The total amount of money you bring to closing. Includes the down payment, closing costs, and any prepaid items, minus credits like earnest money already on deposit.
Cash to close is the total amount of money you actually need to bring to the closing table. It's not just the down payment — it's down payment plus closing costs plus any prepaid items (like the first year of homeowners insurance), minus any credits you've already paid (like earnest money) or that the seller is contributing.
Your final cash-to-close figure shows up on the Closing Disclosure, which the lender provides at least 3 business days before closing. By federal law, the actual amount on closing day has to match what's on the CD — no last-minute surprises.
Cash to close almost always has to be paid via wire transfer or cashier's check — personal checks aren't accepted at closing.
Example
On a $400K home: $80K down + $10K closing costs + $2K prepaids − $4K earnest money already on deposit − $3K seller credit = $85K cash to close. Wire that amount to the title company the day before closing.
Also known as
money to close, funds to close, total cash needed