Best lenders for casual, contract and overtime income

How different income types get shaded

• Casual: commonly 100% of a year-to-date annualised figure once you've been with the employer 6–12 months. Some lenders accept three months in the same industry.
• Overtime: 80% is typical; several lenders count 100% for essential services (nursing, police, fire, ambulance) and for stable rostered overtime.
• Shift allowances and penalties: usually treated the same as overtime, sometimes better where they're contractual.
• Commission and bonus: averaged over one or two years, shaded 80–100% depending on consistency.
• Fixed-term contract: full income if the contract has been renewed at least once, or where there's an industry norm of renewal.

Why the YTD calculation is where money is won and lost

Lenders annualise year-to-date earnings, but they don't all do it the same way. Dividing by weeks worked rather than weeks elapsed, or using a 48-week casual equivalent rather than 52, changes the answer materially — especially for casual staff who took unpaid leave.

Our income annualisation calculator runs the same maths lenders use so you can see the number before an assessor does.

What to have ready

• Two recent payslips showing year-to-date figures, plus last year's PAYG summary or income statement.
• An employment letter confirming your status and average hours, if hours vary.
• Evidence of continuous employment where you've changed employers within the same industry.

A note on rates

Rates and policies change constantly, and every lender prices to its own funding costs and risk appetite. Nothing on this page is a rate quote — it's a guide to how these lender types differ so you know where to look.