What to record for every mortgage payment

The five fields

For each payment, record:

1. The date the cash left
2. The total paid
3. Interest
4. Principal
5. Remaining balance after the payment

If your statement only shows the total, split it from the amortization schedule and mark the split as entered, not imported.

Why the split matters

A remaining balance that only goes down “somehow” is how portfolios lose the plot. Interest is the cost of the period. Principal is the reduction. Mixing them makes cash flow look healthier than it is — or worse.

A short habit

Record the payment on the day you send it, then confirm against the lender statement when it arrives. If they disagree, the exception is the work, not a rounding story.