An offset interest-only account is ideal for investors that want to maximise their tax benefits and maintain their savings. It is often an ideal short-term solution as it enables great savings opportunities.

For anyone looking to make great savings on their investments, such as for an investment property, home loan, or any other interest situation to transform a financial situation involving investor loans, an interest-only offset account is a great idea.

To qualify for an interest only loan with an offset account, there are some areas an investor needs to align with:

• Interest-only offset account: you will need to be able to borrow up to 90% of your investment property value from mortgage brokers.
• Interest-only term: typically between 5 and 10 years.
• Extending the interest-only term: should a property investor wish to extend their interest-only term, they made need to assess their financial circumstances and refinance.
• Good financial position: an investor will need to be in a good financial position to make and maintain their monthly repayments on their loan amount. Therefore, they can make principal and interest loan payments on time.
• – Interest-only offset accounts for a home loan: will be considered depending on the financial circumstances of the investor and ability to make the principal and interest loan payments.

The way in which interest-only offset accounts work is by making monthly repayments on the interest payments, not the overall loan amount. Having money in your offset account will help to reduce the interest you owe.

It is possible to have access to a 100% offset facility where you can deposit extra funds. Here, you can leave the money (which will help to lower the overall amount you pay interest on), withdraw it as you want or need it, or make further deposits to further lower your interest payments.

An interest-only offset account offers a multitude of benefits for investors and property purchasers.

Tax Benefits

A key advantage of an interest-only offset account is to maximise tax benefits. By not needing to pay principal and interest loan payments, you will be able to minimise the amount of interest you will need to pay.

The tax-deductible loan amount will be much higher with an offset account in place. Plus, you will be keeping your loan/debt separate from your savings, which can then also be used for personal loans. Therefore, you will be able to maximise borrowing power at the same time you are lowering the cost of interest payments.

Flexibility

Any offset account owner can have instant access to their savings. Whether they want to add to it or withdraw money, they have complete power over their account.

Investors will be able to build their property portfolio and not have to miss out on investment opportunities by having constant access to their savings.

Cash flow buffer

Like with any savings account, an offset account will enable investors to have a cash flow buffer. Seeing as they are always accessible to manage as and how you want, they are a great way to deposit extra money and have more savings to sit on, should you need to.

This is ideal should an investor want to make a last-minute investment, need to repair properties, make regular repairs, other personal emergencies.

Many investors start out by renting their own property to assess their financial stability and get an idea of how property investment works. For the first five years of this process, it is important to note that you will likely not have paid all principal payments as you have been living there. Hence, the tax will not be deductible. However, after this time, it is possible to attain the tax-deduction and tax savings benefits.

While starting out with renting your property, it is a good idea to make extra repayments into your offset account so that you can maximise your negative gearing benefits. You will pay the lower tax instead of the lower principal amount, which will help you in the long run.

To ensure that you avoid financial issues when transferring to P&I payments to IO payments, it is sensible to have a large enough cash buffer should you need to pay for property repairs and maintenance. Having money to fall back on can help an investor avoid debt and ensure that they can maintain the mortgage payments while paying for extra fees involved with renting out a property.

Although interest-only loans with offset accounts can offer immense benefits, there are some drawbacks or red flags.

• Slower equity. Although an investor will still be able to grow their equity, it might not be as quick as when paying your principal payments or extra repayments. With equity growth being slower, it can significantly affect investors that have properties in weak growth suburbs. Therefore, if you want to avoid the significant impact on the growth of your equity when having an interest only loan with an offset account, then it is a good idea to invest in strong growth suburbs.
• Reduced chance to build a strong positively geared portfolio. Negative gearing and interest only loan offset loans go hand-in-hand, thanks to their tax benefits. However, this isn’t the case with positively geared portfolios. For any investor looking to maximise their positive gearing portfolio, an interest only loan with an offset account might not be the best choice and you will not be in a positive cash flow state. Instead, you are simply making extra savings.
• When the loan reverts back to P&I. Interest only loan often last 5 years, or 10 years maximum. Therefore, after this time your loan will revert back to principal and interest and the interest only period will end, whereby you will no longer attain the benefits. It is possible to refinance and gain back the offset account benefits. But, it is not always possible. Hence, it can come as a big surprise when the interest only period ends and the tax savings diminish.

When choosing an interest only loan account with offset, you will need to be aware of some top tips in order to avoid surprises and maximise the tax benefits.

Seek advice

Getting professional advice from mortgage brokers and lenders can ensure that you are in the right financial position to make the most out of interest only account. You might not be aware if you are capable of interest repayments or in a position to discover the best comparison rate service. Hence, using expert advice can ensure you know everything about a linked offset account and how to keep your original debt separate.

Before speaking to an advisor, you might be unaware of how an offset account works. Hence, their advice will help you discover interest charges, variable home loan amounts, and the best way to attain the benefits.

Understand the difference between P&I and IO payments

There are benefits of both making P&I payments and IO payments. Although you might want to attain the tax savings of an interest-only account, your financial position might justify that making the usual principal and interest payments is a better option for you.

Should you want to invest in long-term properties and not be hit with the slow equity of using an IO account, then you might be better off using the P&I method.

Furthemore, should you only wish to make short-term investments and attain a negative gearing portfolio for your property purchases, then an interest-only account might be the better option.

With an IO account and offset benefits, you can better attain the negative gearing process and make great tax savings.

Pros and cons of extra repayments and offset account funds

As well as knowing how an offset account works and the difference between P&I and IO accounts (and how one might be the best option for you), it is also to know about the pros and cons of extra repayments versus having offset account funds.

Extra repayments are how most people pay for their home loan repayments. There will be no tax-deductible opportunities but it will be suitable for one-time investors or those looking to invest long-term. This is due to the fact that with an IO offset account, you will still owe the same loan amount. You will simply be making tax savings and therefore, paying less interest.

Should an investor wish to have a great cash flow buffer, save on tax and interest payments, and have a property investment (or more) for the short-term, then having offset account funds can make investing comfortable. An offset account will ensure that you have savings to fall back on at all times, should you need it for last-minute repairs or emergencies with your properties.

For those looking to make a property investment (or more) and to maximise their tax savings, having an interest-only loan with an offset account is a great idea. It enables investors to pay lower interest payments, as the savings in an offset account can reduce the tax-payable.

Investors will still make home loan repayments as usual. But with an IO offset account, the interest payments will be lower. You will not pay P&I payments, like with most property loans. Instead, the payments will simply be to pay off the remaining interest. The savings in an offset account will offset the amount owed to the lender.

Anyone looking to make property investments and are aware of the red flags is most suitable for interest-only offset accounts. They are not suitable, and often not attainable, by everyday homeowners. Instead, they are ideal for investors who want to combine the savings of not having to pay principal and interest payments along with wanting to reduce the overall amount that is needed to pay in interest.