i What this page covers
The monthly repayment on a South African home loan depends on three numbers: the amount, the rate relative to prime, and the term. Prime is 10.75% after the September 2026 MPC meeting, and most bonds are priced within two percentage points of it. The tables show the instalment on eleven loan sizes at four rates over 20 years, what a longer term does to the instalment and to the total interest, and the gross income a bank would typically need to see.
Use it to answer "what is the repayment on a R1.5 million bond" at a glance, and the home loan repayment calculator for your own rate, deposit and term, or the bond affordability calculator to work backwards from your income.
★ What changed this year
The SARB raised the repo rate to 7.25% on 23 September 2026, taking prime to 10.75%; the instalments here are at that rate. Each 25 basis point move changes the repayment on a R1.5 million 20-year bond by about R254 a month. The rate history is on the prime lending rate page.
| Loan amount | 9.75% (prime minus 1) | 10.75% (prime) | 11.75% (prime plus 1) | 12.75% (prime plus 2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R500,000 | R4,743 | R5,076 | R5,419 | R5,769 |
| R750,000 | R7,114 | R7,614 | R8,128 | R8,654 |
| R1,000,000 | R9,485 | R10,152 | R10,837 | R11,538 |
| R1,250,000 | R11,856 | R12,690 | R13,546 | R14,423 |
| R1,500,000 | R14,228 | R15,228 | R16,256 | R17,307 |
| R1,750,000 | R16,599 | R17,767 | R18,965 | R20,192 |
| R2,000,000 | R18,970 | R20,305 | R21,674 | R23,076 |
| R2,500,000 | R23,713 | R25,381 | R27,093 | R28,845 |
| R3,000,000 | R28,456 | R30,457 | R32,511 | R34,614 |
| R4,000,000 | R37,941 | R40,609 | R43,348 | R46,152 |
| R5,000,000 | R47,426 | R50,761 | R54,185 | R57,691 |
| Loan amount | 20 years | 25 years | 30 years | Total interest, 20 yrs | Total interest, 30 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R500,000 | R5,076 | R4,810 | R4,667 | R718,275 | R1,180,266 |
| R750,000 | R7,614 | R7,216 | R7,001 | R1,077,412 | R1,770,400 |
| R1,000,000 | R10,152 | R9,621 | R9,335 | R1,436,549 | R2,360,533 |
| R1,250,000 | R12,690 | R12,026 | R11,669 | R1,795,687 | R2,950,666 |
| R1,500,000 | R15,228 | R14,431 | R14,002 | R2,154,824 | R3,540,799 |
| R1,750,000 | R17,767 | R16,837 | R16,336 | R2,513,962 | R4,130,933 |
| R2,000,000 | R20,305 | R19,242 | R18,670 | R2,873,099 | R4,721,066 |
| R2,500,000 | R25,381 | R24,052 | R23,337 | R3,591,374 | R5,901,332 |
| R3,000,000 | R30,457 | R28,863 | R28,004 | R4,309,648 | R7,081,599 |
| R4,000,000 | R40,609 | R38,484 | R37,339 | R5,746,198 | R9,442,132 |
| R5,000,000 | R50,761 | R48,105 | R46,674 | R7,182,747 | R11,802,665 |
| Loan amount | Instalment at prime | Gross income needed (30% rule) | Gross income needed (25% rule) |
|---|---|---|---|
| R500,000 | R5,076 | R16,920 | R20,305 |
| R750,000 | R7,614 | R25,381 | R30,457 |
| R1,000,000 | R10,152 | R33,841 | R40,609 |
| R1,250,000 | R12,690 | R42,301 | R50,761 |
| R1,500,000 | R15,228 | R50,761 | R60,914 |
| R1,750,000 | R17,767 | R59,222 | R71,066 |
| R2,000,000 | R20,305 | R67,682 | R81,218 |
| R2,500,000 | R25,381 | R84,602 | R101,523 |
| R3,000,000 | R30,457 | R101,523 | R121,827 |
| R4,000,000 | R40,609 | R135,364 | R162,437 |
| R5,000,000 | R50,761 | R169,205 | R203,046 |
How these figures work
The instalment is the standard annuity formula: the loan amount times the monthly rate, divided by one minus (one plus the monthly rate) to the power of minus the number of months. At 10.75% the monthly rate is 0.8958%, and over 240 months each rand borrowed costs about R0.0102 a month. The formula assumes a fixed rate for the whole term; South African bonds are mostly variable, so the instalment moves with every prime change.
Banks usually cap the instalment at about 30% of gross income, and the National Credit Act requires an affordability assessment of your actual expenses, so the income column is a guide, not a rule. The total-interest columns show why term matters more than most buyers expect: stretching from 20 to 30 years cuts the instalment by about 13% and raises the interest paid by more than half.
★ A worked example
A R1,500,000 bond at prime over 20 years costs R15,228 a month and R2,154,824 in interest over the term. At prime plus 1, 11.75%, the instalment is R16,256, which is R1,027 more a month. Over 30 years at prime the instalment falls to R14,002 but the interest bill rises to R3,540,799. A bank applying the 30% rule would want to see gross income of about R50,761 a month for the 20-year loan.
✕ Common mistakes
- Budgeting on today's instalment. Run the number at prime plus two before signing; the rate you qualify at is not the rate you will pay throughout.
- Reading the instalment as the cost. Transfer duty, bond registration, conveyancing, insurance, rates and levies sit on top; the transfer costs page itemises them.
- Choosing 30 years to afford a bigger house. The extra decade adds more than half again to the interest paid.
- Ignoring the deposit. The tables are loan amounts, not purchase prices; a 10% deposit on a R2 million home makes it a R1.8 million loan.
- Assuming the bank's offered rate is fixed. Most offers are prime plus or minus a margin, and the margin is negotiable through a bond originator.
Notes on reading these figures
Instalments assume a fixed rate for the full term, no initiation or monthly service fee, and no insurance. Prime of 10.75% is the rate after the September 2026 MPC meeting. Income requirements use a simple instalment-to-gross-income ratio; actual bank assessments differ.
Terms used on this page
Spotted an outdated figure? If a figure or rate on this page no longer matches its source, email us the page and the source. A material correction is dated on the Updates Log.
See also: Crypto Exchange Fees in South Africa.
Frequently asked questions
How much tax do I pay on a R25,000 salary in South Africa?
About R3,381 a month in PAYE under the 2026/27 tables for someone under 65 with no retirement contribution, plus R177.12 UIF, leaving roughly R21,440 net. A 7.5% retirement contribution brings the PAYE down by about R400.
At what salary do I start paying tax?
Above R8,250 a month (R99,000 a year) if you are under 65 in 2026/27. The thresholds are higher for taxpayers over 65 and over 75 because of the additional rebates.
Why is my payslip PAYE different from the table?
Medical scheme credits, a retirement contribution, a travel allowance, a mid-year start or a bonus all change the figure. The table is the base case; the PAYE calculator takes your details.
Is UIF really only R177.12 on a R100,000 salary?
Yes. The contribution ceiling is R17,712 of monthly remuneration, so the maximum employee contribution is R177.12 regardless of salary.
Does a 13th cheque use these tables?
Not directly. A bonus is added to the annual income and taxed by the annualisation method, which usually means a higher percentage comes off the bonus than off the salary. The Bonus Tax Calculator on this site does that calculation.
Do these figures apply to provisional taxpayers and freelancers?
The brackets and rebates do, but freelancers pay through provisional tax twice a year rather than monthly PAYE, and UIF does not apply to them. The Provisional Tax Calculator covers that.
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