Can I get a home loan if…?
Almost every home loan question that actually matters is a policy question, not a rate question. Each answer below is the real lender position — what is accepted, by roughly how many lenders, on what evidence, and what changes the outcome. No approval promises, and no credit enquiry needed to find out.
Can I get a home loan on casual income?
Yes. Most Australian lenders accept casual income once you have been in the same job for 6 to 12 months, and a handful accept 3 months where the work is in the same industry. Lenders annualise your year-to-date earnings rather than using your best week, and some shade casual income to 80–90% of that figure.
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Can I get a home loan with HECS debt?
Yes. HECS-HELP debt does not appear on your credit file and does not stop a home loan. Lenders instead deduct your compulsory repayment — between 1% and 10% of income depending on your salary — from your assessable surplus, which typically reduces borrowing capacity by roughly $8,000 to $12,000 for every $1,000 of annual HECS repayment.
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Can I get a home loan with a 1-year ABN?
Yes. While most major banks want two years of self-employed history, a number of lenders accept one full financial year — using a single tax return, or business bank statements and an accountant's declaration under alt-doc policy. Rates on one-year full-doc are usually standard; alt-doc typically carries a margin of around 0.30% to 1.00%.
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Can I get a home loan while on probation?
Yes. Being on probation does not automatically disqualify you. Many lenders will accept a permanent PAYG role during probation provided you have continuous prior employment in the same industry, and some require only one payslip. Others want probation completed, so lender selection is the whole game here.
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Can I get a home loan on maternity leave?
Yes. Australian lenders can assess your pre-leave or return-to-work income while you are on parental leave, provided you have a confirmed return date and an employer letter stating the hours and salary you will return to. If you are returning part time, the lower income is used, along with childcare costs as an expense.
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Can I get a home loan with a default?
Yes. A default does not permanently exclude you. Some mainstream lenders accept small paid defaults — often telco or utility debts under about $1,000 — while specialist and non-bank lenders assess unpaid or larger defaults on a case-by-case basis, generally at a higher rate and a lower LVR, with a refinance back to prime later.
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Can I get a home loan if I use Afterpay or buy now pay later?
Yes. Using Afterpay, Zip or similar does not disqualify you, but lenders see it in your bank statements and treat active accounts as a commitment. Frequent use, or any missed or dishonoured instalment, is read as cash-flow stress. Closing the accounts and having no activity for three months is the cleanest position before applying.
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Can I get a home loan with a car loan or personal loan?
Yes. Car and personal loans reduce your borrowing capacity rather than block approval. As a rule of thumb, every $100 a month of repayments reduces what you can borrow by roughly $15,000 to $18,000. Paying a small loan out before applying often buys back more capacity than the cash it costs you.
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Can I use bonus or commission income for a home loan?
Yes. Lenders generally accept bonus and commission income where there is a consistent history — usually two years, sometimes one. Most count 80% of the lower of the last two years or an average, while some count 100% for structured commission roles. That shading difference can move your capacity by well over $100,000.
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Can I get a home loan on one income with children?
Yes. Lenders assess a single-income household with dependants against the Household Expenditure Measure, adding a set living-cost allowance for each child — commonly several hundred dollars a month each. Some lenders count Family Tax Benefit and child support as income, which can materially change the outcome for the same household.
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Can I get a home loan on a 482 or temporary visa?
Yes. Temporary residents on skilled visas such as the 482 can borrow in Australia, usually to 80% LVR and in some cases 90%. Foreign Investment Review Board approval is required unless an exemption applies, and lenders assess Australian income only. Interest rates are typically standard, not loaded, at lenders with genuine temporary-resident policy.
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Can I get a home loan after being declined?
Yes. A decline is not recorded on your credit file — only the credit enquiry is. Because policy differs between lenders, a file declined by one lender is often approved by another without any change. What does damage your position is repeated applications: multiple enquiries in a short period is itself a reason for the next lender to decline.
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