A HELOC is an open-end line of credit that is secured by a consumer's primary residence. There may be different ways to access the funds from a HELOC, including by writing checks against the line of credit or transferring money from your HELOC to a checking or savings account.
There are several ways you can access the funds from your Home Equity Line of Credit. You can access your funds through Online Banking or Mobile Banking. Treat it like any other internal transfer by selecting your Home Equity Line of Credit account, and transferring the amount that you need to your desired account.
How disbursement works. If you get a home equity loan, your lender will disburse your money in one lump sum. With a HELOC, disbursement happens as you request money. Your lender may give you a credit card or special checks to withdraw funds.
Assuming a borrower who has spent up to their HELOC credit limit, the monthly payment on a $50,000 HELOC at today's rates would be about $372 for an interest-only payment, or $448 for a principle-and-interest payment.
On the downside, HELOCs have variable interest rates, so your repayments will increase if rates rise. Another risk: A HELOC uses your home as collateral, so if you don't repay what you borrow, the lender could foreclose on it.
HELOC payment examples
For example, payments on a $100,000 HELOC with a 6% annual percentage rate (APR) may cost around $500 a month during a 10-year draw period when only interest payments are required. That jumps to approximately $1,110 a month when the 10-year repayment period begins.
The average HELOC interest rate is currently 9.16%. If you took out a HELOC, and your interest rate remained the same for the life of the credit line (with a 15-year repayment period), you would pay $307.14 per month.
Access & Transfer Your HELOC Funds
Once transferred, your funds are immediately available. Utilizing your HELOC checks is another way to access your funds. The checks should arrive within 3 weeks of your closing.
Certainly, you have the option to deposit a HELOC check into your own bank account. You can access and transfer funds from your HELOC account and transferring funds to move money from your HELOC loan to any checking or savings Account.
Accessing your HELOC funds during the HELOC draw period
Most allow you to withdraw cash by online bank transfer or a HELOC account card (like an ATM card). If you get an account card, you can use it just like you would use a debit card to make purchases or withdraw cash at an ATM.
Online: Most commonly, you can initiate a digital transfer from your HELOC to your checking account online — in the same way you'd move money from your savings account to your checking account.
Using a HELOC to fund a vacation, buy a car, pay off credit card debt, pay for college, or invest in real estate is not a good idea.
A home equity loan is a lump-sum amount paid to the borrower with a repayment schedule much like a mortgage. Terms may last for 5, 10, 15 or 20 years. The one-time loan starts to be paid back immediately through monthly payments at a fixed interest rate.
Withdrawing HELOC funds using a checking account with the financial institution that issued the line of credit is very simple. You can easily access your line of credit by requesting funds be transferred from your line to your checking account or simply utilizing your online banking to transfer them.
Key Takeaways
A home equity loan allows you to use the equity that you've built in your home as collateral to borrow a lump sum of cash. The loan is secured by the property in the form of a lien, meaning that the lender has permission to foreclose on your home if you fail to keep up with repayments.
A home equity line of credit or HELOC is another type of second mortgage loan. Like a home equity loan, it's secured by the property, but there are some differences in how the two work. A HELOC is a line of credit that you can draw against as needed for a set period of time, typically up to 10 years.
If you took out a 10-year, $100,000 home equity loan at a rate of 8.75%, you could expect to pay just over $1,253 per month for the next decade. Most home equity loans come with fixed rates, so your rate and payment would remain steady for the entire term of your loan.
The interest on home equity loans and HELOCs is tax deductible as long as you use the funds to "buy, build or substantially improve your home," according to the IRS. In other words, your HELOC interest may be deductible if you use the funds to remodel your kitchen or build an addition to your house.
With interest rates expected to decline, adjustable-rate HELOCs may be a good idea for today's borrowers. Some lenders, like PNC Bank, also offer HELOCs with fixed interest rates for borrowers who prefer more predictable monthly payments.
Monthly payments on a $50,000 HELOC will range between $514.90 and $640.44 for qualified borrowers, depending on the repayment period.
You can pay off your HELOC early, but be mindful of pre-payment fees, if any. If you have a Citizens HELOC, you're in luck as Citizens does not charge pre-payment fees. HELOCs allow you to make interest-only payments during the draw period, then transition to principal and interest payments during the repayment period.