Definition
A debt schedule tracks each facility's balance, interest rate, amortization, and maturity to model cash and covenant impacts.
Formula
Ending balance = beginning balance + draws - principal payments
Example
A schedule shows $1M term debt declining by $25k per month with 7% interest.
How to use it
- Separate term loans, revolvers, and leases for clarity.
- Update rates when debt is floating to avoid forecast errors.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring fees and amortized financing costs.
- Assuming refinancing without validating lender terms.
Measured as
Ending balance = beginning balance + draws - principal payments
Misused when
- Ignoring fees and amortized financing costs.
- Assuming refinancing without validating lender terms.
Operator takeaway
- Separate term loans, revolvers, and leases for clarity.
- Update rates when debt is floating to avoid forecast errors.
- Tie Debt Schedule to the same balance-sheet date, scenario, and decision memo you are using elsewhere in the model.
- Document which claims, costs, or adjustments your team includes before comparing numbers across forecasts, covenants, or valuation work.
Next decision
- Read Loan amortization: how monthly payments and total interest work if the decision depends on interpretation, policy, or trade-offs beyond the raw formula.
- Decide whether Debt Schedule belongs in cash planning, valuation, or debt monitoring so the number is used in the right model.
Where to use this on MetricKit
Guides
- Loan amortization: how monthly payments and total interest work: A practical guide to loan amortization: monthly payment formula, why interest dominates early, and how term and rate affect total interest.
- Runway and burn: gross vs net burn, working capital, and cash levers: A practical guide to runway: compute net burn, understand why cash differs from profit, and how working capital and collections change runway.