Mortgage Calculator Interest Only

Are you in the market for a new mortgage or refinancing an existing home loan? Then you've come to the right place for advice! It is important to understand how you intend to manage your mortgage interest repayments. You can either make repayments on a ‘principal and interest’ basis or pay by ‘interest-only’ instalments. To work out the cost of paying interest only, try using our mortgage calculator interest only.

By doing so, you'll be able to estimate your repayments and determine the total amount of interest payable over the life of the loan – the results might just surprise you!

Interest-only loans

On an interest-only loan, you pay only the interest set by the lender, which means you don’t pay off any of the capital. Most lenders offer interest-only loans for a limited time – up to 5 years in some cases – after which you either need to start paying back the principal, or you must reapply to continue paying the mortgage on an interest-only basis. The overall costs can vary significantly between paying interest-only compared with paying down some of the principal – to see for yourself try using our mortgage calculator interest only.

Principal and interest loans

On the other hand, making principal and interest (P&I) repayments, helps to trim the principal (or ‘capital’), as well as the interest on the home loan. That said if you select a P&I option, your repayments will be higher than if you make interest-only payments.

A P&I option can be a smart choice if you intend to live in the property for a long time. By paying off the capital, you not only increase your own equity stake in the property, but this strategy will result in outright home ownership. Moreover as you pay down the principal, you’ll simultaneously help to reduce the interest you’ll pay over the term of the loan.

How they stack up

Let's take a $400,000 home loan as an example at a rate of 7 percent interest and loan term of 25 years. Paying the principal and interest option might set you back around $2800 per month, while the interest only option might seem more affordable at around $2300 per month. Now, consider the total amount of interest paid on each option – around $448,000 overall when paying principal and interest compared to a whopping $700,000 in total for the interest-only option! To determine the overall costs of your home loan, visit RateCity and use our mortgage calculator interest only today.