Remaining repair bill
$460
Start from the unpaid balance
Small-Dollar Loans: Calculate the Amount Still Missing for the Bill
Find the small amount that would finish the payment
Start with the bill that remains unpaid—not a lender’s largest advertised amount. A useful small-dollar option covers that gap while leaving room for the repayment and the expenses that follow.
Bottom Dollar Payday is a product of FSST Financial Services, LLC, not a lender. An independent provider processes the application; terms and availability depend on the provider.
- Choose your amount
Start with your cash need and repayment.
- Complete the application
Continue to the provider’s online form.
- Review any offer
Check the cost and dates before accepting.
Cash available after essentials
$140
Subtract only genuinely usable money
Confirmed assistance
$80
Count once, not as both cash and assistance
Start with your situation
Which part of the expense still needs funding?
Choose the issue that changes the amount. Confirmed help counts; an application for help does not.
I know the bill but have some money available
Subtract only money you can use without missing another essential payment. Keep a chosen reserve separate. The remaining balance is the planning target, not a recommended borrowing amount.
The provider offered less than I requested
Use the net proceeds after deductions. Compare the remaining gap with the biller’s willingness to accept part payment. Do not automatically stack several loans to reach the original request.
The minimum loan is larger than my cash gap
Calculate the cost and repayment on the amount you would actually sign for. A larger minimum does not mean the extra cash is free. Ask about a smaller product or a payment arrangement.
Turn the invoice into a precise shortfall
| Item | Illustrative amount | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Remaining repair bill | $460 | Start from the unpaid balance |
| Cash available after essentials | $140 | Subtract only genuinely usable money |
| Confirmed assistance | $80 | Count once, not as both cash and assistance |
| Unfunded portion | $240 | $460 − $140 − $80 |
On a narrow screen, scroll inside the table to see every column.
A pending reimbursement is not the same as available cash. If it arrives after the deadline, keep it out of the current calculation. These figures illustrate arithmetic, not an available product or a recommendation to borrow.
Check how much of the loan reaches the bill
A fee can be withheld from proceeds, added to the balance or paid separately. Ask which treatment applies. A $250 example amount with a $15 deduction supplies $235. Against the $240 gap above, that leaves $5 outstanding. A separate $15 payment leaves different cash-flow timing, even if the total fee is the same.
| Offer field | Decision it answers |
|---|---|
| Gross principal | What debt am I taking on? |
| Withheld charges | How much disappears before delivery? |
| Net proceeds | How much can I use for this expense? |
| Separately paid charges | What other cash do I need? |
| Total scheduled payments | What must I return over the full term? |
On a narrow screen, scroll inside the table to see every column.
Read the actual disclosure. Installment products can include fees beyond interest; a small principal does not remove that possibility. [S03]
Use the worksheet
Calculate the amount still uncovered
Enter the expense, your own contribution, confirmed help and the cash the offer would actually deliver. Do not treat promised help as received money.
Use numbers without $ signs or thousands separators; use a dot for decimals. The calculation stays in this page and does not retrieve bank or credit data.
Method, assumptions and limits
Initial gap = max(0, expense − usable cash − confirmed assistance). Remaining gap = max(0, expense − cash − assistance − net proceeds). Resources above the expense = max(0, cash + assistance + net proceeds − expense). This does not calculate loan cost or recommend taking the extra amount. Enter net proceeds after known deductions, not principal.
Input limits: money $0–$35,000 (two decimal places); principal must be positive; fee must be below principal. Monthly term: 1–600 whole months. Annual nominal rate: 0–1,000%, up to four decimals. App uses: 0–1,000 whole uses. These are calculator limits, not available loan terms.
Compare the product that fits the amount
The category “small-dollar” does not identify one lender, rate or repayment schedule. Ask a bank or credit union about a small loan, review an employer-linked programme if relevant, and compare a licensed short-term offer only on its documented terms. Federal credit-union payday alternatives exist, but not every institution offers them and membership and other conditions apply. [S09]
Check the provider’s minimum as carefully as the maximum. Also ask whether the proposed product is available in your state and whether the amount requested may differ from an amount offered.
Use a second calculation for repayment
Covering the invoice is only the first test. Suppose the gap is $240 and the full contractual repayment would be $285. If spare cash at the due date is $260 after essentials and your reserve, the repayment still fails by $25. Do not confuse “enough received today” with “enough left to repay.”
For installment offers, repeat the cash test for each payment period. For a single-payment offer, include the entire balance on the due date. An extra charge to postpone repayment may not pay down principal. [S02]
Reduce the gap before increasing the loan
Ask the biller whether the required amount today can be reduced by splitting work, accepting a part payment or arranging a later balance payment. Confirm any arrangement in writing. The CFPB also identifies employer, community and existing-bank options to explore before high-cost borrowing. [S20]
Next action: save the four amounts—remaining bill, usable cash, net funds and full repayment. Proceed to a provider only with a documented amount and timing question. Bottom Dollar Payday does not set a nationwide loan limit or guarantee an amount from this worksheet.
Questions before your next step
Is $500 the definition of a small-dollar loan?
No single amount identifies every product in this category. State frameworks and provider product limits differ; this page does not substitute one figure for them.
Should I request extra money for a reserve?
A reserve in the worksheet is money you choose not to spend. Borrowing extra changes the debt and its cost; it should not be silently added to the expense.
Can I combine two small offers?
Calculate both obligations together before making any decision. Two approvals do not show that the combined repayment fits, and provider rules may restrict concurrent borrowing.
Continue with the relevant option
$100 Loan Options: Measure the Gap and Access Cost$200 Loan: Check the Amount You Would Actually Receive$300 Loan: Compare the Repayment Dates, Not Just the Payment$400 Loan Options: Separate What Is Due Now from Later$500 Loan: Check What Remains After the Next Payment$600 Loan Calculator: Six Months or Twelve?$800 Loan: Compare One Obligation with Multiple Advances$1,000 Loan: Gross Principal Versus Cash Received$1,500 Loan: Test the Payment Against a Low-Income Month$2,000 Loan Comparison: Use Equal Net Proceeds$3,000 Loan: Separate Debt Payoff from New Spending$5,000 Loan: Compare the Required Amount and Full Term
Ready for your next step?
Continue to the online application. Review the terms of any offer before you accept.
Sources and scope
Official sources support the general explanations, not a Bottom Dollar offer or endorsement. Hypothetical figures are labelled as examples. Source content reviewed for this edition: 22 September 2026.
