How this calculator works
The calculator amortises your outstanding balance twice over the same remaining term, once at your current rate and once at the new rate, and takes the difference. That gives the monthly saving and the interest you would save over the term. It then nets off the one-off cost of switching: solicitor and valuation fees, plus any break fee, less any cashback the new lender pays. What remains is the net benefit, and the break-even is how long the monthly saving takes to cover a net cost.
A switch worth making
Say you owe €250,000 with 25 years left at 4.5%, and you can move to 3.0%. The repayment falls from about €1,390 to about €1,186, a saving near €204 a month, and roughly €61,200 of interest over the remaining term. With €1,500 in fees and no cashback you break even in about eight months. Add €3,000 of switcher cashback and the costs are covered from the start, so the saving is yours from month one.
Costs, cashback, and break fees
Three things decide whether a switch pays. Switching costs run to roughly €1,200 to €2,500 for legal and valuation work. Cashback, offered by most Irish lenders at around €1,500 to €3,000 or 2% to 3% of the loan, offsets those costs. A break fee applies only if you leave a fixed rate early, so a variable-rate borrower has none; always get the figure in writing from your lender first.
Is switching worth it?
- Rate gap — a difference of about 0.5% or more usually makes the numbers work.
- Time left — the more years remaining, the larger the interest saving.
- Cashback vs costs — cashback that exceeds your costs means an immediate break-even.
- Break fee — on a fixed rate, weigh the quoted early repayment charge against the saving.
A note on accuracy
This tool holds both rates constant over the horizon, so it compares today's rates rather than predicting rate moves, and it does not include a new mortgage-protection premium. Confirm your break fee with your lender and compare current rates and cashback through the CCPC mortgage comparison and Citizens Information. See our methodology for the formulas.