The same loan worked out both ways, with the difference between them in dirhams over the full term.
Work out the monthly instalment and the cost of the financing on a flat rate and on a reducing balance at once, with a month-by-month schedule for each.
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How is the instalment worked out each way?
- Flat instalment = (amount + amount x rate x years) / months
- Reducing instalment = amount x r x (1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n - 1), where r is the monthly rate
- Cost of the financing = total paid minus the original amount
- What it really is = the reducing rate that gives the same instalment
Symbols
- Flat rate
- Charged on the original amount for the whole term, so the cost never falls however much you repay
- Reducing balance
- Charged on what is still owed, so each month costs less as the balance comes down
- What it really is
- The reducing-balance rate that produces the same instalment. It is the only number that compares two offers written on different bases, and it appears in no advertisement
What does 100,000 AED at 5% over 4 years cost?
A 100,000 AED personal loan over 48 months, quoted at 5% flat on the original amount.
- Cost on the flat basis: 100,000 x 5% x 4 years = 20,000 AED
- Total paid: 100,000 + 20,000 = 120,000 AED, so the instalment is 120,000 / 48 = 2,500 AED
- The same rate on a reducing balance: instalment 2,302.93 AED, total 110,540.64 AED
- Difference: 120,000 minus 110,540.64 = 9,459.36 AED more, and the 5% flat rate is 9.24% on a reducing balance
The flat quote costs 9,459.36 AED more over the same term at the same advertised rate, about four instalments. Ask which basis a rate is charged on before comparing two offers.
What is the difference between flat and reducing, and why it matters
Personal loans in the UAE are usually advertised at a flat rate on the original amount, a number roughly half the size of the reducing-balance rate that matches it. A flat rate is charged on the whole amount for the whole term however much you repay; a reducing one only on what is still owed, so its cost falls month by month.
This calculator works out both ways and names what a flat rate really is on a reducing balance, the figure that makes two offers written on different bases comparable. 5% flat over four years is 9.24% on a reducing balance, and the gap over the term is close to 9,459 AED on a 100,000 loan.
The rate here is a field you fill in. The starting value is dated and there only so the page opens on a worked answer; it is not a prevailing rate and not an offer, and this site names no banks and is connected to no rate feed. Always ask for the effective annual rate and the administration fees before you compare.
- Flat instalment = (amount + amount x rate x years) / months
- Reducing instalment = amount x r x (1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n - 1), where r is the monthly rate
- A flat rate is worth roughly double itself on a reducing balance
- Compare offers on one number: the effective annual rate on a reducing balance
Questions about personal financing
What is the difference between a flat rate and a reducing-balance rate?
A flat rate is charged on the whole original amount for the whole term however much you have repaid; a reducing-balance rate only on what is still owed. At the same advertised rate the flat one costs roughly double, which is why most UAE offers are advertised that way.
How do I compare two offers written on different bases?
Convert them to the same basis. Enter each offer here and read the line that says what it really is on a reducing balance, which puts both on one scale. Ask the lender for the effective annual rate in writing.
Is the starting rate in the calculator a market rate?
No. It is a dated starting value so the page opens on a worked answer. It is not a prevailing rate and not an offer from anyone. Put in the rate you were actually quoted.
How much of my income can go on instalments in the UAE?
Common banking practice is that your instalments together stay at around half of monthly income, a ratio lenders apply within their own policies and which differs between them. Ask the lender for its own limit before applying.
Does the calculator include arrangement fees and insurance?
No. It covers the amount, the rate and the term only. Arrangement fees and credit-life insurance appear in the binding offer and can change the real cost, so ask for them in writing before you sign.
Does settling early save on the cost?
On a reducing balance it does, because the cost is charged on what is left. On a flat rate the cost was worked out up front for the whole term, and what you get back on early settlement depends on the contract. Ask about it before you sign.
Sources
Reviewed September 2026- Central Bank of the UAE: financial consumer protection
- Central Bank of the UAE: the regulatory rulebook
Statutory articles this calculator applies
UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (in force 2022-02-02) and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 (Executive Regulations)