How long do I need to be self-employed to get a loan?

Most lenders want around two years of self-employment with matching tax returns. Some consider one year, or less in certain cases, especially if you were previously employed in the same industry.

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For business owners & the self-employed

Self-employed
home loans.

Q: What is a low-doc or alt-doc loan?

A path for borrowers who can't provide full tax returns. Income can be evidenced through BAS, bank statements, or an accountant's declaration. Rates and deposit requirements can differ from a full-doc loan.

Q: What are add-backs?

Add-backs are items subtracted from business profit for tax that a lender may add back when assessing income — such as depreciation, additional superannuation, one-off expenses, or interest — lifting assessable income above taxable income.

Running your own business shouldn't shut you out of a competitive loan. The catch is how lenders read your income — and that's exactly where the right structuring, and the right lender, makes all the difference.

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Income snapshot

What a lender may actually assess.

Net business profit$120,000

Add-backs$35,000

Depreciation, additional super, one-off costs, interest a lender may add back.

Income lenders may assess

$155,000

often higher than your taxable income

Illustrative only. Which add-backs a lender accepts varies widely. A broker confirms what each lender will actually count.

The real issue

Why self-employed lending is different.

A PAYG employee hands over two payslips and the income question is settled. When you work for yourself, your income is woven through tax returns, business financials, BAS and add-backs — and a good accountant's job is to make that figure look small at tax time.

That creates a gap. The income you genuinely earn and the taxable income on your return can be very different numbers. Lenders that don't understand your structure read the smaller figure and either decline you or lend far less than you can actually service.

The fix isn't a worse loan — it's the right lender, with a policy that recognises add-backs and your business structure, presented properly. That's the whole game for self-employed finance.

The evidence

What lenders look for.

You won't always need all of this. The right combination depends on your structure and the lender — which is what a broker matches up before you apply.

01

Two years' tax returns

Personal and business returns, plus your ATO Notices of Assessment, are the standard evidence of income for a full-doc loan.

02

Business financials & BAS

Profit-and-loss statements and recent Business Activity Statements help a lender see current trading, not just last year's return.

03

Add-backs

Non-cash or one-off items — depreciation, extra super, interest, a one-time expense — can be added back to lift your assessable income.

04

Accountant's declaration

For some lower-doc paths, a letter from your accountant confirming income can stand in for a full set of returns.

Who we help

Complex structures are the everyday.

If your finances don't fit a single payslip, you're in the right place. We regularly structure finance for:

Self-employed borrowers & sole traders

Company directors

Trusts and SMSFs

Commercial property investors

Business owners needing working capital

Refinancing existing business or commercial debt

Real client story

Declined by several lenders — warehouse secured anyway.

A business owner wanted to buy a commercial warehouse while keeping enough cash in reserve to keep growing the business. Because their income ran through a more complex structure than a standard PAYG borrower, several lenders simply declined the application.

We worked with a lender whose policy actually fit the situation, structuring the finance around the company's financials rather than a single tax figure. The loan was approved, and the client kept the working capital they needed to keep operating.

Complex lending isn't an exception for us — it's the everyday. The difference is matching the borrower to the lender who understands their structure, before the application is ever submitted.

The above example is based on a real client scenario. Every application is subject to individual circumstances and lender approval. This is general information and is not financial, tax or credit advice — seek advice suited to your own situation before proceeding.

Keep readingRefinancing your home loan — is it worth it?

Self-employed FAQs

Questions, answered.

Most lenders want to see around two years of self-employment with tax returns to match. Some will consider one year, or less in certain cases, especially if you were previously employed in the same industry. A broker knows which lenders are flexible here.

It's a path for borrowers who can't provide a full set of tax returns. Instead, income can be evidenced through BAS, bank statements, or an accountant's declaration. Rates and deposit requirements can differ, so it's worth comparing against a full-doc option.

Add-backs are items subtracted from your business profit for tax that a lender may add back when assessing income — such as depreciation, additional superannuation, one-off expenses, or interest. They can lift your assessable income meaningfully above your taxable income.

Yes. Lending to companies, trusts and self-managed super funds is common, though policies and documentation differ by lender and structure. This is exactly the kind of complexity a broker handles day to day.

Not necessarily. With full documentation, self-employed borrowers can often access the same rates as PAYG applicants. Higher rates tend to apply only on certain low-doc products — and a broker can tell you whether you qualify for a standard loan instead.

Been told no before?
Let's look again.

Tell a licensed broker about your business and structure. We'll tell you which lenders are likely to say yes. No phone number, no obligation.

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Self-employedhome loans.