Personal loan amounts run from $1,000 to $100,000, but what a lender offers you depends on two numbers: your income and your debt-to-income ratio (DTI). This guide shows what payments actually look like at every loan size, how lenders decide your ceiling, and why the right amount to borrow is almost always less than your maximum.
Monthly payments by loan amount
Payments shown at 11% APR (typical for good credit in 2026) and 24% APR (typical for fair credit), calculated with the standard amortization formula. Verify any specific offer with our loan calculator.
| Amount | 11% · 3yr | 11% · 5yr | 24% · 3yr | 24% · 5yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $164/mo | $109/mo | $196/mo | $144/mo |
| $10,000 | $327/mo | $217/mo | $392/mo | $288/mo |
| $15,000 | $491/mo | $326/mo | $588/mo | $432/mo |
| $20,000 | $655/mo | $435/mo | $785/mo | $575/mo |
| $25,000 | $818/mo | $544/mo | $981/mo | $719/mo |
| $30,000 | $982/mo | $652/mo | $1,177/mo | $863/mo |
| $40,000 | $1,310/mo | $870/mo | $1,569/mo | $1,151/mo |
| $50,000 | $1,637/mo | $1,087/mo | $1,962/mo | $1,438/mo |
How lenders set your maximum
The DTI rule. Most lenders cap total monthly debt payments (including the new loan) at 36%–43% of gross monthly income. Earn $5,000/month with $1,200 in existing payments, and at a 40% cap you have $800/month of room — roughly a $24,000 loan at fair-credit rates.
Income floors. Upstart's minimum is $12,000/year; most mainstream lenders want $25,000+. Amounts above $40K generally require $60K+ income and good credit.
Score gates by amount. Under $10K is accessible at 580+. $10K–$30K generally wants 620+. Above $50K is a 680+, low-DTI product at a handful of lenders.
Borrow less than your maximum
The approval amount is a sales number, not advice. Work backwards from the monthly payment you can sustain after a bad month — then round the loan down. Borrowing $15,000 when you need $12,000 means paying interest on $3,000 you didn't need, every month, for years. If your project grows, most lenders will happily write a second loan later; nobody refunds interest on money that sat in your checking account.