Can you get a home loan with a casual job?

Not always. In the lenders I compared, 6 months is the most common starting point, but shorter options exist for some jobs and longer history may be needed in other cases.

Lender reviews: CBA; Macquarie; Suncorp; ING; ANZ; NAB; Westpac; St George; Bankwest; People First Bank; UBank; Resimac; Firstmac; Pepper Money; AMP.

Some policies multiply weekly casual pay by a fixed number of weeks. Others use a year-to-date or 6 month average. The week count allows for unpaid leave and breaks, so it can change the assessed income.

Keeping the applicant and everything else the same, the income calculation alone can make a sizeable difference.

That is about $80k of borrowing capacity between the highest and lowest figures.

The 40 week example is a casual-teacher calculation, not a general rule for all casual workers.

Illustration only, based on $1,200 weekly pay. Expenses, debts, dependants, deposit and lender rules can change the result.

At $1,200 a week, the difference between 52 and 46 weeks is $7,200 of yearly income in the bank's calculation. The same weekly pay can produce a different assessed income figure at another lender.

School holidays can make a recent payslip a poor guide to your usual earnings. If you teach across several schools, explain whether the same education department pays you for all of them. The school names alone do not tell the bank how many employers you have.

Bring your prior full-year income statement alongside recent payslips and a record of the school terms you worked. I would compare the annual income with the term-time pattern, including unpaid holidays, before deciding which lender calculation fits.

Sometimes. Macquarie currently publishes a 6 month current-employment or same-field alternative. Suncorp can use 12 months in a similar role. ING publishes a 2 year similar-role alternative.

Other lenders focus more heavily on the current employer. Westpac and St George use 6 months with the same employer or agency. CBA's current casual rule requires earlier casual or temporary work and does not count earlier permanent work towards that alternative.

The job title alone is not enough. I would show the dates, employers, employment type, gaps and whether the day-to-day work stayed similar.

The income may still count, but the right lender can change. I compare the old and new roles, why you moved, the hourly rate, average hours and any gap between jobs.

A higher casual rate can mean more money in your account while a bank still asks you to build more casual history. Years in the industry help only where that bank's rule allows them to help. CBA, for example, does not count earlier permanent work towards its current casual-history alternative.

If the change is recent, the new job guide explains the employment transition separately.

I start with recent payslips, the year-to-date total, the previous financial year's final payslip or ATO income statement, the employment contract and a short work timeline. Together, they show whether the pay is a steady pattern or one unusually strong fortnight.

If the hours move around, I want to see the full run. One peak-season payslip can overstate the year. One quiet fortnight can understate it. A roster or employer letter can explain why the work is continuing, but it cannot promise approval.

Include the payslip breakdown showing ordinary pay, casual loading and any overtime or penalties. Ask us to check how each amount has been included rather than treating the total as guaranteed base pay.

Even with a long casual history, flag any recent change in hours, hourly rate or employer. The timeline and payslips help us check whether the earlier pattern still reflects what you earn now.

The year-to-date income calculator can turn the pay received so far into a yearly estimate. It cannot decide whether a lender will accept the income or how much history you need.

Potentially. I would map the start date, payslips and year-to-date pay for each job, then check how long you have worked both at the same time. The combined hours also need to look realistic.

Current lender examples include 60-hour combined caps at ING, ME Bank and Resimac and a 50-hour cap at People First. Other lenders focus on how long the second job has been running instead of setting an hours cap.

If either job is through an agency or ABN, we first need to work out how the lender will classify the income. The income and employment guide explains those wider income questions.

Not automatically. More cash can reduce the loan and may change mortgage-insurance questions. It does not create casual history or prove the income will continue.

If the lender needs 6 months in the job, a bigger deposit does not turn 4 months into 6. The better question is whether another lender has a casual-income rule that fits the history and evidence you already have.

If you are considering the 5% Deposit Scheme, ask us to check the scheme requirements and the lender's casual-income requirements separately. Bring the same employment timeline and income records; the deposit question does not replace the income question.

If you have only just started with a new employer, the probation guide explains how lenders treat a role you are still settling into.

Hunter Galloway Finance Pty Ltd is Credit Representative 476903, authorised under Australian Credit Licence 389328. General information only, not a credit assessment or promise of approval.

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