What Happens If You Pay Your Mortgage Off Early?

Paying off your mortgage early has positive and negative consequences.

Most homeowners look forward to the day when they make their last mortgage payment, and many make extra payments or seek lower interest rates so they can pay off their mortgage early. While paying a mortgage off early gives you extra money each month, it may also increase your annual income tax payment.

Living Expenses

Once you no longer have a monthly mortgage bill to pay, your living expenses decline. This gives you more money each month you can invest, use to pay off other debt, or use for other expenses.

Taxes And Insurance

Your mortgage bill likely included an amount that was set aside in escrow each month and that paid your homeowners insurance and property taxes. Once your mortgage is paid off, you must pay these bills directly.

Income Tax Deduction

When you pay off your mortgage, you can no longer deduct your mortgage interest from your annual income tax. If you itemize, losing this deduction may bump you into a higher tax bracket.

Save Money

When you pay your mortgage off early, you save on the interest you would have otherwise paid on that loan. For example, if you have a 30-year, $250,000 mortgage at 6 percent interest that you pay off nine years early, you save nearly $100,000 in future interest payments.

References

• MSN Money; Don't Rush to Pay Off that Mortgage; Liz Pulliam Weston; September 2010
• Wise Bread; Rethinking The Early Mortgage Payoff; Julie Rains; January 2009
• Fidelity Investments; Should Your Mortgage Retire Too?; May 2010

Resources

• Read this Article in UK English