TALLIVOMethodology
How the Closing Cost Calculator works
How Tallivo totals closing costs from your own Loan Estimate and identifies which fees you can shop.
The formula
cash to close = down payment + (lender charges + third-party services + taxes + prepaids + escrow) − lender credits − seller concessions
Step by step
- Every figure is entered by you from the Loan Estimate your lender is required to provide. THE CALCULATOR CONTAINS NO ASSUMED FEE AMOUNTS.
- Charges are grouped by how much control you have: lender charges (change lender, not line items), third-party services the lender selects (fixed), third-party services YOU may select (the only directly shoppable group), and taxes/government fees (set by your county or state).
- Prepaid interest, first-year insurance and the initial escrow deposit are reported separately, because they are not fees — they are your own expenses paid early and they distort comparisons between lenders.
- A comparison basis excluding prepaids and escrow is reported, so two lender offers can be compared on the costs that are actually charges.
- Lender credits and seller concessions are subtracted, and the down payment added, to give cash to close.
Assumptions & limitations
- NO NATIONAL AVERAGES ARE USED OR PUBLISHED. Transfer taxes alone range from zero to several percent by state and county, and lender charges vary by lender and credit profile, so a single 'typical closing costs are X%' figure would be the least reliable number on the page.
- The values pre-loaded in the calculator are illustrative inputs to show the shape of the calculation, not claimed averages.
- Your Closing Disclosure, issued three business days before closing, is the authoritative figure — the Loan Estimate is an estimate and some items may legally change.
Sources
Reviewed for 2026. Structure follows the Loan Estimate; no fee data is stored. Figures are planning estimates, not a loan offer — this is not financial advice.
Think one of these figures is wrong? Tell us and we'll check it — we verify against the primary source, not aggregator tables. How we build and check every calculator is documented in our editorial policy.