Debt recycling is a strategy used by Australian homeowners to pay off their non-deductible home loan faster and build an investment portfolio at the same time.
The aim of the stragegy is to:
- reduce “bad debt” (your home loan),
- increase “good debt” (a tax-deductible investment loan),
- boost after-tax cashflow through franking credits and negative gearing,
- Be in a “debt free” position sooner.
This guide will walk you through:
- what debt recycling actually is,
- what the tax benefits are (why the ATO treats the loans differently),
- step by step how it works in practice,
- who it suits and who it doesn’t suit,
- real risks you need to understand before doing it,
- and how to model it with our free Debt Recycling Calculator.
Quick Summary: What Is Debt Recycling?
At a high level, debt recycling is the process of gradually replacing non-deductible home loan debt with tax-deductible investment debt.
You do this by:
- Paying down your home loan (non-deductible debt) with a lump sum (such as funds in an offset account).
- Redrawing that same amount as an investment loan (deductible debt).
- Investing the redrawn amount into income-producing assets (typically shares / ETFs / managed funds).
- Directing all after-tax investment income (including franking refunds and negative gearing tax benefits) back into the home loan to pay it off faster.
You don't need to make extra repayments (although that helps).
You’re just recycling dollars from the “bad debt” bucket into the “good debt / investment” bucket.
You can simulate that process year-by-year with our Debt Recycling Calculator for Australia.
It models franking credits, negative gearing, redraw timing, capital gains tax on exit, and shows when you could theoretically be debt free after selling down your investment portfolio.
Why Home Loan Debt Is ‘Bad Debt’
Your main residence in Australia does not produce assessable income (you don’t earn rent from living in your own house), so:
- The interest on your home loan is not tax-deductible.
That makes it “bad debt”:
- You pay the full cost of the loan from your after-tax income.
- You can’t claim it as a deduction on your tax return.
Why Investment Debt Is Treated Differently
If you borrow money to invest in assets that are expected to produce assessable income (e.g. shares that pay dividends), then:
- The interest on that investment loan is generally tax-deductible in Australia, because it’s incurred in the course of producing income.
- If the interest cost exceeds the income produced by the investment, you are making an investment loss. This is known as negative gearing.
- The investment loss is claimed as a deduction on your tax return, and reduces the amount of income tax payable.
On top of that:
- Australian shares often come with franking credits (imputation credits). Franking credits represent company tax already paid at (usually) 30%, and they’re refundable, meaning if your tax bill is lower than the credits, you may get the difference back as a refund.
- Those franking credits and the tax deduction on interest boost your after-tax income.
That after-tax cash flow is then paid directly into your home loan as additional repayments, helping to pay down your home loan faster.
Step-by-Step: How Debt Recycling Actually Works
Let’s walk through the mechanics using a simplified version of the strategy.
Step 1. You make an extra repayment into your home loan
Say you have $30,000 in an offset account and use that to make a lump sum repayment into your home loan.
This immediately reduces your non-deductible home loan balance.
Step 2. You redraw that $30,000 as an investment split
You split your home loan and redraw that same $30,000 as a new, clearly identifiable investment loan split.
Important: this split must be used only for investment purposes. Mixing purposes (e.g. using redraw for a car, holiday, renovations) risks contaminating the tax deductibility.
Step 3. You invest that money
You use the $30,000 investment split to buy income-producing assets such as ETFs or Australian shares. Best practice is to establish a new brokerage account and pay those redrawn funds directly into that account.
Now you’ve got:
- a smaller home loan (non-deductible debt) which has reduced by $30,000, and
- a new investment loan (deductible debt) of $30,000, and
- an investment portfolio worth ~$30,000.
Step 4. The investments generate cashflow
Over the next year, those investments (especially Australian shares / ETFs with franked dividends) pay:
- cash distributions, and
- franking credits
Depending on the level of income generated, you may also receive a tax refund from negative gearing, where the investment loan interest is greater than the income earned on your investments.
You take that net cash and pay it into your home loan as extra repayments over the following 12 months.
Step 5. Repeat annually
At the end of the year:
- Your home loan is now even lower (because you’ve made your normal repayments plus the investment cashflow).
- You redraw the extra repayments again as a fresh investment split.
- You invest that redrawn amount into your portfolio.
- Your investment loan increases (your home loan balance doesn't change in the step)
That repeating loop is the “recycling”.
You can see this redraw and reinvest cycle, year by year, in the Year by Year Comparison table in the calculator.
Try it yourself with the Debt Recycling Calculator.
The Goal: Be “Debt Free”
We model this by looking at the option of just making your normal home loan repayments vs employing a debt recycling strategy.
1. Home loan balance hits $0
Under Strategy A (just pay the home loan normally), this eventually happens, but it may take decades.
Under Strategy B (debt recycling), the goal is to get there faster. This happens because you’re channelling every after-tax dollar of investment income, franking refunds, and negative gearing benefit to repay your home loan faster.
2. “Debt free overall after sell-down”
In our calculator we also show the year where, if you sold your entire investment portfolio, paid capital gains tax (with the 50% CGT discount assumed), then used the after-tax proceeds to clear both:
- the remaining home loan, and
- the outstanding investment loan
That is your “debt free” crossover in Strategy B.
In other words: you could liquidate your investment portfolio, pay CGT, repay both your home loan and investment loan, and walk away with a positive cash balance.
On the calculator, this shows up in:
- the summary card “Year you could clear all debt”, and
- the bar chart titled “When will I be debt free?”.
That bar chart compares:
- your remaining home loan in Strategy A, and
- your after-tax “walk away” position in Strategy B.
Does Debt Recycling Mean I’m Paying More Each Month?
Not necessarily.
One of the most misunderstood parts of debt recycling is cashflow. You keep making the same repayments to your home loan in both scenarios. Only in the debt recycling strategy, part of your repayment goes towards your home loan, and a portion goes to your investment loan.
In our model, we ask you for just one number:
- “Monthly repayment ($/mo)” → what your current repayments are.
Then we compare that to our calculated minimum repayment required to keep the total debt (home loan and investment loan splits) on track over the remaining term.
If you’re already paying at least that amount, we assume there are no increasing in monthly repayments. You’re just redirecting where those dollars go:
- first to minimum repayment on the (deductible) investment split,
- then the remainder to the (non-deductible) home split,
- plus the after-tax investment income sweep also paid to your home loan.
Should the investment loan be principal and interest or interest only repayments?
Most advisers suggest having your investment loan balance changed to interest only repayments and keep your home loan on principal and interest repayments. However, there can be a significant differential in interest rates between interest only and principal and interest loans (around 0.60% pa or more). Also, lenders will likely ask you to complete a new credit application if you request a switch to interest only repayments.
The general view, given the interest rate differential, is to:
- Keep both loans on principal and interest repayments,
- Make only the minimum required repayment towards the investment loan,
- Pay extra towards the home loan.
We have allowed for different rates between investment loan and home loans in the calculator, but have assumed that both loans have principal and interest repayments.
Who Debt Recycling Can Suit
Debt recycling is generally more appropriate for people who:
- Own (or are buying) their own primary residence with a mortgage in Australia.
- Have a decent income and tax rate (30% marginal tax rate and above), so deductions and franking actually matter.
- Are comfortable holding investments for 10 or more years.
- Can tolerate market volatility without selling.
- Are disciplined enough to direct distributions / refunds back into the home loan.
It can be especially attractive if:
- You’re on a higher marginal tax rate (because deductions and franking credits are more valuable to you).
- You’ve got a solid buffer (e.g. emergency fund, stable employment).
- You wish to invest for long-term wealth creation, as well as pay down your home loan.
When Debt Recycling Is a Bad Idea
Debt recycling comes with additional risk.
It may not be suitable if you:
- Are very uncomfortable with investment risk or market volatility.
- Are likely to need that money in the short term (e.g. for maternity leave, career change, income drop, capital expenses).
- Don’t have an emergency buffer outside this strategy.
- Are already very stretched with repayments.
- Would emotionally struggle if markets fell 30–40% in one year (which may happen).
Specific risks to understand:
1. Market risk
Shares can fall. If you’ve geared into investments and markets fall, your portfolio value may drop below the size of the investment loan.
2. Interest rate risk
If interest rates go up, both the home loan and the investment loan get more expensive to service. Your monthly repayment may increase and you'll need to make additional repayments.
3. Behavioural risk
This strategy assumes discipline. The model assumes you reinvest redraws annually and that you pay every dollar of after-tax investment income into your home loan.
4. Tax / structure risk
You must keep the investment loan purpose clean. The ATO looks at what the borrowed funds are used for. If you mix personal use and investing in the same loan split, you can contaminate deductibility.
This is why debt recycling is usually set up with a broker and tax professional who understands structuring.
Does the ATO Allow Debt Recycling?
Debt recycling is a common strategy.
Borrowing to invest in income producing assets and claiming the interest is, in principle, allowed under Australian tax law.
Where people get in trouble is:
- incorrect loan structuring,
- claiming deductions on interest for loans that weren't actually used for income producing purposes,
- or mischaracterising lifestyle spending as “investment”.
If you’re thinking about doing this:
- speak to a tax professional or adviser,
- speak to a mortgage broker who has actually implemented this before,
- and make sure each investment redraw is documented.
How to Model Your Own Numbers
Want to see how this could look for you?
Use the free Debt Recycling Calculator.
It lets you:
- Enter your home value, home loan balance, offset balance and interest rates.
- Set how much you’d initially move from your offset into the loan and redraw on day one.
- Compare Strategy A (no recycling) vs Strategy B (debt recycling).
- See when you could theoretically become completely debt free, allowing for CGT.
You’ll also see:
- your projected net wealth under each strategy,
- the year-by-year loan balances,
- and the “When will I be debt free?” chart.
Frequently Asked Questions About Debt Recycling
Is debt recycling the same as an offset account strategy?
No. An offset account reduces the interest charged on your home loan, which is good, but it doesn’t generate investment income or tax deductions.
Debt recycling deploys some of that cash, converts it into deductible debt, and aims to accelerate wealth building alongside debt reduction. You’re taking on investment risk to (potentially) get ahead faster.
Do I need to invest only in Australian shares?
No. In reality most people use a diversified mix (Australian shares, international shares, ETFs, managed funds).
In our calculator we model franking credits explicitly for the Australian share portion, because franking is uniquely valuable in Australia.
Is this “tax avoidance”?
Claiming interest on money borrowed to invest is standard. Where you get in trouble is if you’re not clear on where the investment loan funds are deployed. The ATO cares about purpose.
What happens if the market crashes?
Your portfolio value can drop sharply. If that happens in the early years, Strategy B can actually look worse than Strategy A for a while. If that possibility keeps you up at night, you may not be suited to leveraging into shares.
Can I do debt recycling inside super instead?
Super is taxed differently and contributions are capped. Debt recycling is specifically about turning home loan debt into tax-deductible investment debt in your own name(s), outside super.
Key Takeaways
- Your home loan is non-deductible “bad debt”.
- Investment debt (used to buy income-producing assets) can be tax-deductible.
- Debt recycling is about gradually swapping one for the other.
- Franking credits and negative gearing can boost after-tax cash that you can pay straight into your home loan.
- This strategy is not free money. It uses leverage and carries risk.
- You should get professional advice to ensure the strategy is appropriate for your personal circumstances.
Want to see if it might work for you — with your numbers, tax rate, and interest rates?
Run the numbers using the Debt Recycling Calculator.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute personal financial, credit, or tax advice. You should seek professional advice before implementing a debt recycling strategy.