How does mortgage amortization actually work?
Each scheduled payment on a fixed-rate mortgage is the same dollar amount, but the split between principal and interest changes every month. Interest is calculated on the remaining balance: as the balance shrinks, less interest accrues, so more of each payment goes toward principal. By the final years of a 30-year loan, almost the entire payment is principal.
How can I read my amortization schedule?
Each row shows the payment number, payment date, total payment, the principal portion, the interest portion, and the remaining balance. The first 60-90 payments are mostly interest — that is normal and expected with how mortgage math works.