CBA Home Loan Review 2026

HECS and HELP are names you'll see for government student debt. If it's limiting how much you can borrow, you may be able to keep your deposit savings instead of clearing it.

CommBank has 2 options, depending on how soon you'll repay HELP. I'd check which one fits your loan, especially if you're using the 5% Deposit Scheme.

An assessment buffer is the extra interest rate a lender uses to test whether you could afford repayments. It doesn't change the interest rate you pay.

Expected to clear within 12 months: CommBank may leave your compulsory HELP repayment out of its borrowing calculation. This option remains available under the 5% Deposit Scheme, subject to eligibility checks.

More than 1 year, but within 5 years: CommBank may test your repayments at 1% above the actual loan rate. It still counts your HELP repayment. This can increase how much you can borrow.

CommBank's broker notice says that, from 25 September 2026, new applications under the 5% Deposit Scheme can't use that smaller buffer.

CommBank considers these options when its first calculation doesn't allow you to borrow the amount you need. You'll need evidence of your HELP balance and must have finished, or be close to finishing, your studies. We'll check the remaining eligibility rules before relying on either option.

Our HECS and home loans guide compares other lenders, including NAB and Westpac.

Before using your savings to pay down HELP, compare both options. Paying it down may increase your borrowing power, but it also leaves you with less cash for your deposit and purchase costs.

We compare the figures with and without a voluntary repayment to work out which option puts you in a better position to buy.

Lenders mortgage insurance, or LMI, is a cost that often applies when you borrow more than 80% of the property's value. It protects the lender if the loan isn't repaid.

An eligible profession may let you avoid that cost. We check your exact occupation and registration, then whether you're buying a home to live in or an investment property. Those details determine the limit that may apply.

The 94.99% limit is only for selected medical professionals buying an investment property. It does not apply to a home to live in or a refinance.

The required package adds to the cost of the waiver. For comparison, ANZ does not charge an annual package fee for its professional waiver. We compare the rates, fees and other charges before recommending a loan.

Your repayments must cover both the loan balance and interest. The waiver is not available for land, construction or applications using fewer income documents. CommBank still checks your income, other debts, property and postcode.

If you're eligible, you could buy your first home with a 5% deposit through the scheme. Single parents and legal guardians may qualify with a 2% deposit.

In Queensland, the price cap is $1m in the capital city and designated regional centres, or $700k elsewhere. Check the property's exact postcode.

Have HELP debt too? From 25 September 2026, new CommBank scheme applications can't use the smaller buffer for debt expected to clear in more than 1 year and within 5 years. Compare your borrowing amount under the scheme before setting your purchase budget.

Help to Buy applications go directly to CommBank. You need to apply through a CommBank Home Lending Specialist; CommBank does not currently accept these applications through mortgage brokers.

You can't combine every option. CommBank Family Security Support (a guarantor home loan) cannot be used with the 5% Deposit Scheme. Property Share also excludes bridging, vacant land and construction.

CommBank needs records that show what you and your business earn. It generally asks for personal and business tax returns, notices of assessment, and profit-and-loss statements and balance sheets prepared by an accountant. It does not have a general low-doc option for borrowers who cannot supply the usual income records.

The standard document list varies by business structure. For example, CommBank lists 2 years of personal tax returns for sole traders and business financial statements showing 2 consecutive years of profit and loss. We'll confirm the records needed for your application.

Check which financial years CommBank needs before gathering the records. Its annual changeover is on 1 March, so the tax returns you used for an earlier application may need updating.

If you pay yourself a regular salary from your business, CommBank may ask for less paperwork. You'll still need to show that your company is profitable, for example with a business tax return, profit-and-loss statement or accountant's letter.

CommBank's option using 1 year of financial records has tighter requirements. You generally need more than 2 years in business, at least a 20% deposit and an active CBA Business Transaction Account. CommBank may use only 90% of the income it assesses.

Other lenders may accept recent Australian Taxation Office (ATO) notices, 1 year of tax returns or evidence of a regular company salary. That can reduce the paperwork compared with supplying complete business financial records.

Your salary is only part of the picture. CommBank may also count some of your overtime, rent or boarder income. It then checks whether you could afford repayments at a higher interest rate.

If you're an eligible first-home buyer, CommBank may count up to $120 a week you expect to receive from a boarder living with you. You'll need a statutory declaration, a formal signed statement confirming the arrangement. This option isn't available for bridging loans or if you or another applicant already owns an investment property.

Being over 50 doesn't automatically mean CommBank will shorten your loan term. A 30-year loan may still be possible if you can show how you'll repay it in retirement.

The bank may ask how you'll cover repayments once employment income stops, or how you'll reduce the debt. That can give you more options than a lender that shortens the term mainly because of age.

An offset account is linked to your home loan. Its balance reduces the loan amount used to calculate interest.

With a $600k loan and $35k in linked offsets, interest is calculated on $565k. You still owe $600k. Separate accounts can help keep bills, tax and savings apart, but the same total balance saves the same interest at the same loan rate. Compare the rate and fees as well as the number of accounts.

You can't link an offset to the fixed part of your loan. Company and trust borrowers can't use an offset either.

Simple also has a $300 establishment fee, and other charges can apply. Until 30 September 2026, the offset feature fee is charged once per eligible loan whether you link 1 or 2 offsets. From 1 October 2026, there's no offset feature fee.

Rates and discounts depend on the loan and your application. Compare the full cost, including the fees that will apply after the change.

CommBank pre-approval lasts up to 90 days. It may allow one extension of another 90 days after reassessing you, without a new application. You'll need updated financial documents and confirmation that your position hasn't changed.

If you're paid a wage or salary, this usually means fresh payslips and bank statements. CommBank uses the rate current at the extension review, so your borrowing limit may change.

Before an unconditional purchase, CommBank still needs to accept the property and confirm the remaining loan conditions.

Already have an application or Home Seeker pre-approval underway? CommBank says it will honour applications in progress that meet its rules for acceptable changes. We'll check any changes you're planning before you rely on the existing borrowing amount.

CommBank is generally comfortable with ordinary residential property. The rules get tighter when the deposit is small or the property may be harder to resell.

CommBank can provide up to 12 months of bridging finance, but you must show that you can make interest-only repayments on the total debt while you own both properties.

CommBank assesses your existing loan and the new purchase together. It does not only check whether you can afford the smaller loan that would remain after you sell.

If your income does not cover the repayments, CommBank may consider savings you keep aside to cover them until your existing home sells.

Some other lenders may let the bridging interest build up in the loan and assess repayments on the amount expected to remain after you sell.

That can ease the repayments while you own both homes, but the interest still adds to what you owe. We'll compare the costs and sale plan before recommending a lender.

*From 25 September 2026, new CommBank 5% Deposit Scheme applications can't use the smaller HELP buffer. The separate 12 month option still has its own eligibility checks.

The lender pays us commission, which we disclose before you proceed. Hunter Galloway is not owned by CommBank.

We compare more than 30 lenders and must put your interests first. Our Brisbane mortgage brokers can compare CommBank with other lenders using your income, deposit and property details.

Client examples are based on real situations. Names and identifying details have been changed.