11/07/2026
A home loan application is rarely as simple as, “This is what I earn.”
The real question is: How much of that income will the lender actually use?
One lender may accept overtime based on the last six months. Another may want two years of history. Some will use bonuses, commissions, allowances, casual income, rental income or Centrelink payments differently. Self-employed income can be assessed from tax returns, business financials, BAS, bank statements or an accountant’s letter, depending on the lender and the loan.
Then there are the expenses.
A credit card with a $20,000 limit can reduce your borrowing power, even when the balance is sitting at zero. The lender assesses the potential debt attached to the limit, not just what you owe today. Buy now, pay later accounts, personal loans, HECS, car loans and unused store cards can all affect servicing too.
This is where planning matters.
You are not expected to know which lender will use your overtime, accept your business income, treat your debts more favourably or calculate your living expenses differently. That is our job.
We live and breathe lender policy. We compare more than 40 lenders, work through the numbers before submitting anything and help position your application with the lender that best suits your actual situation.
Sometimes the answer is to apply now. Sometimes it is to lower a credit card limit, clean up an account, wait for another payslip or structure the loan differently.
The right preparation can make a very big difference to the answer you receive.
So please do not feel like you need to become a part-time mortgage expert before speaking to us. Bring us the full story, receipts and all. We will help make sense of it and map out the next step with you.
Reach out to book in a strategy session: https://calendly.com/elisejeanlouis/chat
