Hi all.

I did the following rough calculation on the potential benefits of taking out a home equity loan in order to pay down a student loan (of size $113,000). We cannot deduct student loan interest because our household income is too high. So an accountant mentioned the possibility of taking out a home equity loan (HEL) and deducting the interest from that HEL loan.

Assuming a 3.85% HEL interest rate, and a HEL loan of size $113,000, to be paid back over 15 years. Total yearly HEL interest, potentially tax deductible, is about $4,200. Assuming our top income tax rate is 28%, we save $4,200*.28=$1,176 on our taxes.

We are losing about 3.85-2=1.85% in interest rate, since the student loans have a 2% interest rate. A 15-year loan of $113,000 at 1.85% has a yearly payment (int+principal) of $8,628 per year. That is a big loss that largely offsets the tax savings.

Is there anything wrong with my thinking?

Thanks in advance for your input