How long has the ABN been active and registered for GST?

Most full-doc policies want two years of trading. Shorter histories push the file toward lenders with different evidence rules and different pricing.

Which income figure is being used?

Net profit, add-backs for depreciation and one-off expenses, and director wages are all different numbers. Which one a lender accepts changes the borrowing capacity substantially.

Are tax lodgements up to date?

Outstanding lodgements or an ATO payment plan is one of the most common reasons a self-employed application stalls before it starts.

Full doc, alt doc or low doc?

These are evidence tiers, not product names. Lower evidence usually means a higher rate and a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio.

Lane 4 of 7

Self-employed and low doc

Borrowing when your income comes from an ABN, a company, a trust or contract work, where proving income is the whole job.

You are in this lane if

You hold an ABN, run a company, or work through a trust
You are a contractor or on rolling short-term contracts
Your last two tax returns do not look like your current earnings

You are not, if

You are permanent PAYG with a side ABN that you do not need to rely on — leave it out and use the simpler lane

What actually decides the outcome

In order. Getting these settled first is the difference between a useful conversation and three weeks of email.

How long has the ABN been active and registered for GST? Most full-doc policies want two years of trading. Shorter histories push the file toward lenders with different evidence rules and different pricing.
Which income figure is being used? Net profit, add-backs for depreciation and one-off expenses, and director wages are all different numbers. Which one a lender accepts changes the borrowing capacity substantially.
Are tax lodgements up to date? Outstanding lodgements or an ATO payment plan is one of the most common reasons a self-employed application stalls before it starts.
Full doc, alt doc or low doc? These are evidence tiers, not product names. Lower evidence usually means a higher rate and a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio.

Have this ready

Assembled before you start, not chased afterwards.

Two years of business and personal tax returns with notices of assessment
Business activity statements for the last four to six quarters
Twelve months of business bank statements
An accountant's declaration if you are going down the alt-doc route
ABN and GST registration evidence

Where people get caught

Minimising taxable income for years, then trying to borrow against income you never declared.
Assuming "low doc" means no evidence. It means different evidence, and it is priced accordingly.
Leaving a director loan or a personal guarantee on a business facility out of the picture. It will surface in the credit check.

The official source

These set the rule. Anyone describing it to you — including this page — is a summary, and summaries go stale.

Structure of this page reviewed 17 August 2026. Follow the links for the current position.

How your income changes this lane

Self-employed or ABN holder Outstanding tax lodgements or an ATO payment arrangement. Fix these before an application, not during one. Contractor or casual worker Gaps between contracts that look like unemployment on a bank statement. Be ready to explain them in writing. Business owner with entities Cross-guarantees between entities. One weak entity can hold up the whole application.

Not your lane after all?

First home loan Refinance Investment property loan Commercial and business lending Car and personal loans Bridging finance

Run the three questions again

General information. General information about how Australian lending is organised. Rules, thresholds and eligibility are set by government agencies and change; each lane links to the source so you can check the current position. It does not take your own circumstances into account.