Open discussion: Is Debt Recycling Necessary for an Investment Property?

Debt recycling is indeed a strategic approach to manage and optimize debt, particularly focusing on converting non-deductible debt into tax-deductible debt. This strategy is typically more relevant when dealing with non-deductible debt such as a home mortgage. In the scenario you’ve described, where the debt is already associated with an investment property and thus tax-deductible due to negative gearing, the primary benefit of debt recycling in reducing tax liability through conversion might not be as pronounced. However, it can still be a useful strategy for other reasons.

In your case, you’re considering using $5k from a tax return for ETF share investing. The two options you’ve outlined—Deposit-Redraw-Invest and Direct Investment—both have their merits and considerations:

1. Deposit-Redraw-Invest: By depositing the $5k into the smaller loan and then redrawing it for investment, you are effectively maintaining the tax-deductibility of the debt. This approach keeps the investment debt separate, which can simplify tax calculations and potentially keep your financial structure more organized. It also uses the home equity more actively for wealth building. However, it’s important to consider any potential fees or higher interest rates associated with redrawing funds, as well as ensuring that the redrawn funds are strictly used for investment purposes to maintain their deductibility.

2. Direct Investment: Investing the $5k directly into ETFs is straightforward and may incur fewer transaction fees compared to the Deposit-Redraw-Invest strategy. This approach is simpler and might be preferable if you want to avoid the potential complexities and costs of redrawing from your loan. However, this method doesn’t leverage the potential tax advantages of increasing your investment loan for tax purposes.

Both strategies have their place depending on your financial goals, risk tolerance, and the specific terms of your loan agreements.

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Debt recycling doesn’t achieve anything for an investment property since as you point out the debt is already fully deductible.

SO the whole exercise would essentially be a waste of time, therefore there’s no need to do it.

it also doesn’t matter whether the property is negatively geared or not. The fact that the loan is solely for a property which produces rental income makes the debt deductible by itself.

It then comes down to simply whether you’d rather invest the money into shares or pay down debt.