What Is Cash to Close on a Mortgage?

Short answer

Cash to close is the total amount you must pay at closing, in addition to money you already paid, per the CFPB (as of October 2026). It is your down payment plus closing costs, minus your earnest money deposit, seller credits and other credits. You find the final number in the Calculating Cash to Close table on page 3 of your Closing Disclosure, and you usually pay it by wire or cashier's check.

Definition

The final amount due from you at closing, shown on the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure. It is not the same as Total Closing Costs, which leave out your down payment.

Worked example

Example only, figures assumed: you buy a $500,000 Miami home with 10% down, a $50,000 down payment and a $450,000 loan. Assume total closing costs of $15,000, which include Florida doc stamps on the note of $1,575 ($0.35 per $100) and intangible tax of $900 (2 mills). You put down a $15,000 earnest money deposit and negotiated a $5,000 seller credit. Cash to close: $15,000 + $50,000 - $15,000 - $5,000 = $45,000.

The lines in the Calculating Cash to Close table

On a purchase, Regulation Z 1026.38(i) sets the lines of the table on page 3 of the Closing Disclosure, each shown next to your Loan Estimate figure:

• Total Closing Costs and Closing Costs Paid Before Closing, such as the appraisal you paid up front
• Closing Costs Financed, paid from your loan amount
• Down Payment/Funds from Borrower
• Deposit, your earnest money, subtracted because you already paid it
• Funds for Borrower, Seller Credits and Adjustments and Other Credits, such as prorated property taxes
• Cash to Close, the bottom line

The CFPB's tip: if the number does not match your Loan Estimate, ask your lender to explain why.

Protect your wire

Closing-fund wire fraud starts with a fake email that changes the wiring instructions. The CFPB says email is never a secure way to send financial information. Confirm the account name and number by phone, using a number you already agreed on, never one from the email. If you wired to the wrong place, call your bank right away, ask for a wire recall, and file a complaint at ic3.gov.

In South Florida

Florida adds two taxes to a buyer's mortgage costs: documentary stamp tax on the note, $0.35 per $100 of the loan (F.S. 201.08), and nonrecurring intangible tax of 2 mills, or $2 per $1,000 (F.S. 199.133), as of October 2026. In Florida, escrow for taxes and insurance can also be a large line, because the lender may collect several months of hurricane-season premiums and property taxes up front. See closing costs for Florida buyers for the full list.