Homeowners who break a closed mortgage before maturity will often make a pre-payment before the mortgage is discharged. Some Banks and lenders will not permit this within their standard charges potentially costing you upwards of $1000. The idea is to reduce the mortgage balance and thereby pay less of a pre-payment penalty. It’s a great idea if you have the funds to do it. Remember, however, that lenders have different policies on how close to the payout date you can make a pre-payment. Some lenders, for example, won’t allow pre-payments to be made within 30 days of the date of discharge (the date you pay off your mortgage in full). Therefore, if you plan to pre-pay a portion of your mortgage to reduce your penalty, remember to do two things: Ask your lender how close to your payout date you can make a pre-payment and still have that payment count towards reducing your penalty. (Allow several days regardless. You don’t want to cut it too close.) Make the pre-payment and then confirm that your lender has applied it to your account before your lawyer requests the payout statement. Otherwise, your pre-payment might not reduce your balance for the purposes of penalty calculation. If you use a broker they will shop your mortgage to the various banks and lenders to ensure you receive the best rates and terms.