Tool
Estimate your cash to close: down payment, closing costs, and prepaids
Cash to close is what you actually bring on closing day: the down payment, the costs of getting the loan and transferring the home, and the amounts your lender collects in advance. Pick where you are, about to make an offer, setting a budget, or checking your lender's figures, and the same arithmetic runs with the next step that fits. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Cash you put down. The rest is your loan amount.
Lender fees plus the taxes and legal costs of transferring the home. The default follows sourced data for your country where we have it.
What your lender collects in advance. In the United States this is the deposit that opens your escrow account.
What makes up your cash to close
Three things come due at closing for a buyer. The down payment is the share of the price you are not borrowing, and on most financed purchases it is the largest of the three. Closing costs are the fees to originate the loan and transfer the home: what your lender charges, what the professional handling the transfer charges, and the taxes and recording fees your government collects. Prepaids are the interest, property taxes, and insurance your lender collects in advance; in the United States this opens your escrow account. The calculator adds the three and shows the loan amount beside them, because lenders verify that the cash is really there.
Where do you find your real closing costs?
This page is arithmetic; your lender holds the real figures. In the United States, two official documents pin them down: when you apply, the lender must give you a standardized Loan Estimate within three business days, and at least three business days before closing you get a Closing Disclosure with the final numbers, which the closing guide covers. Compare the two line by line and ask about any fee that grew between them. Everywhere else, ask your lender for its official cost breakdown in writing, and ask the professional who handles the transfer in your country, a notary in much of Europe, a solicitor or conveyancer in the United Kingdom and Ireland, to quote their fees and the taxes due before you sign anything.
What this tool does and does not do
The number is plain arithmetic: your down payment percentage of the price, plus closing costs as a percentage of the price, plus the prepaids you enter. The closing cost percentage starts from sourced data for your country where we have it, and a clearly labeled generic estimate where we do not; the field stays editable either way. The tool does not quote your lender's fees, compare lenders, or know your tax rates, because those depend on your loan, your region, and the day you lock a rate. Treat the result as the planning number you take into the official figures, not a replacement for them. It runs only in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Common questions
How much cash do you need to close on a house?
Three amounts add up to your cash to close. The down payment is the share of the price you are not borrowing, and on most financed purchases it is the largest. Closing costs are the fees to get the loan and transfer the home, and they vary widely by country because transfer taxes do: sourced buyer-side figures in this tool run from under 1 percent of the price to 8 percent or more. Prepaids are the interest, property tax, and insurance your lender collects in advance. Plan for the down payment plus a few percent of the price on top, then replace the guess with your lender's official figures.
What is included in buyer closing costs?
Three buckets: what the lender charges to make the loan, what the professional who handles the transfer charges, and what the government collects to tax and record it. Who that professional is depends on your country: an escrow or title company in the United States, a notary in much of continental Europe, a solicitor or conveyancer in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Transfer taxes are usually the largest single item and are set by law, so they are the hardest part to negotiate.
Where do I find my exact closing costs?
In the United States, two official documents pin them down: the lender must give you a standardized Loan Estimate within three business days of your application, and a Closing Disclosure with the final figures at least three business days before closing. Compare the two line by line and ask about any fee that grew. Everywhere else, ask your lender for its official cost breakdown in writing, and ask the professional handling the transfer to quote their fees and the taxes due before you sign anything.
Can the seller pay my closing costs?
Often, yes, if you ask for it in the offer. A seller credit is money the seller contributes toward your costs at closing, and it lowers your cash to close directly. When you buy without a buyer agent there is room to ask, because the seller is not paying a buyer-side commission. In the United States, lenders cap how large a credit can be depending on the loan type; elsewhere, taxes set by law cannot be waived, but fees and the price itself are negotiable. The offer guide shows how to write the credit in.
Can closing costs be rolled into the mortgage?
On a standard purchase loan, usually not: the loan is sized against the price, so the costs are due in cash at closing. There are two honest ways to shrink the cash instead. A seller credit moves part of the bill to the seller. A lender credit, common in the United States, trades a higher interest rate for lower upfront fees, which costs more over the life of the loan. Refinances work differently; this tool is about a purchase.