Situation
Self-employed or ABN holder
Sole trader, company director or trust beneficiary drawing income from your own business.
What changes for you
- Assessment runs off tax returns and BAS rather than payslips
- Add-backs can lift the assessed income, but only the ones a lender recognises
- Trading history length can rule whole lenders in or out before pricing is discussed
The one that derails this profile most often: Outstanding tax lodgements or an ATO payment arrangement. Fix these before an application, not during one.
Lanes that usually apply
Most likely first. Read the lane page before the first conversation, not after.
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.
What decides it ›Commercial and business lending
Borrowing secured by commercial property, or for the business itself, where the assessment is about the business rather than a household budget.
What decides it ›First home loan
Your first owner-occupied purchase, where deposit size and government schemes usually decide more than the headline rate.
What decides it ›Refinance
Moving an existing loan to a different lender or a different product, where the switching cost decides whether it was worth it.
What decides it ›Other situations
General information. How Australian lenders generally assess this profile. 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.