The "Bi-Weekly" Hack: 13 Months in a 12-Month Year

A 30-year fixed mortgage is the standard American dream tool. It’s also a massive wealth anchor. On a $400,000 loan at 6%, you will pay nearly $463,000 in interest alone over the life of the loan. You buy one house for yourself, and one for the bank.

But there is a painless way to cheat the system.

The Problem: Monthly Payments are Slow

The standard schedule asks for 12 payments a year. It’s predictable, slow, and incredibly profitable for the lender. The amortization curve moves at a glacial pace.

The Agitation: The Calendar Illusion

Here is the trick: There are 52 weeks in a year.

If you pay monthly, you make 12 payments.

If you pay half your monthly payment every two weeks (Bi-Weekly), you make 26 half-payments.

26 half-payments = 13 full payments.

You simply tricked yourself into making one extra full mortgage payment every year. Because it is spread out in tiny increments every two weeks, you barely feel the impact on your budget. But the impact on your loan is nuclear.

The Solution: 5 Years of Freedom

By adopting a bi-weekly schedule, you typically:

1. Slash 4 to 6 years off a 30-year mortgage.
2. Save tens of thousands of dollars in interest.
3. Build equity significantly faster (getting rid of PMI sooner).

Warning: Some servicers charge fees to set up bi-weekly processing. Don't pay them. You can achieve the exact same math manually by using AmortiApp to calculate the annual total, dividing by 12, and adding that small sliver to your principal payment manually each month.

📱 The Amorti Simulation

Let's see the power of that "13th Month".

1. Open AmortiApp.
2. Enter: $400,000 Principal, 6% Rate, 30 Years.
3. Note the Total Interest: ~$463,000.
4. Go to "Extra Payments".
5. Add a Recurring Payment.
   • Amount: (Monthly Payment / 12). If your payment is $2,400, add $200.
   • Frequency: Monthly.
6. Look at the new results.

The Result: You likely cut the term down to 24 or 25 years and saved over $80,000. All for the price of one dinner out per month.

Turn 30 years into 25 seamlessly.

Calculate My Bi-Weekly Plan