When you make biweekly payments, you could save more money on interest and pay your mortgage down faster than you would by making payments once a month. When you decide to make biweekly payments instead of monthly payments, you're using the yearly calendar to your benefit.
Biweekly payments accelerate your mortgage payoff by paying 1/2 of your normal monthly payment every two weeks. By the end of each year, you will have paid the equivalent of 13 monthly payments instead of 12. This simple technique can shave years off your mortgage and save you thousands of dollars in interest.
The advantage of paying extra principal versus bi-weekly mortgage payments is slight. The extra principal plan offers more flexibility and lower costs. There are no fees involved when extra principal is added to a normal monthly mortgage payment.
Anything over that amount must be directed toward reducing your remaining principal balance. The bi-weekly scheme actually provides a 13th monthly payment each year, and that extra must be aplied to lowering your balance. At today's mortgage rates, bi-weekly payments shorten your loan term by four years.
"Your loan balance accrues interest every day and reducing that principal balance every 14 days (26 half payments per year) saves more in interest charges than one full additional payment every 12 months, even though the total amount in payments every year remains the same."
Well, mortgage payments are generally due on the first of the month, every month, until the loan reaches maturity, or until you sell the property. So it doesn't actually matter when your mortgage funds – if you close on the 5th of the month or the 15th, the pesky mortgage is still due on the first.
Making additional principal payments will shorten the length of your mortgage term and allow you to build equity faster. Because your balance is being paid down faster, you'll have fewer total payments to make, in-turn leading to more savings.
The additional amount will reduce the principal on your mortgage, as well as the total amount of interest you will pay, and the number of payments. The extra payments will allow you to pay off your remaining loan balance 3 years earlier.
Paying Your Mortgage Twice Per Month
Say your mortgage is $2,000 per month. By paying $1,000 twice a month, or 24 times per year, you would make a total of $24,000 in payments – the same as you would if you paid monthly.
By paying 1/2 your monthly payment every two weeks, each year your mortgage company will receive the equivalent of 13 monthly payments instead of 12. This simple technique can shave years off your mortgage and save you thousands of dollars in interest.
Bach explains: “By paying half of your monthly payment every two weeks, over the course of a year you will make 26 half-payments — the equivalent of 13 full payments, or one more payment than there are months in a year.” Making more payments means paying your mortgage off sooner, which means paying less in interest.
What Happens When You Make a Lump-Sum Payment. When you make a lump-sum payment on your mortgage, your lender usually applies it to your principal. In other words, your mortgage balance will go down, but your payment amount and due dates won't change.
Your closing costs will be lower
That's because mortgage interest accrues from the date of closing through the last day of the month. So, with an end-of-month closing, there'll only be a small window for interest to accrue, and less for you to pay.
If you can afford to pay off your mortgage ahead of schedule, you'll save some money on your loan's interest. In fact, getting rid of your home loan just one or two years early could potentially save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Cons Of A Biweekly Mortgage Payment
Often lenders do not offer biweekly services free of charge. You will be required to pay a registration fee as well as paying biweekly charges. If your budget doesn't allow the room to pay more toward your mortgage every year, this could be a foolish move.
Okay, you probably already know that every dollar you add to your mortgage payment puts a bigger dent in your principal balance. And that means if you add just one extra payment per year, you'll knock years off the term of your mortgage—not to mention interest savings!
The Biweekly Payment Option
As with the weekly payments, you will end paying off your mortgage more quickly if you pay every other week. If you make 26 payments of $800, you end up paying $20,800, the same amount you would pay making weekly payments, compared to $19,200 for monthly payments.
You should aim to have everything paid off, from student loans to credit card debt, by age 45, O'Leary says. “The reason I say 45 is the turning point, or in your 40s, is because think about a career: Most careers start in early 20s and end in the mid-60s,” O'Leary says.
So, for this example you would type =PMT(. 05/12,60,200000). The formula will return $3,774. That's the monthly payment you need to make if you want to pay off your home mortgage of $200,000 at 5% over five years.
If you decide you can't afford your overpayments, you can reduce or stop them at any time and go back to your original monthly mortgage repayment. Paying a lump sum off your mortgage will save you money on interest and help you clear your mortgage faster than if you spread your overpayments over a number of years.