Add-Backs Done Properly
Depreciation, one-offs, extra super, interest being refinanced.
Services / Self-Employed Home Loans
Self-Employed Home Loans.
For people whose income does not arrive on a payslip. Here is exactly what happens, what it is worth, and what it costs.
Who this is for
People who work for themselves, and have been made to feel like a problem.
Sole traders, partnerships, company and trust structures, contractors, and anyone whose income arrives in a shape a call centre cannot read off a payslip.
Self-employed home lending is not harder. It is assessed differently, and the difference between lenders is enormous. One will average your last two years. Another will use the most recent year. Another will accept an accountant's declaration. The same person can be knocked back by one lender and comfortably approved by another in the same week.
Company & Trust Structures
Retained profits, distributions and director loans, read correctly.
A Thin Year on Paper
Lenders differ sharply on how they weigh a weaker year.
Contractors & Sole Traders
Including shorter trading histories and single-client income.
Phase 1
The complimentary strategic assessment.
Five stages of specialist work, done before you have paid anything and before anyone has touched your credit file.
We sit down and talk about how you actually earn
A conversation about the business, how it is structured, how the money comes out of it, what you are trying to buy or refinance, and your timing.
What this means for you: nobody is going to ask you to explain a trust distribution to someone reading from a script. This is a conversation with someone who assessed these applications from the other side of the desk for 24 years.
I collect and organise your numbers
Two years of personal and business tax returns, financials, ATO integrated client account, recent BAS, and the structure documents for any company or trust. I tell you exactly what is needed and chase what is missing.
What this means for you: self-employed applications get declined for missing documents more often than for genuine capacity problems. You gather it once, in the right shape.
I rebuild your income the way a lender should read it
Income normalisation and add-backs. Depreciation, one-off expenses, additional superannuation, interest on debt being refinanced, company profits retained, trust distributions and director loans, all worked through against the specific policy of each lender, because they do not agree with each other.
What this means for you: this is the whole ball game. The same tax return can produce two very different assessable incomes depending on who reads it and how. This step is why a self-employed application succeeds or fails, and it is the step almost nobody does properly.
I pre-assess and structure the loan
Borrowing capacity, deposit and lending ratio position, loan structure, features, offset and split arrangements, and how the property should be held, pre-assessed against actual lender credit policy.
What this means for you: you find out what you can genuinely do before you go to an auction or sign a contract, rather than after.
I test your position against lender credit policy
I take your normalised position and test it against current policy and appetite across my panel of home loan lenders. Self-employed policy is where lenders differ most, and it changes constantly.
What this means for you: you get an indicative outcome, given before you have spent a dollar and before anyone has touched your credit file.
You choose to continue from here.
Everything to this point has cost you nothing, and you leave knowing where you stand: an indicative outcome, in plain language, based on your actual numbers.
When you are ready to move, Phase 2 is where I go to work for you.
Phase 2
Formal engagement.
A one off engagement fee of $770 including GST applies, payable when you engage me to act for you. $250 of it comes back to you as a gift card after settlement.
I gather what is left and deal with your accountant
The remaining information, plus direct liaison with your accountant where a declaration, a letter or a clarification of the financials is needed.
What this means for you: your accountant hears the request in the language the lender used, from someone who knows what will satisfy it. That usually takes one round instead of three.
I prepare and lodge the application
A complete application package with a written explanation of your income, your structure and your business, so the assessor is not left to interpret the financials alone.
What this means for you: a self-employed file that arrives explained gets assessed. One that arrives as raw attachments gets queried, and every query costs days.
I manage the assessment, the valuation and the conditions
Managing the file through assessment, ordering and managing the valuation, and working through every condition and query to formal approval.
What this means for you: you are not the one chasing it. You get told where it is, and you hear about a problem from me before it becomes one.
I take it from approval to settlement
Loan documentation, signing, coordination with your solicitor or conveyancer and the lender, and settlement.
What this means for you: the stretch between approval and settlement is where the anxiety lives, particularly with a contract date attached. Someone owns it, and it is not you.
I check it again every year
An annual review of your rate and structure against what is currently available, and a conversation about whether anything should change.
What this means for you: lenders price new business better than existing business and rely on you not noticing. This is the step that stops that happening quietly.
What it all adds up to
Twenty-five hours of specialist work.
| Inclusions | Typical hours | Value | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery conversation | 2 | $500 | $0 |
| Financial and structure document collection | 2 | $500 | $0 |
| Income normalisation and add-backs | 3 | $750 | $0 |
| Credit structuring and pre-assessment | 2 | $500 | $0 |
| Testing your position against lender credit policy | 2 | $500 | $0 |
| Phase 1 subtotal | 11 | $2,750 | $0 |
| You choose to continue from here | |||
| Remaining information and accountant liaison | 2 | $500 | $0 |
| Application preparation and lodgement | 4 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Assessment, valuation and condition management | 4 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Approval to settlement | 3 | $750 | $0 |
| Annual rate and structure review | 1 | $250 | $0 |
| Phase 2 subtotal | 14 | $3,500 | $770 inc GST |
| Total | 25 | $6,250 | $770 inc GST |
Values reflect typical market rates for comparable specialist advisory and structuring work, calculated at $250 per hour. They are not fees charged to you.
Hours are typical, not fixed. Some engagements run under and some run well over, depending on your circumstances and how the information arrives. The fee does not change either way.
What you pay
One fee, and a quarter of it comes back.
The upfront fee covers the income normalisation work, which is the part that decides whether a self-employed application succeeds. $250 of it comes back to you as a gift card once your loan settles.
No ongoing fees. The annual rate and structure review is included for as long as you have the loan, so loyalty pricing does not quietly go unchecked.
Self-employed home loans
$770 inc GST
Upfront$770 inc GST
Gift card after settlement$250
Net cost to you$520
Net if you claim the GST$450
After settlement, I am paid a commission by your lender, not by you. No ongoing fees, and the annual review is included.
The fee covers credit assistance and structuring. It does not guarantee that a lender will approve your application. The gift card is provided on successful settlement.
Book a Time with AdrianIn depth
Specialist topics we cover.
Hover or tap a card to read more.
Add-Backs & Normalisation
Hover / tap to learn moreDepreciation, one-off expenses, additional superannuation and interest on debt being refinanced. The same tax return can produce two very different assessable incomes.
Book a time →Company & Trust Structures
Hover / tap to learn moreRetained profits, trust distributions and director loans, read the way each lender reads them. Policies differ sharply and that difference is usually where the answer is.
Book a time →A Thin Year on Paper
Hover / tap to learn moreLenders differ on how many years of returns they want and how much weight a weaker year carries against stronger ones. One bank is one opinion, not the market.
Book a time →Contractors & Sole Traders
Hover / tap to learn moreShorter trading histories, single-client income and ABN age all get treated differently across the panel. Worth checking before you assume the answer is no.
Book a time →Buying With a Partner on PAYG
Hover / tap to learn moreMixed income households are common and assessed on their own terms. The structure should suit both sides of the ledger.
Book a time →Your Credit File Stays Clean
Hover / tap to learn moreYour position is assessed against lender policy first. An enquiry only happens when you decide to apply, which is how you avoid damaging your own application.
Book a time →Common questions
Before you book.
Does the assessment cost me anything?
No. Everything up to and including the indicative outcome is complimentary. If you decide to proceed, a one-off engagement fee of $770 including GST applies, and $250 comes back to you as a gift card once your loan settles. Net cost $520, or $450 once you claim the GST. After settlement, I am paid a commission by your lender, not by you.
My last financial year was a bad one. Is it worth talking?
Often yes. Lenders differ considerably in how many years of returns they want and how they treat a weaker year alongside stronger ones. One bank looking at one set of figures gives you one answer, and it is not always the answer the market would give.
My accountant has minimised my tax. Does that ruin my borrowing capacity?
It is the single most common issue, and it is what add-backs exist to address. Depreciation, one-off expenses, additional superannuation and interest on debt being refinanced can often be added back, and lenders differ on which ones they accept.
How long do I need to have been self-employed?
It varies by lender, and by more than most people expect. Some want two full financial years, some will look at one, and a few will consider a shorter history where the industry experience is there. That is exactly what the policy testing step is for.
Will this affect my credit file?
No. Talking to me and having your position assessed does not touch your credit file. A credit enquiry is only lodged when you decide to submit an actual application, and I ask you before that happens.
My books are a mess. Is that a problem?
I have heard that a hundred times and it is rarely as bad as people think. Business financials look untidy to their owners and perfectly normal to someone who reads them for a living. Bring what you have and we will work out what is missing.
What if I change my mind after engaging you?
The engagement fee is retained once work has commenced, because the work has been done. That is why everything up to the indicative outcome is complimentary: you can see where you stand and walk away at no cost, before any of it applies.
Do you work outside the Sunraysia region?
Yes. I am based in Mildura, Victoria and meet clients across the surrounding region. Clients further afield are looked after by video, phone and email, with the same process throughout.
★★★★★
Adrian was fantastic in our appointment, making sure I understood all options, with high attention to detail. Super friendly and easy to talk to. High quality of professionalism. Highly recommend him for anyone wanting more knowledge or looking to get their future started.
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Individual results vary. Your outcome depends on your circumstances and lender assessment.
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