8. a. A home repair contractor may impose and receive a credit service charge in an amount or amounts agreed to by the home repair contractor and the owner on the amount owing on the unpaid principal balance of the contract. This section shall not limit or restrict the manner of contracting for the credit service charge, whether by way of add-on, discount, periodic rate or otherwise, so long as the charge does not exceed that permitted by this section. In the case of a precomputed contract, the charge may be computed on the assumption that all scheduled payments will be made when due, and all scheduled installment payments made on a precomputed contract may be applied as if they were received on their scheduled due dates. In the case of nonprecomputed loans, all installment payments shall be applied no later than the date of receipt, and a day shall be counted as 1/365 of a year.

b. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 12 of P.L.1960, c.41 (C. 17:16C-73), when the unpaid balance owing upon a contract is paid in full or the maturity of the unpaid balance of such contract is accelerated, before the date scheduled for the payment of the final installment, the holder of a precomputed contract shall allow a credit on account of the credit service charge, calculated according to the actuarial refund method, as if all payments were made as scheduled, or if deferred, as deferred; provided, however, that if the contract is prepaid within 12 months after the first payment is due, a holder may charge a prepayment penalty of not more than (1) $20.00 on any contract up to and including $2,000.00; (2) an amount equal to 1% of the loan on any contract greater than $2,000.00 and up to and including $5,000.00; and (3) $100.00 on any contract exceeding $5,000.00.

c. With respect to nonprecomputed contracts, the regularly scheduled minimum monthly payments of principal and credit service charges, irrespective of any other charges permitted under P.L.1960, c.41 (C. 17:16C-62 et seq.), for any debt incurred for the purchase of a home improvement shall result in positive amortization of the debt and shall not increase the amount of debt outstanding.

L.1960,c.41,s.8; amended 1980, c.174, s.2; 1981, c.103, ss.15,18; 1997,c.84,s.3.