Mortgage calculator

California Closing Cost Calculator

Add up the lender charges, title and escrow charges, government charges, and prepaid items a California purchase carries, line by line, from modeled amounts you can replace with a Loan Estimate.

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Assumptions this tool makes

Every modeled line names its basis in its label — a percentage of the loan, a percentage of the price, or a flat amount. Modeled amounts are stand-ins for scale, not quotes; a lender Loan Estimate replaces every one of them.
The owner title policy line is modeled at 0.25% of the price. Who pays for that policy follows local custom: buyers pay in many Northern California counties and sellers pay in many Southern California counties, and the purchase contract can move it either way.
The recording and transfer line is a flat $175 stand-in. Real transfer taxes vary widely by county and city and can run far above that figure on high-price sales, so treat that line as a floor, not an estimate.
The tax impound cushion uses the months you enter. How many months a lender collects depends on the closing month, so the same loan can start with a larger or smaller cushion.
Property-tax prorations between buyer and seller, supplemental tax bills after the purchase, inspections, and any seller credits or lender credits beyond the points entry are not modeled.
The total is cash to close beyond the down payment. It is not a quote and not a commitment of any charge.

The formula

Each line is computed from its labeled basis — origination 0.50% of the loan, points = your points % × the loan (a negative entry is a lender credit), lender title policy about 0.12% of the loan, owner title policy about 0.25% of the price, escrow about 0.10% of the price + $600, prepaid interest = loan × rate ÷ 100 ÷ 365 × 15 days, tax impound = price × tax rate ÷ 100 ÷ 12 × the impound months you enter — and the total is the sum of all lines. Percent of price = total ÷ price × 100.

A worked example

Price $950,000, loan $760,000, hypothetical example rate 6.5%, points 0, tax rate 1.16%, insurance $2,400 a year, impound cushion 2 months.

Origination: $760,000 × 0.50% = $3,800.00. Points: $760,000 × 0% = $0.
Appraisal $650.00 and credit report $120.00 (modeled flat amounts).
Lender title policy: $760,000 × 0.12% = $912.00. Owner title policy: $950,000 × 0.25% = $2,375.00.
Escrow: $950,000 × 0.10% + $600 = $1,550.00. Recording and transfer stand-in: $175.00.
Prepaid interest: $760,000 × 6.5% ÷ 365 × 15 = $2,030.14. Prepaid insurance: $2,400.00.
Tax impound: $950,000 × 1.16% ÷ 12 × 2 = $1,836.67.
Total (from unrounded lines): $15,848.80, which is 1.67% of the $950,000 price.

How to read your result

Hold the modeled total next to any Loan Estimate line by line. A difference on one line is normal; a line that appears on one document and not the other is the thing to ask about.
If cash to close is tight, the impound cushion and prepaid insurance are timing, not fees — they are your own tax and insurance money collected early. The origination, title, and escrow lines are the charges themselves.
A negative points entry models a lender credit: it lowers the total here and is paid for in the rate, so compare the payment at both rates before choosing it.
In a county or city with a high transfer tax, replace the $175 stand-in mentally before trusting the total — on a $950,000 sale the real charge can be several thousand dollars.