Difference between term loan amortization vs repayment?

Is term loan amortization the same as a repayment? Is this amortization considered a cash outflow that would decrease the amount of cash available for debt repayment within the debt schedule? Or is this a non-cash expense that would be added to EBITDA? Does this amortization get added back to the CFS?

11 Comments
 

So this amortization would also be added to the cash flow statement under operating cash flow? I'm confused because I thought d&a were added back for being non-cash expenses, but if you're paying back debt in the form of amortization wouldn't you be using cash for this and thus would not add this back to OCF? Is this the same amortization that is included on the income statement as amortization expense?

 

Actually I think I found my answer. Would mandatory amortization be included in cash flow from financing activities as a cash outflow? Therefore you can separate the difference between amortization from the income statement and amortization from debt. I'm still a bit confused as to how this would be added back to EBITDA as a non-cash expense though

 
Most Helpful

Let me help clarify a few terms here.

Debt service = interest expense + scheduled amortization / mandatory repayment

On top of the mandatory / scheduled amortization, to the extent you have additional cash (let's not confuse this with the technical term of excess cash flow), you are either required to make additional prepayment (e.g. through ECF sweep) or prepay voluntarily, both at par. 

By convention, lenders would use the word "prepay" to refer to any payments before maturity, and "repay" upon maturity. In practice, both refer to payments towards principal reduction.

With these, let's look at cash flow before debt service and debt repayment - two different concepts here:

CF before debt service is CF before both interest expense (capital cost) and scheduled amort / mandatory repayment

CF before debt repayment is CF before debt service minus interest expense but before scheduled amort / mandatory repayment

If there's non-cash component in your debt (e.g. PIK notes), you'd make non-cash add-backs accordingly.

 

Thank you for the answer this did help clarify some of the components involved with my question. I appreciate it

 

Also, scheduled debt repayment and amortization are used interchangeably. A 30 year amortization = a 30 year repayment.

Income statement amortization is the “depreciation” for your intangible assets. Completely different.

Your principal payments on debt, aka loan amortization, will be found in the financing activities as principal repayment or payments on debt.

 

Quo nobis et harum ipsa assumenda natus dolorem distinctio. Et ipsa error ipsum et modi quidem consequatur. Vitae debitis quis et iste. Nam dolorum sed quia nihil officia.

Soluta qui minus minus neque et soluta. Suscipit itaque ratione temporibus impedit commodi iusto est. Sed rem enim illo enim.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”