Banks see your tax return, not your business strength. We find lenders that assess self-employed income fairly — using add-backs, depreciation adjustments, and business cash flow to maximise your borrowing power.
Being self-employed is one of the most rewarding career paths — but when it comes to getting a home loan, it can feel like the system is stacked against you. Your income is real, your business is thriving, yet lenders seem to see a different picture.
The core issue is that lenders assess income based on tax returns — the very documents your accountant has worked hard to minimise. This creates a gap between what you actually earn and what lenders think you earn.
Self-employed borrowers face a fundamentally different assessment process that often works against them:
We specialise in self-employed lending. We know which lenders accept the most add-backs, which use the most recent year's income (not averaged), and which understand complex business structures. The difference in borrowing power between lenders can be $100,000+.
The difference in self-employed assessment between lenders can be dramatic:
| Assessment Factor | Self-Employed Friendly | Standard Assessment | Restrictive Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Calculation | ✓ Most recent year (if higher) | Average of 2 years | ✗ Lower of 2 years |
| Add-Backs | ✓ Depreciation + multiple add-backs | Depreciation only | ✗ No add-backs accepted |
| Company/Trust Income | ✓ Salary + dividends + retained profits | Salary + dividends only | ✗ Salary only |
| Income Trending Down | Accepts explanation (seasonal, one-off) | ✗ Uses lower year | ✗ May decline automatically |
| ABN Requirement | ✓ 1 year ABN with 2 years industry | 2 years ABN minimum | ✗ 2+ years ABN and financials |
| Turnaround Time | 2-3 weeks typical | 3-5 weeks | ✗ 4-8 weeks (complex assessment) |
No two self-employed borrowers are the same. Whether you're a sole trader, company director, or operating through a trust — we've helped clients in every business structure secure the right home loan.
Running your own business as a sole trader? We find lenders that assess your actual business income fairly, including legitimate add-backs that increase your borrowing power.
Taking a salary plus dividends from your company? Some lenders also include retained profits and director's loan accounts — dramatically increasing your assessed income.
Business structured as a partnership or discretionary trust? We navigate the complexity of trust distributions, beneficiary income, and partnership profit shares across different lenders.
Last year was better than the year before? Some lenders use your most recent (higher) year instead of averaging — meaning your growing business works FOR your application, not against it.
Use our quick borrowing power calculator to get an estimate based on your self-employed income — or speak to a broker for an accurate assessment with add-backs included.
Check Your Borrowing PowerWe review your business structure, income sources, financial statements, and tax returns to understand how different lenders will assess your situation.
We calculate your assessable income under different lenders' policies — identifying add-backs, depreciation adjustments, and income inclusions that maximise your borrowing power.
We select the lender whose self-employed policies produce the highest borrowing power for your specific income structure — the difference can be $100K+.
We prepare the application with a clear income summary, pre-addressed explanations for any complexities, and supporting documentation that makes the assessor's job easy.
Before your accountant prepares your next tax return, discuss your borrowing plans. Small changes in how expenses are claimed can significantly impact your assessable income for lending purposes.
Add-backs are legitimate business expenses (like depreciation) that lenders add back to your taxable income for assessment purposes. The more add-backs a lender accepts, the higher your borrowing power.
Mixing personal and business transactions makes lender assessment harder and can raise red flags. Clean, separate accounts demonstrate financial discipline and simplify the application.
If your most recent financial year was better, target lenders that use the latest year rather than averaging. This is one of the biggest differentiators between self-employed-friendly lenders.