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Methodology

How the calculator works.

A short methodology page covering what the calculator computes, why its input ranges are what they are, and which real costs it deliberately leaves out.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Indicative repayment

Weekly

Disclaimer

$358/week

$1,551 /month $14,435 total interest
$60,000
$5,000 $500,000
4 years
6 months 5 years
11.00% p.a.
8% (secured) 30% (unsecured)

Indicative only. Not a quote or offer of credit. Actual rates, fees, and repayments depend on the business profile and the lender's decision.

The maths

A standard amortising loan, no more.

In its scheduled mode the calculator computes a level monthly payment using the standard principal-and-interest formula. In its revolving mode it calculates the interest cost of an average drawn balance instead, because a facility that never amortises has no repayment to compute. Given an amount P, a monthly rate r (the annual rate divided by 12), and a term in months n, the monthly payment is:

monthly = P ร— (r ร— (1 + r)^n) / ((1 + r)^n โˆ’ 1)

Weekly is the monthly figure multiplied by twelve then divided by fifty-two, so a $1,551 monthly payment on a $60,000 facility shows as roughly $357 a week. Total interest is the sum of all payments minus the principal. Total cost is principal plus total interest.

That is everything it does. There is no risk weighting, no credit-score factor, no sector adjustment and no fee schedule. All of those matter in real lender pricing and all of them are out of scope for an indicative tool. The point is to answer what a facility costs on the inputs shown, without asking the reader for anything.

Inputs

Why the ranges are what they are.

Amount

$5K โ€“ $500K

Covers most New Zealand working capital lending, from a single tax payment to a season of trading. Below $5,000 the establishment fee usually outweighs the rate; above $500,000 the process typically moves to structures this shape does not model.

Term

6 โ€“ 60 mo.

Where scheduled facilities settle. A revolving facility has no term in this sense, which is why the second mode replaces the term slider with an average drawn balance instead.

Rate

8% โ€“ 30%

Spans receivables pricing at the low end through unsecured business lending at the upper end. The defaults across the site sit in the middle of that range rather than at an extreme of either kind.

What we deliberately leave out

Fees, security, and credit assessment.

The output is rate-only so the effect of the rate can be seen in isolation. In practice the total cost of a working capital facility is the rate plus the service fee plus the standing charges plus any minimum volume fee. Every one of those is real and material, and every one is out of scope for an indicative tool.

  • Establishment and documentation fees are commonly charged and are not in the figure. On smaller amounts they commonly move the effective cost more than a percentage point of rate does.
  • Security registration on the Personal Property Securities Register carries a published fixed fee per registration. Legal costs on a larger secured facility sit on top of it.
  • GST is not in the figure either. It sits on the liability side of a working capital position with its own due dates, and how it interacts with a facility is a question for the accountant.
  • A residual or balloon is not modelled. On a finance lease the residual is not repaid across the term, so the real payment is lower than shown and a lump sum falls due at the end.
  • Credit assessment decides where in a band a rate actually lands. The calculator returns the rate entered; a lender returns the rate the business and its ledger support.

Privacy

No data leaves your screen.

The calculator runs entirely in the browser and the inputs are never transmitted. The only outbound event is the handoff, which fires when the "See if you qualify" button is used. At that point a tagged Prospa apply URL opens carrying a partner tracking parameter and nothing else, and Prospa's own application takes over under its privacy policy. The calculator itself collects nothing at all.

The full privacy position is on the privacy page.

References

Sources

FAQ

Calculator methodology, common questions

What does the calculator actually compute?

A standard amortising repayment using the principal-and-interest formula. The monthly figure is the level payment that fully repays the amount over the term at the chosen rate. The weekly figure is that monthly payment multiplied by twelve and divided by fifty-two. Total interest is the sum of all payments minus the amount financed.

Why are the amount, term and rate ranges what they are?

Amount runs $5,000 to $500,000 because that band covers most New Zealand working capital lending, from a single tax payment to a season of trading. Term runs 6 to 60 months because that is where scheduled facilities settle, and a revolving facility uses the drawn-balance mode instead. Rate runs 8% to 30% to span receivables pricing at the low end through unsecured business lending at the upper end.

Why are the figures called indicative rather than a quote?

Lenders price on a credit assessment covering trading history, bank-statement cash flow, the receivables ledger, customer quality, the sector and the director profile. The calculator has none of that. It returns an arithmetic answer from the inputs shown, which is useful for testing a decision before any application. The actual offer can only come from the lender after its assessment.

Where do the indicative rate bands elsewhere on the site come from?

They are observed across published New Zealand lender pricing and Reserve Bank of New Zealand business-lending statistics, and they are described as bands rather than as available rates because that is what they are. Each band-bearing page carries its own last-reviewed date, and the bands are revised when the underlying picture moves.

Why does the calculator ask for no personal details?

Because a repayment calculation does not need any. Nothing is submitted, no credit file is touched, and no contact form exists anywhere on this site. The handoff to Prospa happens only when the "See if you qualify" button is used, and the only thing on that URL is a partner tracking parameter rather than anything about the reader.

Why does the calculator have two modes?

Because half the facilities on this site do not amortise. A scheduled facility repays to zero and a level payment is the right output for it. A revolving facility charges on what is drawn and never repays to a schedule, so the honest output there is the interest cost of an average drawn balance rather than a repayment that would not exist. Publishing the second as the first would be a figure that misdescribes the product.

How are fees handled?

They are not included, deliberately. Establishment fees, documentation fees, PPSR registration, legal costs on a secured facility and break costs on early settlement are all real. The calculator is rate-only so the effect of the rate can be seen in isolation, and the fees are described separately rather than folded into a figure that would then hide them.

What changes when the rate slider moves?

The weekly and monthly payments rise, and the total interest rises more than proportionally because interest compounds across the term. Moving from 9% to 13% on a $95,000 facility over 48 months is in the region of $32 a week and roughly $6,600 across the full term, on those assumptions. Both figures update on the calculator as the slider moves.

Is the same calculator used everywhere on the site?

Yes. One component is embedded on the home page, on the three calculator pages, on every facility and situation page, and inside body sections where a worked example benefits from it. The pre-filled defaults change to suit the page; the arithmetic is identical everywhere.

How often is the calculator reviewed?

The calculation itself does not change, because amortisation maths is settled. What is reviewed is the default amount, term and rate on each page, and the indicative bands quoted around them. Those are revised when the New Zealand market picture moves rather than on a fixed schedule, and the review date is shown on the page.

Disclaimer

Indicative content only. Not personalised financial advice.

A working capital facility is a commitment serviced out of the same operating cash flow as everything else, and the fees recur for as long as it is used. Modelling the weekly cost against the trading position before committing is what this site is built for. Borrowing at a level that stays comfortable through a quiet quarter, rather than only through a strong one, is widely regarded as the safer frame.

What this site is

A calculator and information tool. Not a lender, not a broker, not a registered financial adviser. Nothing here is personalised financial advice.

What the figures show

Modelled estimates based on the inputs shown. Not a quote. Not an offer of credit. Not a guarantee of approval, rate or fees.

What the lender decides

Final rates, fees, and approval are set by the lender after a CCCFA-appropriate assessment of the applicant's circumstances and credit decision.

Commercial disclosure

Workingcapital.org.nz earns a commission from Prospa when a visitor applies through this site and their application is approved. The commission is paid by Prospa, not by the borrower, and it does not influence the rate Prospa offers. Full disclosure on the partner page.

Tax, GST, and accountant framing

Tax-treatment statements (GST claim timing, interest deductibility, depreciation rates) are general in nature and subject to the accountant's confirmation on the specific business position. For material amounts, professional advice from a registered financial adviser or chartered accountant is widely regarded as the safer frame.

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Important information

About this site, the figures, and your protections.

Last reviewed 8 September 2026.

1. What this site is

Workingcapital.org.nz is a New Zealand education site and a free repayment calculator. It is not a lender, not a broker, and not a registered financial adviser. We do not arrange credit, hold client money, or provide regulated financial advice as defined under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 Part 6 or the Financial Services Legislation Amendment Act 2019. Nothing on this site is personalised financial advice.

2. The calculator and figures

All numbers shown by the calculator, in worked examples, and across the site are indicative only and modelled from the inputs entered. The figures are not a quote, not an offer of credit, and not a guarantee of the rate, fees, term, or approval available to any specific business. Final pricing, fees, and approval are set by the lender after the lender's own credit assessment.

3. General information, not advice

Content on this site is general information (class information). It does not take into account the financial situation, objectives, or needs of any particular business or person. Before making a borrowing decision, professional advice from a licensed Financial Advice Provider, a chartered accountant, or a solicitor is widely regarded as the safer frame, particularly where amounts are material or the borrowing involves a personal guarantee.

4. Commercial relationship with Prospa

When a calculator user clicks "see if you qualify", the application hands off to Prospa, our New Zealand SME finance partner. Workingcapital.org.nz earns a referral commission from Prospa when a referred application converts to a funded loan. The commission is paid by Prospa, not by the borrower, and does not change the rate, fees, or terms Prospa offers the business. We do not claim Prospa is the cheapest or best lender for every applicant. Full disclosure is on our partner page.

5. Tax, GST, and accountant framing

Tax-treatment statements (GST claim timing, interest deductibility, depreciation rates) on this site are general in nature and subject to confirmation by the accountant on the specific business position. For material amounts, professional tax advice from a chartered accountant is widely regarded as the safer frame. Inland Revenue is the primary source for any specific NZ tax-treatment question.

6. Privacy and personal information

Consistent with the Privacy Act 2020, we do not run lead-capture forms on this site. Calculator inputs stay in the browser and are not transmitted to a server we control. We use Google Analytics 4 for aggregate, non-personal traffic data only. When a visitor clicks through to Prospa they leave our site, and Prospa's privacy policy applies. The Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 (CCCFA) framework applies at the lender level where a sole trader's borrowing is wholly or predominantly for personal use, or where a personal guarantor is involved.

7. Fair dealing posture

This site operates under the fair-dealing requirements of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 Part 2 and the Fair Trading Act 1986. We avoid misleading or deceptive conduct, false representations, and unsubstantiated claims. Numeric or regulatory claims are hedged or sourced to a primary New Zealand authority such as Inland Revenue, MBIE, the Companies Office, WorkSafe, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Stats NZ, the Commerce Commission or the Financial Markets Authority.

8. Limitation of liability and governing law

To the maximum extent permitted by New Zealand law, Workingcapital.org.nz, its operators and its contributors are not liable for any loss or damage (direct, indirect, consequential, or otherwise) arising from use of the site or reliance on its content, indicative figures, or third-party information. These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any disputes are to be resolved in New Zealand courts.

Long form: terms, privacy, footer disclaimer.