Off-Plan Payment Plan Calculator: Dubai
This off-plan payment plan calculator for Dubai turns each instalment in your plan into an amount in AED, and shows how much you have paid by every stage, how much is due before, on and after handover, and the DLD registration fee you pay on top at booking. Enter the price and the schedule from your SPA; the starting rows are only an example shape.
Updated September 2026
1Enter the Price and Payment Plan
Copy the schedule from your SPA or the developer's payment plan. The result updates as you type.
Start From an Example Plan Shape
Example structures only, not any developer's actual plan. Replace the rows with the schedule in your SPA.
Instalments
For a construction milestone, enter the month you expect it to be reached; the real date depends on progress on site.
2Your Payment Schedule
Paid before handover
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Due on handover
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Due after handover
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Costs at booking, on top of the price
- DLD registration fee
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- Other fees (developer's schedule)
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- Total one-off costs
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- Cash needed at booking (incl. down payment)
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Total cost
- Property price
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- Instalments entered
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- Plus one-off costs at booking
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- Total you pay
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- Last payment
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iEnter the property price to see each instalment in AED.
How does the off-plan payment plan calculator work?
Each row of a payment plan is a share of the price with a due point. The calculator works out:
Instalment = price × instalment % ÷ 100
Paid so far = sum of instalments up to and including this one
Rows are put in date order, counted in months from booking. A row due before the handover month counts as before handover, one due in the handover month as on handover, and one due later as after handover. The rows must add up to exactly 100% of the price; if they don't, the calculator tells you.
The one-off costs at booking are added on top of the price, not taken out of it:
DLD fee = price × DLD % ÷ 100 · Total you pay = price + DLD fee + other fees
The Dubai Land Department lists the fee for registering an off-plan sale as 2% of the sale value for the purchaser and 2% for the seller. The calculator starts at 4%; change it if your SPA splits the fee differently. Construction milestones fall due when the stage is reached on site, so the months you enter for them are estimates.
Worked example: a 60/40 payment plan
Illustrative figures only, not a real project or any developer's plan. A price of AED 1,000,000, handover expected 36 months after booking, the 60/40 example shape, the DLD fee at 4% and AED 5,000 of other fees assumed:
| Down payment at booking (20%) | AED 200,000 |
| DLD fee (4%) + other fees, at booking | AED 45,000 |
| Cash needed at booking | AED 245,000 |
| Four construction instalments (10% each), months 7 to 29 | AED 400,000 |
| Paid before handover (60%) | AED 600,000 |
| Due on handover, month 36 (40%) | AED 400,000 |
| Total you pay: 1,000,000 + 45,000 | AED 1,045,000 |
The handover payment is the largest single amount. Plan how you will pay it before you sign, whether from savings or a mortgage.
Where do off-plan payments go? Escrow protection
Under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007, payments made by buyers of off-plan units go into an escrow account opened in the name of the project, and that account is dedicated only to building it. If the project is not completed, the escrow agent must, after consulting the Land Department, act to protect depositors and either see the project finished or refund their payments.
Before paying, check the project's registration and escrow details, and read the payment schedule and late-payment terms in your SPA. Our guide to buying off-plan property covers the checks step by step, and what a property purchase agreement should include explains the contract.
What this payment plan calculator doesn't include
- Changes to the schedule. Construction can run early or late, which moves milestone payments and handover.
- Mortgage costs. If you borrow for the handover payment, the UAE Central Bank caps loans on off-plan property at 50% of the value. Estimate repayments with the mortgage calculator and read how mortgages work in the UAE.
- Costs after handover.Service charges, utility connections and furnishing aren't included.
- Late-payment penalties or discounts that your SPA may set.
- The time value of money. To weigh paying later against paying sooner, or to put two plans side by side, use the off-plan payment plan comparator.
The results depend only on the figures you enter. Check every amount against your SPA and the developer's statement of account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does an off-plan payment plan work in Dubai?
You pay the price in instalments set out in your sale and purchase agreement (SPA): usually a down payment at booking, instalments during construction, often tied to construction milestones, and a payment on handover. Some plans also spread part of the price over months after handover. Under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007, payments from off-plan buyers go into an escrow account opened for that project.
What does a 60/40 payment plan mean?
The numbers show the split of the price: 60% is paid before handover, while the property is being built, and 40% is paid on handover. A 50/50 plan splits it evenly, and a post-handover plan leaves part of the price to be paid after you get the keys. The presets in this calculator are example shapes, not any developer's actual plan.
What fees do I pay on top of an off-plan payment plan?
The Dubai Land Department charges a fee to register an off-plan (initial) sale: 2% of the sale value for the purchaser and 2% for the seller, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. The calculator starts at the full 4%; enter 2% if your SPA says the developer pays its own share. Add any admin or other charges listed in the developer's fee schedule.
Can I use a mortgage to pay an off-plan payment plan?
UAE Central Bank rules cap mortgages on property bought off-plan at 50% of its value, whatever the purpose, value or type of buyer. So at least half the price, and all the fees, come from your own money. Ask the bank how it treats a loan taken at handover, and see our UAE mortgage guide for the other limits.
What happens to my payments if the project is not finished?
Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 says the escrow account is dedicated only to building that project. If the project is not completed, the escrow agent, after consulting the Land Department, must take steps to protect depositors and either see the project completed or refund their payments.
Sources
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This calculator works only from the figures you enter and is for estimation. It is not financial advice or a loan offer. Check figures with your bank, developer or management company before you commit.