Start a loan's repayments on a date you choose

Loans Updated 1 Aug 2026

Summary

Set the date a borrower's first repayment falls due, separately from the day the loan is paid out. About 5 minutes · 8 steps. Also called: first repayment date, installment start date, schedule start, grace period.

Prerequisites

  • Your CAMS sign-in, with permission to edit loan applications.
  • The first repayment date agreed with the borrower.
  • A loan application for the member, new or pending.

Step-by-step

  1. Sign in to CAMS.
  2. In the left menu, click Accounts, then Applications. The Loan Applications page opens on the Pending tab.
  3. Type the borrower's name in Search, then click their row. (For a fresh request, click New Loan Application at the top right.)
  4. In the workflow stepper at the top, click 1 Application. It shows Application Summary, Financial Details and Member Details.
  5. In Application Summary, find Installment Start Date, the date the first repayment falls due. It is separate from the disbursement details, so changing it leaves the payout date alone. Scheduling Mode sits beside it.
  6. Click Edit at the top right, set Installment Start Date to the agreed date, and save. The application moves on through KYC & Documentation, Fee & Payments, Sanctions & Approval, Disbursement.
  7. After disbursement, click Accounts in the left menu, then Loans, and open the borrower's loan account.
  8. Click the Schedule tab. In Loan Repayment Schedule, the first row's Due Date is the date you set. Use Download if the borrower wants a copy.

Note: Staff used to move a first repayment by entering a disbursement date that was not true, which made the loan record wrong. You no longer need that workaround.

Common pitfalls & FAQ

  • When is this worth using? When income arrives on a cycle: a harvest, a salary date, a school term. A borrower paid at month end should not owe mid-month.
  • I can't find the application on Pending. It may have moved on. Check the Approved or All tab.
  • There's no Edit button. Your role may not allow edits. Ask an administrator, or click Hold on the Application step so nobody approves the wrong date.
  • The schedule still starts at the disbursement date. The date did not save. Reopen the application, check Installment Start Date, and save again.
  • Does this change the interest? A longer gap before the first repayment means interest accrues over that gap. Check the Schedule tab before you quote a total.
  • How far ahead can the first repayment be? As far as your credit policy allows.
  • Can I set it after disbursement? Do it while setting up the loan. Once money has moved, changing dates is a rescheduling: open the loan and use Reschedule Loan on its Summary tab.
  • The schedule doesn't match what I saw earlier. Amounts on Schedule can change after a reschedule, a top-up or a waive-off. The loan's History tab shows what happened.