N
The Daily Insight Hub

Does interest accrue after payment?

Author

Sophia Koch

Updated on February 19, 2026

Payments are applied to accrued interest first, then to the principal balance. Any principal balance remaining continues to accrue interest every 30 days, beginning with the next interest period after the payment was received.

What does it mean that interest will continue to accrue?

Your interest will continue to accrue (grow) while your loans are deferred, and at the end of the deferment, any Unpaid Interest will capitalize (be added to your loan’s Current Principal). If you can pay your accrued interest before it capitalizes, that can help keep your Total Loan Cost down.

Does interest accrue continuously over time?

When you take out a loan, or carry a balance on a credit card, the interest accrues constantly. However, if you make regular payments, this interest isn’t compounded. For this reason, calculating the unpaid interest that has accrued on a loan is pretty straightforward to do.

Is interest based on principal or remaining balance?

Your interest is calculated based, in part, on your principal amount. So the lower your principal, the less interest you’ll have to pay each month. Plus, when your principal balance reaches $0, you have successfully paid your loan in full—and you no longer need to pay principal or interest.

Is interest calculated on remaining balance?

Your interest charge depends on your balance on each of those days. You start with your unpaid balance — the amount carried over from the previous month. When you make a purchase, the balance goes up; when you make a payment, it goes down.

Does interest accrue daily?

Interest can accrue on any time schedule; common periods include daily, monthly and annually.

Does interest accrue daily or monthly?

Interest can accrue on any time schedule; common periods include daily, monthly and annually. Daily accrual, for example, means interest amounts are added to the account balance every day.

How does accrued interest relate to cash payments?

Under accrual accounting, accrued interest is the amount of interest from a financial obligation that has been incurred in a reporting period, while the cash payment has not been made yet in that period.

When does interest accrue on a student loan?

Unlike subsidized loans, the principal will begin accruing interest as soon as the loan has been disbursed. If you take out $5,000 to pay for a semester, that loan will begin accruing interest immediately.

When does the accounting period end for accrued interest?

Assuming the accounting period ends on March 31 for both the lender and the borrower, the interest payment incurred within the period of March covers ten days. Therefore, the accrued interest for the accounting period will be $166.67 ($500 * 10/30). The company and the bank’s adjusting entries are shown below:

When does interest accrue on a direct plus loan?

Direct PLUS Loans: Like unsubsidized loans, Direct PLUS Loans have a fixed interest rate, and interest begins accruing as soon as the loan has been disbursed. Unlike both subsidized and unsubsidized loans, there is no post-graduation grace period, so you must begin making monthly payments on this loan or ask for a deferment.