, total paid $26,578.20 — the payment is $442.97. With a score of 550, Score 550, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Poor (300–629), average personal loan APR 21.65%, monthly payment $380.10, total interest $3,683.60, total paid $13,683.60 — the payment is $380.10. With a $3,000.00 loan over 12 months at 800, Score 800, loan $3,000.00, term 12 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $266.28, total interest $195.36, total paid $3,195.36 — the payment is $266.28. With a score of 690, Score 690, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Good (690–719), average personal loan APR 14.48%, monthly payment $344.11, total interest $2,387.96, total paid $12,387.96 — the figures match the good tier exactly. With a score of 300, Score 300, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Poor (300–629), average personal loan APR 21.65%, monthly payment $380.10, total interest $3,683.60, total paid $13,683.60 — the payment is $380.10. With a score of 850, Score 850, loan $10,000.00, term 36 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $331.24, total interest $1,924.64, total paid $11,924.64 — the payment is $331.24. With a loan of $0, Score 720, loan $0.00, term 36 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $0.00, total interest $0.00, total paid $0.00 — no payment and no interest. With a $100,000.00 loan over 60 months at 800, Score 800, loan $100,000.00, term 60 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $2,214.86, total interest $32,891.60, total paid $132,891.60 — the payment is $2,214.86. With 629 vs 630, Score 629: Poor 21.65%, monthly payment $380.10; score 630: Fair 17.93%, monthly payment $361.17 — one point saves $18.93 a month on a $10,000 loan. With a 12-month term, Score 720, loan $10,000.00, term 12 months: Excellent (720–850), average personal loan APR 11.81%, monthly payment $887.60, total interest $651.20, total paid $10,651.20 — the payment is $887.60. With a score of 299, the calculator shows an error — enter a score from 300 to 850 — not a tier or a payment.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The borrower with a 720 score: they learn their tier is Excellent at 11.81% and the payment on $10,000.00 is $331.24 a month — and they check the 720 reverse to see the score that would drop them into the good tier.
• The borrower who wants a $300.00 payment: they learn a $9,056.98 loan at 11.81% over 36 months pays exactly $300.00 a month — and they check the $7,794.20 reverse to see the loan that costs exactly $1,500.00 of interest.
• The borrower comparing tiers: they learn the same $10,000 loan costs $1,758.96 more in interest at the poor rate than at excellent — and they check the 630 reverse to see the score that earns the fair rate.
• The borrower stretching the term: they learn 38 months is the shortest term where the interest reaches $2,000.00 — and they check the 15.68% reverse to see the APR that would make the payment exactly $350.00.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is first-principles: the monthly payment is the amortisation formula with the APR divided by 12, rounded to cents half-up, and the total paid is the rounded payment times the term, so the total interest follows from the rounded payment. What the model cannot do is quote YOUR rate: these are MARKET AVERAGES, not offers — your quote depends on the lender, your income, your debt-to-income ratio, and your full credit profile; rates move every quarter (this table is October 2026); the figures assume no origination fee, no prepayment penalty, and no late fees — a 5% origination fee on a $10,000 loan means you receive $9,500 but repay the full amount; and paying early saves interest (check for a prepayment penalty first). The rates are cited source data (LendingTree average personal loan APRs by credit score, March 2026; Federal Reserve G.19, August 2026; Bankrate national survey, October 7, 2026); the monthly payment, total interest, and total paid are Bright Side Kit’s own arithmetic on the stated amount and term at each tier’s average rate. Use it to see what your tier costs — then get a real quote before you apply.

Frequently asked questions