Owning a home of your own is a universal dream. However, with steep real estate prices, this dream often remains just a dream for many. This is where a step-up home loan comes into play. This form of a loan is convenient for a wide range of borrowers alike, as it involves paying lower amounts of EMIs in the initial stages – and as time and your income increase, you can then pay larger amounts.
When you avail of a step-up home loan, the ‘Step Up’ can be undertaken in various stages – based on age, earnings, and even the salary range of your spouse. Such a loan increases your loan eligibility, reduces the initial payment burden, and offers you a wide range of tax benefits.
Over the course of this article, we shall explore all that you need to know about a step-up home loan.
Let us now try to understand how a step-up home loan works by way of an example.
Let us assume that Customer X, who has availed of a step-up home loan, has been authorised a loan amounting to ₹50 Lakhs for a period of 20 years (interest serving construct for the first 2 years).
Thus, over the first 2 years, Customer X will only have to shell out interest on the amount of ₹50 Lakhs and will not have to pay the principal constituent.
For the other 18 years, Customer X will have to shell out the interest as well as the principal component as EMI, applicable on ₹50 Lakhs.
Thus, with a:
Loan Amount of ₹50 Lakhs
Tenure of 20 years
Rate of Interest at 8%,
The Loan amount would be Rs. 41,822
Loan Tenure |
EMI on Step Up Loan |
% Difference |
Months: 1-24 |
₹33,333/- |
Less by 20.3% |
Months: 25-240 |
₹43, 748/- |
More by 4.6% |
In the case of a step-up home loan, the lender will resort to calculating the loan amount on a lower EMI in the first few years, which will help you opt for a larger loan amount. The lender will factor in your future earnings to further sanction a larger loan amount.
In the foreseeable future, as your income goes up, so will your EMI.
There exist two types of step-up home loans:
Interest Servicing Construct: In this kind of a step-up home loan, you will only have to pay the interest amount as EMI for the first two years and can avail of a principal moratorium without any principal outstanding runoff during the entire duration.
Term Loan Construct: In this kind of a step-up home loan, you will have to pay routine EMIs (interest and principal) for a residual tenure after you complete the interest servicing period.
The pros and cons of a step-up home loan are as listed below:
Pros |
Cons |
Improves your chances of loan eligibility and approval |
If the borrower’s salary does not multiply in the future as expected, paying higher interest rates will be difficult |
Can avail of numerous tax benefits |
Borrower will end up paying lower amounts of EMI initially, when the principal is less, and the interest is much more |
Cost of loan is lesser due to lower EMIs in the initial years |
If a floating interest rate is opted for, fluctuations as per the market will prove costly |
The differences between a step-up home loan and regular home loan are as listed below:
Parameters |
Step-Up Home Loan |
Home Loan |
EMI Structure |
Gradual increase in EMIs with time |
Fixed amount of principal + interest |
Rate of Interest |
Typically starts from 7.9% |
Typically starts from 6.65% |
Chances of Approval |
Higher |
Lower |
Tenure of Repayment |
Up to 30 years |
Up to 30 years |
Ways of Claiming Tax Benefits |
Interest rate on home loans is deductible (twofold if it is a joint home loan with spouse) |
Home Loan interest rate paid can be claimed under Section 24 and 80 EEA |
To apply for a step-up Home Loan:
Step 1: Visit your lender’s website, and enter the requisite personal, employment, and financial details asked.
Step 2: Make use of the step-up home loan calculator to get an estimate of the loan amount you can avail.
Step 3: Use the step-up home loan EMI calculator to better understand the EMI structure.
Step 4: Once you submit the documents requested, click on the ‘Submit’ tab.
Purchasing a home of your dreams, when you’ve just started out in your career can be a daunting task. Managing finances and checking for eligibility of home loans can all prove to be worrisome. However, with a step-up home loan, you can purchase the house of your dreams without fretting about steep EMIs, while availing of a host of other benefits suited to your needs and finances.
If you are young and wish to purchase a home, a step-up home loan is the best bet. Such a loan increases your loan eligibility, reduces the initial payment burden, and offers you a wide range of tax benefits.
The interest rate on a step-up home loan starts at 7.9%.
To avail of a step-up home loan, your salary must be at least Rs. 25,000 per month.
The repayment tenure on a step-up home loan spans up to a maximum of 30 years.