Self-Employed Home Loans Australia: The Complete 2026 Guide

Two banks can look at the same business accounts and give you very different borrowing limits. Which income they count can make a big difference.

Some lenders can use 1 year of financials. Others can work from regular company wages or your personal tax assessments. The right option depends on your business history, deposit and the income you need the bank to count.

A self-employed home loan is usually an ordinary home loan with different income checks. Sole traders, freelancers, partners and people earning income from their own company or trust may all be assessed as self-employed.

The bank needs a reliable income figure after business costs. Turnover is not the same as profit, and the money in your business account is not automatically available for your mortgage. Your living costs, personal debts and business commitments still matter.

Say your business made $100k in the earlier year and $150k in the latest year. That is a strong improvement, but it does not mean every lender starts with $150k.

A lender using the latest year may give a growing business a better result than one averaging in a quieter year. If income has fallen, expect questions about why and whether the lower result is continuing. The latest figures need to be sustainable, not just the best year on paper.

You do not always need to wait 2 years. But 1 year of financials and 1 year in business are different things. A lender might accept your latest completed tax return while still requiring an ABN that has been active for 18 months or longer.

An ABN is your Australian Business Number. Companies also have an Australian Company Number, or ACN. Lenders check when you started trading, who owns the business and whether the income comes from the same activity.

Loan-to-value ratio, or LVR, is the loan as a share of the bank’s property valuation. An 80% LVR usually means a 20% deposit or equivalent equity, plus purchase costs.

ANZ’s 18-month requirement can apply across different business structures, not just sole traders. Its public guidance still asks for 2 years where the income is director’s fees or company dividends. The type of income matters as well as the ABN date.

There is no single best bank for self-employed home loans. We compare which income each lender will accept, then check the rate, fees, deposit and documents. A shorter document list can be helpful, but not if it leaves you short of the amount you need.

Westpac and St George Fast Track can verify self-employed income using your latest 2 personal ATO Notices of Assessment, often shortened to NOAs. These are the tax assessments you receive after lodging your returns.

It averages the taxable income across those 2 years. If the figures are $90k and $140k, the average is $115k. If your business has grown, another assessment method may count more income even though it needs more documents.

You cannot add business profits and expenses back on top of that NOA-only figure. Other application checks still apply, including the lender’s credit assessment. If you need retained profit or add-backs, we compare the fuller assessment instead.

Macquarie’s professional option can suit eligible accountants, actuaries, lawyers, medical professionals, engineers, vets, architects, pharmacists, psychologists, podiatrists and optometrists. You need the relevant qualification or registration, such as CA/CPA membership, a practising certificate or professional registration.

It requires at least 12 months of trading and income evidence and caps borrowing at 80% LVR. Depending on the option, the latest personal tax return and NOA may be enough to verify eligible income from the current business.

You must borrow in your own name, not a company or trust name. Income you draw from a company or trust can still be considered. That distinction matters before you choose how to own the property.

If your latest return is finished but has not been lodged, Macquarie may consider a draft under this professional option. Your accountant needs to confirm it will be unchanged when lodged. The same profession, trading-history, income-history and 80% LVR requirements still apply.

Your accountant works out your taxable profit. Some expenses, such as depreciation, reduce that profit without the same amount leaving your account that year. A lender may add an expense back to profit when working out the income available for repayments. This is called an add-back.

The rules vary between lenders. We'll check what the expense was and whether there's still a loan repayment or another commitment to allow for.

Motor vehicle expenses are not one automatic add-back. The lender may separate depreciation, interest and a supported private-use component rather than adding the whole amount to profit.

Sometimes. The lender checks your ownership, control of the funds, business liabilities and what the business needs to keep operating. Retained profit is different from an expense add-back.

If you own only part of a business, the bank may need evidence of the income actually paid to you. We trace the money through the company or trust so wages, distributions and profit are not counted twice.

If you pay yourself a steady wage, the bank may be able to assess that income without rebuilding every part of the business profit. This is most useful when the wage covers the home loan on its own and the company can keep paying it.

ANZ has a streamlined option for eligible directors and shareholders paid a regular company wage for at least 6 months. Its published requirements include 18 months ABN/ACN registration, a recent payslip and an ATO income statement covering the salary history.

CBA calls its option Simple Verification. Its public guidance asks for 6 months of salary credits. If you don't have those, the listed alternatives include:

• Your latest personal tax return and Notice of Assessment, the tax assessment the ATO sends after you lodge.
• A payslip showing more than 6 months of income so far in the financial year.
• A payslip covering less than 6 months, supported by the required earlier income records.

We'll check which documents fit your situation. The business still needs to have made a profit in each of the last 2 years. If the financial records aren't available, an accountant's letter can confirm that history and sufficient profits to meet business commitments.

That does not mean you can add retained profit or business add-backs to a wages-only assessment. If you need those amounts, we compare an assessment that includes your business profit. ME Bank and other lenders also have company-wage options with their own conditions.

We’ll check what the lender needs before you ask your accountant to prepare a letter or extra financial statements. Start with the documents that show the income you want to use.

You will also need identification, your deposit or equity details, living costs and information about existing loans and credit cards. Read our guide to bank statements for a home loan. If tax debt is part of the picture, see home loans with ATO tax debt.

Not always. A new ABN or company registration can make an established business look young, but some lenders can consider its earlier history where the business has genuinely continued.

We need to connect the old and new entities: the owner, work, clients, trading dates and financial records. A new industry, different ownership or a long trading gap makes that harder.

If you leave employment to start contracting, the work may be familiar but the income evidence changes. Old payslips help show your experience; they do not automatically prove what your new business can afford to pay you.

Before resigning, restructuring or changing ownership, speak with your accountant and broker about the timing. Tell the lender about any planned change before settlement. Our contractor income guide explains the difference between a salary, day-rate contract and ABN income.

For an electrician, carpenter, plumber or other tradie, the headline profit can hide costs that still affect the home loan. Tools and vehicle repayments continue even when depreciation is added back. A large job paid in one quarter does not automatically become a full year of income.

We connect the trade history, identify the debts inside the business and check completed figures against current work. Keep details of equipment finance, leases and any tax payment arrangement with your financials.

If your tax returns are not ready or standard bank requirements do not fit, a low-doc or alt-doc loan may be an option. “Low doc” means different income evidence, not no income checks.

Pepper Money and Resimac publish alternative-document options using evidence such as BAS, business bank statements or accountant verification. Brighten also offers eligible borrowers 1-year financials and alternative-document options.

Compare the full cost. A low-doc loan can have a higher rate, different fees or a larger deposit requirement. It is worth checking whether waiting for a completed return would open a cheaper option before committing.

Possibly, but a future refinance needs a fresh approval. We work out what would have to improve: completed returns, a longer trading history, stronger income, more equity or a stronger record of making repayments on time.

Then compare the cost of the low-doc loan over that period with waiting to buy. Do not rely on a promised refinance in 12 months or assume rising property prices will supply the deposit. Keep the loan affordable if the switch takes longer.

Read the low-doc home loan guide for evidence options and how home loan refinancing works for the process and costs.

A 20% deposit or equivalent equity opens many of the simpler self-employed assessment options. You also need to allow for purchase costs. It is not a universal minimum: some lenders accept smaller deposits where the income and application fit.

Borrowing above 80% of the property value can involve lenders mortgage insurance (LMI). A low deposit, shorter trading history and alternative documents together can narrow the choice further.

A family guarantee may help with the deposit or security requirement, but it does not automatically increase the income the bank accepts. You still need to show you can repay the loan. See guarantor home loans for the responsibilities and risks.

Being self-employed does not automatically rule out a professional LMI waiver. Eligible accountants, lawyers and medical professionals may be able to buy with a smaller deposit without paying LMI. The profession, registration, income, loan purpose and bank all matter.

Accountants and lawyers may have options around 90% LVR. Some eligible doctors, dentists and specialists can reach 95% with lenders such as ANZ, Westpac and St George. Do not assume every allied-health profession gets the same limit.

Income thresholds differ too. For example, Westpac and St George require $120k for eligible accountants and lawyers, and $90k for some eligible health professionals. CBA’s accounting and legal offer requires $100k per eligible applicant. Other offers have no stated profession-specific income floor, but the borrower must still qualify for the repayments.

Start with our LMI waiver guide, or see the specific guides for accountants, lawyers and doctors. Our NAB and CBA reviews explain more of their profession-specific limits and costs.

A calculator that asks for one income figure cannot decide which year the bank will use, whether it accepts company profit or what it will add back. Entering turnover or the wrong profit figure can make the result misleading.

Have the income and borrowing figure checked before you sign a contract. A lower estimate is frustrating, but finding the gap before you commit gives you time to change the plan.

Tell us how long you have traded, your business structure, what changed recently and what you want to borrow. We can compare the options using your latest financial year, company wages or business profit before deciding what to submit.

We will also check the deposit, business debts and documents needed. If waiting for the next return would materially improve the result, we can compare that with applying now. You can call 1300 088 065 or use the free assessment button above.