A developer payment plan means a down payment at signing, then installments over several years. Some advertised plans run for a long time. In July 2026, Daily News Egypt reported an agreement between the National Bank of Egypt and Ramtan Developments to market ready-to-move units in the New Administrative Capital with payment plans of up to 10 years. The longer the plan, the more it matters that you know where the installment figure in front of you came from.
The formula
The core calculation has four steps: decide which price the down payment is worked out on, take the down payment, find what remains, and divide that by the number of installments.
Payments per year are 12 for monthly, 4 for quarterly, 2 for semi-annual and 1 for annual installments.
The maintenance deposit is not part of the remaining amount and does not reduce the installments. It is a separate sum the buyer pays the developer for the project's upkeep, and the contract sets when it is due. A legal study reported by Masrawy in September 2026 found contracts where the deposit reached 10% of the unit price, so it belongs in any estimate of what you will actually pay.
Illustrative example with hypothetical numbers
A unit priced at EGP 4,000,000, a 10% down payment, the rest over 8 years in quarterly installments, an 8% maintenance deposit at delivery, and no discount.
| Item | Calculation | Amount (EGP) |
|---|---|---|
| Down payment | 4,000,000 × 10% | 400,000 |
| Remaining | 4,000,000 - 400,000 | 3,600,000 |
| Number of installments | 8 × 4 | 32 |
| Quarterly installment | 3,600,000 ÷ 32 | 112,500 |
| Maintenance deposit | 4,000,000 × 8% | 320,000 |
| Total you pay | 400,000 + 3,600,000 + 320,000 | 4,320,000 |
Monthly vs quarterly
The same plan paid monthly means 96 installments (8 × 12), so each one is 3,600,000 ÷ 96 = EGP 37,500. Paid annually, it is 8 installments of EGP 450,000. The total is the same in all three cases because the remaining amount is the same. What changes is when you pay and how large each payment is. A monthly salary fits monthly installments; income that arrives in lumps may fit quarterly or annual ones.
Discount before or after the down payment
This is where many buyers go wrong, because the same discount percentage gives different numbers depending on how it is applied. The payment plan calculator in CalcRealty offers three ways to apply a percentage discount:
- Before down payment: taken off the total unit price; the down payment is on the price after discount.
- After down payment, % of the remainder: down payment on the total unit price; the discount is a share of what remains after it.
- After down payment, % of the total unit price: down payment on the total unit price; the discount is a share of it, taken off the installments.
With the example figures and a 5% discount:
| Method | Discount | Down payment | Left for installments | Quarterly installment | Total before deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before down payment | 200,000 | 380,000 | 3,420,000 | 106,875 | 3,800,000 |
| After, % of remainder | 180,000 | 400,000 | 3,420,000 | 106,875 | 3,820,000 |
| After, % of total price | 200,000 | 400,000 | 3,400,000 | 106,250 | 3,800,000 |
The first two methods give the same installment, but the second keeps the full down payment and its discount is EGP 20,000 smaller. The third gives the same total discount as the first, yet you still pay the full down payment and only the installments come down. So always ask what the discount is taken from, and whether it applies before or after the down payment. If an offer states the discount in pounds, the calculator also accepts it as a fixed amount.
Common mistakes
- Working out the down payment on the price before discount when the offer says the discount comes first, or the reverse.
- Leaving the maintenance deposit out of the total, even though it can be a large sum due in one go.
- Dividing the remaining amount by the number of years instead of the number of installments, which makes a quarterly installment four times too large.
- Assuming every installment is equal when the plan has a delivery payment or extra annual payments on top of the regular ones.
- Setting one offer's monthly installment against another offer's quarterly installment. Convert both to the same period, or compare totals.
What to ask the developer before trusting the result
- Is the down payment percentage taken from the price before or after the discount? Is it one payment or split into several?
- When exactly is the first installment due: three months after signing, or from another date?
- Is there a payment at delivery, or extra annual payments?
- How much is the maintenance deposit, when is it due, and what price is it a percentage of? Is it held in a separate account? The study Masrawy reported found contracts with no clear rules on how this money is managed.
- What other charges sit outside the price, such as a garage or club? The guide to the total cost of owning a unit shows how to add them up.
Frequently asked questions
Is a monthly installment cheaper than a quarterly one?
If the remaining amount and the number of years are the same, the total is the same. Only the timing differs: monthly spreads the amount over more, smaller payments. If an offer sets a different price for each schedule, compare the totals and the timing.
How do I find the number of installments?
Multiply the years by the payments per year. Eight years of quarterly installments is 32 payments; monthly, it is 96.
Is the maintenance deposit taken out of the down payment?
No. The deposit is separate from the unit price and is not deducted from the down payment or from the amount paid in installments. Add it to your total, on the date the contract sets.
Which discount method is better for me?
The numbers decide, not the label. Work out the total, the down payment and the installment under each method for the offer you have. A discount before the down payment lowers both the down payment and the installments; a discount after it leaves the down payment in full.
What if there is no down payment?
Then the remaining amount is the whole price after discount, divided by the number of installments with the same formula. Each installment is larger because more is being spread out.
Run the numbers
The payment plan calculator in the CalcRealty app takes the price, the down payment, a discount before or after the down payment and the maintenance deposit, then builds a full schedule with the date, amount and percentage of every payment, which you can export as a PDF. Get CalcRealty on Google Play and try the figures from your offer.
If you are looking at a unit in the New Administrative Capital or New Cairo, read the area guide first, then see how to compare payment plans, including a cash price against an installment price.
Results are planning estimates; the developer contract sets the final amounts.