Home Loan Offset Account Calculator

A home loan offset account can save you money on interest. Explore its features, benefits, and how to calculate your potential savings effectively.

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A home loan offset account can be a game-changer for homeowners looking to save on interest payments. These accounts work by linking your savings directly to your home loan, helping to reduce the amount of interest you pay. In this article, we’ll break down how offset accounts function, their key features, and how to make the most of them.

Key Takeaways

  • A home loan offset account can save you money by lowering the amount of interest you pay on your mortgage.
  • Money in your offset account directly reduces your loan balance when interest is calculated, helping you pay off your mortgage faster.
  • Using an offset account is pretty easy, just deposit cash into this linked savings account to see savings over time.
  • Bheja.ai lets you navigate home loans with AI-driven insights, helping you compare more than 100 brands, get proactive alerts, and make smarter financial decisions effortlessly.
  • It's important to weigh fees and options when choosing an offset account, as well as what suits your financial situation best.

Home Loan Offset Account Calculator

What is a Home Loan Offset Account?

A home loan offset account is a savvy financial tool that can help you save money on mortgage interest. Essentially, it links your savings or transaction account with your home loan. The balance in your offset account reduces the amount of your home loan that interest is calculated on.

For example, if you have a home loan of $300,000 and have $20,000 in your offset account, you only pay interest on $280,000. This can lead to significant savings over time, particularly when you consider how home loan interest can add up. Let’s dive deeper into how offset accounts work and their benefits.

How Does It Work?

  1. Linking Accounts: The offset account is typically a savings account directly linked to your home loan.
  2. Calculating Interest: The bank calculates the interest on your mortgage based on the home loan balance minus the offset account balance.
  3. Monthly Payments: You still make regular monthly payments on your mortgage, but the amount of interest paid can be significantly reduced.

Benefits for Mortgage Holders

  • Interest Savings: Reduces the overall interest paid on your mortgage over the loan term.
  • Flexible Access: Money in the offset account remains accessible for withdrawals whenever needed.
  • Tax Benefits: Interest savings from the offset account aren't taxable.
  • Shorter Loan Terms: You may be able to pay off your loan faster due to reduced interest costs.

Key Features of Offset Accounts

Understanding the components of an offset account can help you maximize its benefits.

Linked Savings Accounts

  • These accounts allow you to park your savings and still utilize them to reduce mortgage interest.
  • Many lenders offer different types of offset accounts including partial or full offset options.

Reduction of Loan Interest

  • The interest on your home loan is calculated based on the mortgage balance minus the offset account’s balance.
  • This feature can significantly lower your monthly payment and the total amount you pay over the life of the loan.

How to use loan offset account calculator?

To unlock the potential of a home loan offset account, using a calculator can be incredibly beneficial. Step-by-Step Guide to using a Calculator

Step 1: Gather Your Information

Start by gathering details, you will need the following:

  • Current home loan amount
  • Interest rate
  • Offset account balance
  • Loan term

Step 2: Adjust prompt

We have the most used prompts listed. You need to click the prompt closest to your needs and adjust it accordingly. Our prompts are here :

Savings Estimator: “I have a $600,000 home loan at 6.2% interest with 25 years remaining. If I keep $50,000 in my offset account, how much interest could I save over the life of the loan?”

Loan Term Reduction: “If I keep an average of $30,000 in my offset account, how many years earlier can I pay off my $700,000 loan at 6% interest?”

Monthly Impact : “Show me how my monthly repayments change if I keep $20,000 in my offset account for a $500,000 loan at 5.8%.”

💬 Custom prompt: Ask your question the way you’d say it to our expert.

Step 3: Click on Ask Bheja

Follow the conversation with Bheja.ai and provide information to personalise your result.

Step 4: Analyse the Result

Analyse the results to see how much interest you can save over the life of your loan.

Example Calculation

Assuming you have a $300,000 home loan at a 3% interest rate, and $20,000 in your offset account:

  • Without Offset: Your annual interest would be $9,000 (3% of $300,000).
  • With Offset: You’d only pay interest on $280,000, leading to an annual interest of $8,400 (3% of $280,000).
  • Savings: You save $600 annually due to the offset account.

Choosing the Right Offset Account

When considering an offset account, you need to evaluate several factors.

Fees

  • Monthly Fees: Some banks charge a maintenance fee for offset accounts.
  • Transaction Fees: Check whether there are limitations on withdrawals or if per-transaction fees apply.

Account Types

  • Full Offset Account: Reduces the entire loan balance.
  • Partial Offset Account: Only reduces part of your loan balance, often with lower fees.

Lender Options

  • Different banks offer offset accounts with varying features. Use comparison tools like Finder to evaluate the best options available.

Real-life Scenarios

Sometimes theory needs practical examples to illustrate the value of offset accounts.

Case Study #1: The Young Professional

  1. Profile: A young professional with a $500,000 home loan.
  2. Savings: They maintain $50,000 in their offset account.
  3. Outcome:
    • With Offset: Interest calculated on $450,000.
    • Without Offset: They could end up paying approximately $60,000 in interest over 30 years.
    • With Offset: Approximately $54,000 in interest, saving $6,000.

Case Study #2: The Family

  1. Profile: A family with $700,000 in mortgage debt and $100,000 in savings.
  2. Outcome:
    • With Offset: Calculate interest based on $600,000, leading to drastic savings that could lead to a paid-off home years earlier.
    • Total Savings: A combination of reduced monthly payments and overall interest saved throughout the mortgage term.

Run Your Full Home Loan Health Check

Let Bheja analyse your current home loan using all your calculator inputs and tell you:

  • If your rate is above the market average
  • How much you could save with an offset or refinance
  • When it’s worth switching lenders
Written by
Pravin

Pravin Mahajan

Founder @ Bheja.ai | Mortgage Broker | Ex-CTO RateCity & CIMET

Pravin Mahajan is the Founder of Bheja.ai and an accredited Mortgage Broker (Credit Rep. 570637). Based in Sydney, he sits at the unique intersection of financial regulation and enterprise technology.

With over 30 years of experience, Pravin has architected the consumer platforms that millions of Australians rely on for daily financial and purchasing decisions. His career is defined by building high-scale systems that simplify complex choices:

  • RateCity (Acquired by Canstar): As Chief Product & Technology Officer, Pravin led the tech transformation that culminated in the company's acquisition. He orchestrated "Australia’s First Home Loan Sale," a digital initiative that reached over 12 million people.
  • CIMET: As CPTO, he built enterprise-grade infrastructure for energy and broadband comparison, scaling operations to support major B2B partners.
  • Salmat (Lasoo): He architected digital catalogue systems used by 5.7 million monthly users, digitising the retail experience for brands like Target and Myer.
  • Woolworths: Designed the real-time, secure "Pay at Pump" transaction infrastructure deployed Australia-wide.

Today, at Bheja.ai, Pravin combines this deep technical background with his Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking to build AI agents that don't just compare loans, but help Australians actively secure their financial future.

Frequently Asked Questions


A home loan offset account is a linked savings account that reduces the amount of interest you pay on your mortgage. The money in this account is subtracted from your home loan balance when interest is calculated.