Home Loan Prepayment in India — Should You Do It or Invest Instead?

## The prepayment vs investment decision This is one of the most common financial questions in India. The math: - Home loan rate: ~8.5% (guaranteed saving) - Equity MF return: ~12% CAGR (historical, not guaranteed) On the numbers, investing wins. But there's nuance. ## Tax angle matters Under the old tax regime, home loan interest up to ₹2 lakh (₹1.5 lakh for under-construction) is deductible under Section 24(b). This reduces the effective cost of your loan. If you're in the 30% bracket and have a ₹2 lakh interest deduction, your effective after-tax loan rate is: 8.5% × (1 - 0.30) = 5.95%. At that effective rate, almost any diversified investment beats prepayment. ## When prepayment clearly wins 1. You're in the new tax regime (no interest deduction) 2. You have less than 5 years on your loan 3. You're risk-averse and debt-free sleep matters to you