Make extra or lump sum payments You can significantly reduce the overall interest charged on your mortgage by making extra or lump sum payments towards your principal amount. The additional payment you make helps reduce the interest you pay on your loan. And the additional payment can lessen your loan by years.
Effect of paying an extra $1 a day
Paying an extra dollar a day on our hypothetical $500,000 mortgage will reduce repayment time by three months and save about $5,470 in interest.
If you pay $100 extra each month towards principal, you can cut your loan term by more than 4.5 years and reduce the interest paid by more than $26,500.
Payments towards interest only cover the cost of borrowing, while payments towards principal reduce the actual loan amount. It's advisable to prioritize paying off the principal to minimize interest expenses.
The faster you can pay off a loan, the less it will cost you in interest. If you can pay off a personal loan early, it can lower your total cost of borrowing, potentially saving you a considerable amount of money.
A principal payment only lowers the principal balance of a loan. Making principal-only payments is a financial strategy you can use to pay down your loan faster. When you make a principal-only payment, your money only goes toward the principal balance. It does not pay down any accumulated interest.
If you have a higher interest rate than your investment returns, prepaying your mortgage might benefit you long term. But if you were to earn an investment return that outpaces your interest rate, paying off the loan may not make sense.
There's no need to pay off your mortgage by a certain age, although one common rule of thumb says you should pay off your mortgage before you retire. The idea is that getting rid of one of your biggest monthly expenses means you need less income to cover your living expenses.
Paying the full amount will help you avoid any interest charges. If you can't pay your statement balance off completely, try to make a smaller payment (not less than the minimum payment).
As you'll see in the table below, a 1% difference between a $200,000 home with a $160,000 mortgage increases your monthly payment by almost $100. Although the difference in monthly payment may not seem that extreme, the 1% higher rate means you'll pay approximately $30,000 more in interest over the 30-year term.
The best time to pay off a mortgage is early to avoid accruing extra interest over the years, and the same is essentially true of investing in your future. Since interest builds over time, the longer your monetary contributions are saved for your future, the more they'll be worth when it's time to use them.
If you have a good credit history and have been paying off your home loan over the past 10 years with no late repayments, you could be in a strong position to negotiate. Negotiate the rate with your lender and you may be surprised how quickly they can be persuaded to lower your interest rate.
If you maintain good credit and a clean payment history you can often be granted a lower interest rate. Even if you don't, don't give up. Continue to make payments on time, reduce outstanding debt and make a plan to try again in three to six months. Improving your credit health will help you make your case next time.
You could make smaller overpayments each month or overpay with a lump sum whenever you have the cash to hand. Either choice should lead to mortgage savings, but they both have their pros and cons. The main advantage of regular monthly overpayments is that it's more predictable.
Pay extra toward your mortgage principal each month: After you've made your regularly scheduled mortgage payment, any extra cash goes directly toward paying down your mortgage principal. If you make an extra payment of $700 a month, you'll pay off your mortgage in about 15 years and save about $128,000 in interest.
Making an extra mortgage payment each year could reduce the term of your loan significantly. The most budget-friendly way to do this is to pay 1/12 extra each month. For example, by paying $975 each month on a $900 mortgage payment, you'll have paid the equivalent of an extra payment by the end of the year.
Paying off your mortgage ahead of schedule could mean significant savings, but before doing so, you should consider all potential consequences, including: How much you'll save in interest charges. Potential loss of mortgage interest tax deduction. Possible prepayment penalty.
The average mortgage term is 30 years, but that doesn't mean you have to get a 30-year loan – or take 30 years to pay it off. While it offers a relatively low monthly payment, this term will likely require you to pay the most in total interest if you keep it for 30 years.
Make extra repayments
Only a small portion of the repayment goes towards the principal amount. But extra repayments go straight onto the principal.
You owe less in interest as you pay down your principal, which is the amount of money you originally borrowed. At the end of your loan, a much larger percentage of your payment goes toward principal. You can apply extra payments directly to the principal balance of your mortgage.
In most cases, paying off a loan early can save money, but check first to make sure prepayment penalties, precomputed interest or tax issues don't neutralize this advantage. Paying off credit cards and high-interest personal loans should come first. This will save money and will almost always improve your credit score.