⚠️ For educational purposes only. Consult a licensed professional for personalized guidance.
Mortgage Strategies

Annual Lump Sum Payment

Make one large principal-only payment once per year — typically using a tax refund, bonus, or savings surplus. Applied correctly, a single lump sum can knock years off your mortgage.

Difficulty: ⭐⭐ Intermediate Category: Mortgage Strategies
Best for

People who receive annual bonuses or tax refunds and want to maximize their impact.

How to do it — step by step
1

Identify your annual lump sum source: tax refund, work bonus, savings surplus.

2

Apply it as a separate principal-only payment to your mortgage.

3

Confirm with your lender exactly how to designate it as principal — not a regular payment.

4

Check your updated amortization schedule to see exactly how much time was saved.

Advantages & considerations
Advantages
  • High impact per dollar applied
  • Doesn't affect monthly cash flow at all
Worth Knowing
  • Depends on windfalls being available each year
  • Inconsistent year-to-year without a plan
Related systems
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