canstar
canstar
Realtor explaining to customer about the differences between a principal and interest loan, and an interest-only loan.
Source: Suwatchai Wongaong/Shutterstock.com

Interest only and principal and interest repayments explained

Before comparing interest only and principal and interest home loans, it’s important to understand what ‘interest’ and ‘principal’ refer to in a home loan. 

What is the loan ‘principal’?

The loan ‘principal’ refers to the loan balance or the value outstanding at any given time. 

What is the loan ‘interest’?

When you take out a mortgage, the lender charges interest. How much interest is charged is expressed as a percentage of the principal, which is called the interest rate.

Depending on the type of home loan you take out, the interest rate could be fixed for a set time, meaning it will stay the same, or variable, meaning it can go up or down. 

Interest-only and principal and interest home loans

What’s an interest-only home loan?

A borrower with an interest-only home loan will only pay the interest that accrues on the loan (typically for a limited, set period of time). 

There are pros and cons to interest-only home loan repayments, including:

Interest-only home loan pros

  • Initially, your repayments will be less than if you opted for principal and interest payments. 
  • If you’re a property investor, interest-only payments can help maximise your cash flow, increase your borrowing power, and potentially break even on your investment sooner. 

Interest-only home loan cons

  • Interest rates tend to be higher on interest-only loans. This can make it even more important to shop around and compare interest only home loan options.
  • Interest-only terms are limited and, when an interest-only term expires, you may need to adjust your budget to make higher principal and interest payments. If you’re keen to stay with interest-only payments, you could ask your lender for an extension or consider refinancing to a different lender.
  • The total interest paid over the life of the loan will be more than on a principal and interest home loan. This reflects the combination of a higher interest rate and the fact that the loan balance isn’t reduced during the interest-only period.
  • Not every lender will offer interest-only repayments to all borrowers.

What is a principal and interest home loan?

A principal and interest home loan pays off both the principal and interest concurrently. 

Pros and cons of principal and interest home loan repayments include:

Principal and interest home loan pros

  • Making principal and interest repayments will help you to own the property debt-free faster compared to interest only repayments. 
  • Making principal and interest payments can help to lower the long term interest costs of the loan. As loan interest is charged on the outstanding balance, paying down the home loan balance means the interest payable will reduce over time. This can see you paying less interest over the life of the loan compared to if you were to make interest-only repayments.

Principal and interest home loan cons

  • Your loan repayments will be higher compared to interest-only repayments (assuming the same interest rate) as you work to pay off your principal and pay interest concurrently. 

Choosing between interest-only and principal and interest home loans

If you’re a first home buyer, your primary goal is likely to pay less interest over your loan term and build equity in your home. In this case, principal and interest repayments will help you save interest over the long term and pay off your mortgage. 

Here’s how a borrower could expect things to pan out if they took out a home loan with principal and interest repayments, compared to another with interest-only repayments:

Canstar’s mortgage calculator shows that on a loan of $500,000 with an interest rate of 5.25% and a term of 25 years:

  • Principal and interest repayments: Repayments will be $2,996 each month and you will have paid back the loan at the end of the term.
  • Interest-only repayments: Repayments would be $2,188 a month and you won’t make any inroads into paying down the $500,000 loan balance during the interest-only period.

But if you’re an investor who plans to hold a property with hopes of reselling it at a profit, you may have little motivation to pay down any of the loan principal. An interest-only home loan could therefore be a more apt choice. 

If you’re struggling to stay on top of your loan repayments, the Australian Banking Association advises it may be possible to switch to interest-only repayments. However, you may need to meet different or additional eligibility requirements. It might also be a wise idea to seek suitably qualified independent advice if you’re considering switching to interest-only repayments to reduce your outgoings.

Kevin Goh is a Senior Finance and Energy Journalist at Canstar who strives to demystify the ever-evolving energy and finance sectors for Aussies. Kevin has a BA in Journalism and a BA in Economics and International Relations from the University of Queensland. He also has half a decade of experience in the comparison industry and as a professional content writer for digital agencies such as Vesanique, Sea Salt Marketing and the Boys Creative Studio. You can follow Kevin on LinkedIn.

Important Information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Fight back against rising costs

Stay on top of the news that counts when it comes to your bills. We’ll send you expert tips, insights and the stories that matter. Unsubscribe anytime.

By proceeding, you agree that Canstar Pty Ltd & its subsidiaries collect, handle, hold, use & disclose your personal information to provide services to you, including marketing, in accordance with our privacy policy which explains how you may exercise your privacy rights.

Follow us