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Calculating Interest

6 May, 2015 - 17:39

Interest rates are usually stated on an annual basis. The interest is computed by multiplying principal by rate and then by time (principal x rate x time). The maturity value is determined by calculating interest and adding it to the face value of the note. When interest is computed for periods of less than a year, time is expressed as a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the length of the note and the denominator is the number of days in a year. Government agencies use 365 days in the denominator, while the private sector uses 360 days.