3 types of loan fees you should know about

“Read the fine prints, ask all the right questions, do all the digging necessary because — it’s money involved”

A highly overlooked question to ask before any loan transaction is the “do you charge extra fees?” question.

When taking out a loan, you must know that various fees differ with each lender. These fees could be paid before, during or after your loan application.

We’ve carefully selected 3 types of loan fees you’re most likely to come across:

Processing fee

The lender has to bear some administrative costs while processing your loan. This is usually a small amount, which varies from lender to lender and typically costs a small percentage of the total amount of the loan.

Depending on the lender, a processing fee may be paid upfront by a potential borrower just to set things in motion since a lot of work goes into determining whether or not you qualify for a loan. It could also be deducted from your loan amount before disbursal.

The processing fee is meant to compensate the lender for the expertise, time, and effort it takes. Some charge a flat rate while others set the fee as a percentage of the loan amount. This fee is non-refundable even if the loan is denied.

Late payment fee

The late payment fee as the name implies is a fee that is paid when a borrower fails to meet up with their loan repayment schedule. The late payment fee is also called a penalty charge and it varies from lender to lender. Some lenders offer a grace period unique to their policy before the late payment fee begins.

Late payment fees are either a flat fee or calculated as a percentage of the due amount. If you suspect that you won’t be able to make a payment on time, contact your lender and see what other options are available to you. Read more on late payment fees.

Prepayment fee

Some lenders also charge a prepayment fee when a borrower pays back their loan before the scheduled repayment date. Early payment reduces the interest that the lender would have gotten throughout the loan. Thus the lender issues a penalty to compensate for the loss.

Always confirm with your prospective lender whether prepayments are against the terms of the loan. The actual cost of a prepayment penalty will vary depending on how it’s being charged. It can be charged in one of three ways:

As a percentage of your loan balance
As the extra interest, your lender is missing out on since you paid off the loan early
As a fixed fee

As a rule of thumb, we encourage you to inquire from the lender what other fees or payment policies there might be before any transaction is carried out. This prevents cases of I-didn’t-know or they-cheated-me. It also prevents issues of loan default and dispute.

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We hope this helps you make informed loan decisions as you go.

For any further questions or assistance, shoot us a message at support@irorun.com!