The best off-plan payment plan is the one that leaves the most money in your pocket for the longest: the smallest share paid before handover, the largest share paid on handover, and ideally part of the price paid after you get the keys. Money you have not yet paid to a developer is money you can keep, earn on or put into another investment, instead of locking it up for the two or three years a building takes. Of the 997 Dubai projects in the Homes.me catalog (imported Nov 1, 2026), 957 publish a plan that adds up to 100%, and the typical one asks for 60% before handover.
How do you read a payment plan?
Developers write a plan as shares of the price, in the order you pay them:
| Plan | On booking | During construction | On handover | After handover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 / 40 / 50 | 10% | 40% | 50% | |
| 20 / 40 / 40 | 20% | 40% | 40% | |
| 60 / 40 | 60% | 40% | ||
| 10 / 40 / 20 / 30 | 10% | 40% | 20% | 30% |
The first numbers are paid while the building rises. The handover share is due when the developer hands over the finished home. A post-handover plan spreads part of the price over the months or years after that, so you can live in the home or rent it out while you finish paying.
How do you rank payment plans?
Add up everything due before handover (booking plus construction). The lower that total, the better the plan. When two plans ask the same before handover, the better one:
- asks more after handover (a post-handover plan),
- then asks less on booking,
- then costs less.
That is the order Homes.me uses. In the project explorer, choose "Best payment plan" to sort every project this way, or ask Homes AI or the AI advisor for "the best payment plans".
Why does it matter so much?
Take a home priced at AED 1,000,000 that hands over in three years:
| 60 / 40 plan | 10 / 90 plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid before handover | AED 600,000 | AED 100,000 |
| Paid on handover | AED 400,000 | AED 900,000 |
| Money still yours until handover | AED 400,000 | AED 900,000 |
On the 10 / 90 plan, AED 500,000 more stays with you for up to three years. You can hold it as savings, keep it ready for the handover payment, or use it for another investment. On the 60 / 40 plan the same money sits in the project's escrow account until the building is done.
It also limits what is at stake if things go wrong. If a buyer stops paying, Dubai's law lets a developer cancel and keep part of the price, up to 25% or 40% depending on how far the building has got (we explain the rules in What if you miss off-plan payments in Dubai?). And while the building rises, your payments go into an escrow account for that project under Law No. 8 of 2007, the law that holds buyers' money for a project while it is built.
Which Dubai projects ask the least up front?
From the catalog on Nov 1, 2026, the plans with the smallest share before handover:
| Project | Community | Plan | Before handover | Handover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arisha Terraces | Dubai Studio City | 10 / 90 | 10% | Dec 2027 |
| Samana Portside | Palm Jebel Ali | 10 / 90 | 10% | Sep 2029 |
| Samana Hills South Haven | Dubai Industrial City | 15 / 85 | 15% | Jun 2029 |
| Samana Greenfield 2 | International City | 15 / 85 | 15% | Sep 2029 |
| Green Field | International City | 5 / 10 / 85 | 15% | Mar 2029 |
They are rare. Only 63 of the 957 Dubai plans ask for 30% or less before handover; 404 ask for between 51% and 70%. The most common plans in the catalog are 20 / 40 / 40 (110 projects) and 10 / 40 / 50 (106). The catalog marks 157 Dubai projects as having a post-handover plan; their published plans do not always show how the handover share is split, so ask the developer for the full schedule. The full list, best plan first, changes as developers launch new projects.
What should you check before choosing a plan?
- The price, not only the plan. A low share up front on a higher price can still cost more in total. Compare the whole price and the full purchase costs.
- The handover payment. A 90% handover payment has to be ready on the day, in cash or from a mortgage approved in time. Plan for it from the start.
- The registration fee. Dubai's 4% registration fee is charged when the sale is registered, whatever the plan (see Can foreigners buy off-plan property in Dubai?).
- The contract. The schedule in your sale contract is what counts. Plans change, so confirm the one you are offered in writing before you pay.
- The developer. A generous plan is worth little if the building is late. Look at the developer's finished projects.
Nothing here is financial advice, and no plan promises a return. For the current plan on any project, our team on WhatsApp can send the developer's latest schedule.