Can your job get LMI waived?
Your title only opens the door. The lender still checks your registration, income, employment type, loan purpose, property and proposed loan amount.
Lenders mortgage insurance protects the lender if the home is sold and the sale does not clear the outstanding loan. You usually pay the premium when the lender treats the loan as higher risk, often above 80% LVR. It does not protect you if you cannot make the repayments.
What the waiver changes
The lender agrees not to charge the LMI premium even though your deposit is below its usual threshold. You still need approval, and a smaller deposit leaves less equity between the loan and the property value.
Above 80%
This is where LMI normally becomes relevant.
89.99% to 90%
Many profession and employer options sit in this range.
Up to 95%
Reserved for selected medical, dental and veterinary pathways.
What changes on a $900,000 property?
A 90% loan changes the property-price contribution from $180,000 to $90,000 compared with an 80% loan.
20% price contribution
$180,000
10% price contribution
$90,000
Difference retained
$90,000
Property-price contribution only. Buying costs, the lender valuation, cash buffer, loan limits and the full assessment can change the amount you need.
Check your deposit and loan amount
Choose your profession and employment type, then enter the property price and the amount you plan to borrow. For example, enter 900000 and 810000 for a $900k home with a $90k deposit. The result shows how much of the price you would borrow and what to check for your role.
Your proposed loan
Search your profession or employer category
Type your job title or employer category, or choose a group. Similar roles stay separate because lenders do not always treat them the same way.
27 of 27 options
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Profession or employer | What the comparison shows | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Medical, dental and veterinary | ||
| Doctors and medical specialists | Several options reach about 90% to 95%, depending on specialty, purpose and property. | AHPRA registration, specialty, debt compared with income, repayment type, construction and postcode restrictions. |
| Psychiatrists | Psychiatrists sit with medical specialists rather than the narrower psychology list. | Specialist AHPRA registration, purpose, loan size, debt compared with income and product rules. |
| Dentists | Several options reach about 90% to 95%. A lender that accepts doctors may still exclude dentists. | Registration division, purpose, property value, loan cap and aggregate exposure. |
| Veterinarians | Several lender options reach around 89.99% to 95%. | Veterinary-board registration, owner-occupied or investment use and the current lender limit. |
| Health professions | ||
| Registered nurses | Some options reach 90%. The answer can change with employment type and income. | Registration, direct employment, income floor, loan cap and casual or probationary work. |
| Midwives | One current option reaches 90%. Do not assume every nurse option includes midwives. | Registration, combined income, employment type and exact lender list. |
| Physiotherapists | Several options reach 90% to 95%, while other lenders expressly exclude the profession. | AHPRA registration, primary income source, purpose and maximum loan. |
| Chiropractors | Several lists include chiropractors around 90% to 95%, while other lenders do not. | AHPRA registration, income source, property purpose and current eligible list. |
| Optometrists | Several options reach about 89.99% to 95%. | AHPRA registration, income, purpose and lender exposure. |
| Pharmacists | Several options reach about 89.99% to 95%, but another major lender excludes pharmacists. | AHPRA registration, profession income, purpose and current eligible list. |
| Psychologists | One current option reaches 90%. Several other profession lists exclude psychologists. | AHPRA registration, income threshold, property purpose and exact wording. |
| Occupational therapists | One current option reaches 90%. A physiotherapist option does not automatically include occupational therapists. | AHPRA registration, income threshold, property purpose and exact wording. |
| Podiatrists | More than one option is available around 89.99% to 90%. | AHPRA registration, income, purpose and the selected lender’s exact list. |
| Radiographers | One current option reaches 90%. | Registration or recognised qualification, income threshold and exact wording. |
| Sonographers | One current option reaches 90%. | Recognised qualification, income threshold and exact wording. |
| Speech pathologists | One current option reaches 90%. | Recognised qualification, income threshold and exact wording. |
| Audiologists | One current option reaches 90%. | Recognised qualification, income threshold and exact wording. |
| Osteopaths | One current option reaches 90%. | AHPRA registration, income threshold and exact wording. |
| Legal and finance | ||
| Lawyers | Several options sit around 89.99% to 90%. | Current Australian practising certificate, profession income and lender limit. |
| Accountants, actuaries and financial analysts | Several options sit around 89.99% to 90%. | Exact designation and membership, job title and income from the eligible profession. |
| Essential services | ||
| Police officers | One essential-services option reaches 90%, capped at $1.2 million per property. | Sworn status, residency, primary income, employment type and the $80,000 single or $150,000 joint income test. |
| Paramedics | One essential-services option reaches 90%, capped at $1.2 million per property. | Fully qualified status, residency, primary income, employment type and the $80,000 single or $150,000 joint income test. |
| Firefighters | Compare general no LMI loans and the government scheme. Some emergency services offers have location restrictions. | Paid or volunteer role, employment type, overtime, allowances and where you plan to buy. |
| Employer-based options | ||
| Banking professionals | Two options cover direct employees of listed banks and eligible subsidiaries. The employer and work history rules differ. | Check your employer, employment type and time in the role. One option can count 24 months of earlier Australian banking experience; the other needs 6 months with your current employer. Account requirements also differ. |
| Employees of listed technology companies | One option covers direct PAYG employees of 9 named technology companies. | Legal employer, direct PAYG status and at least 6 months of continuous employment. |
| Eligible Federal Government employees | One option covers direct employees of named Federal departments at APS6, EL1, EL2 or SES level. | Department, employment band and direct PAYG status. State departments and some agencies are outside the list. |
| Other low-deposit options | ||
| My job is not listed | You may still have a general 90% no-LMI option or qualify for the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme. | Deposit, scheme eligibility, income, loan purpose and property. |
This is a starting comparison. The lender still checks the full application and the property.
When your employer matters more than your job title
Some waivers use a closed employer list. Working in banking, technology or government is not enough on its own.
Two options cover employees of listed banks. One can count earlier banking experience; the other needs 6 months with your current employer. Account requirements also differ.
One option covers direct PAYG employees of 9 named companies after at least 6 months. Contractors can miss the rule.
One option covers named ministerial departments at APS6, EL1, EL2 or SES level. State departments and some agencies are outside the list.
What can stop the waiver after your job qualifies?
A matching profession is only one part of the policy.
- Loan purposeConstruction, land, bridging, refinance and investment can be treated differently.
- EmploymentDirect PAYG, fixed-term, casual, probation, agency and contractor work are not interchangeable.
- QualificationRegistration, practising certificates and professional memberships must match the exact lender list.
- Income thresholdSome offers require a minimum from the qualifying work rather than total household income.
- Property and valuationThe waiver does not override postcode, property-type or lender-valuation rules.
- Product and loan capRepayment type, package, maximum loan and total exposure conditions can apply.
If your job is not listed
Your occupation does not always need to appear on a professional-waiver list. Compare the waiver with the other ways to buy without a 20% deposit.
General 90% no-LMI option One current general product is not tied to a profession. The lender and full conditions still need checking.
Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme May work for eligible buyers under the buyer, occupancy, price-cap and participating-lender rules.
Family-guarantee loan Family equity can reduce or avoid LMI, but creates real obligations and needs a release plan.
Standard loan with LMI Paying LMI can be sensible if it opens a better lender or lets you buy sooner with a sensible cash buffer.
Use the LMI calculator for an estimate and the LVR calculator for the proposed loan percentage. Our LMI guide explains who the insurance protects.
Related guides
Common LMI-waiver questions
The questions that most often change the shortlist.
Experience and sources
How this guide was checked
Public lender pages do not always show the complete profession or employer policy. A broker checks the current policy against your exact role and proposed loan before recommending an application.
Nathan Vecchio is a director and mortgage broker at Hunter Galloway. He helps buyers compare deposit options and lenders, alongside his work with refinancing and investment loans.
Sources
Policy information in this comparison is dated 5 August 2026. Confirm the current criteria before applying.
Do we get paid more to recommend a waiver lender?
Hunter Galloway is independently owned and is not connected to any lender. Most major lenders we use pay broadly similar commissions, and we disclose the amount before you proceed.
We compare more than 30 lenders and must act in your best interests. Read how we review lenders.
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Let us check the rule for your exact job
Share your occupation, legal employer, employment type, income, property value and proposed loan. We’ll compare the waiver with other low-deposit options before you apply.
- 1Share your scenario
Tell us your job, employment arrangement and proposed loan.
- 2Compare the options
We check lender policy and explain the next step.