PROPERTY FINANCE FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED

You minimised your tax. Now it's costing you your borrowing power.

Your tax return doesn't always tell the full story of what your business earns. One year's financials, director's wage policies, add-backs, and alternative income options can all make a difference. We build the finance around how your business actually earns, then find the best way to prove that income to the lender.

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Lenders compared

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Self-employed clients helped

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Cost to you

The problem

Your accountant and your broker are solving two different problems.

Your accountant's job is to legally minimise what you pay tax on. A lender's job is to take your tax return at face value. Nobody's job is to reconcile the two, unless your broker actually knows how. That gap is where most self-employed applications quietly fall short of what they should.

The solution

Read properly, the same file tells a different story.

Income line	Most lenders	Assessed properly
Base wage / director salary	Counted	Counted
Net business profit	Counted	Counted
Depreciation add-back	Ignored	Added back
One-off / non-recurring expenses	Ignored	Added back
Trust / company distributions	Ignored	Assessed
Income retained in the business	Ignored	Assessed

Same tax return. Two different numbers. The difference is which lender actually reads a self-employed file properly, and which one just runs it through a standard calculator.

How we prioritise

Most brokers start with rate. We start with policy.

A cheap rate on a loan you can't get isn't a good outcome. We work through it in the order that actually matters.

Policy

Whether a lender will even consider your income structure the way it's set up is decided before anything else. Get this wrong and nothing after it matters.

Decides if you qualify

Lender type

Once we know which lenders' policies actually fit, we choose between major, second tier, and non-bank based on what gets you approved, not on reputation.

Major · Second tier · Non-bank

Borrowing capacity

With the right lender identified, we maximise what they'll actually lend against your income once it's assessed properly, add-backs included.

Decides what you can buy

Rate

Only once policy, lender, and capacity are locked in does rate become the deciding factor. It's the last variable, not the first.

Decides what it costs

The misconception

Walking in expecting it to be simple.

Most self-employed borrowers walk into a major bank assuming a strong income makes for a straightforward application. It rarely plays out that way.

WHAT YOU EXPECT

My income is strong, this should be simple

One bank, one conversation, done

They'll just ask for my tax returns

I assumed lenders look at my full financial position, company debt included

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS

Your income gets averaged out and comes back lower than expected

Under some lenders' director's wage policy, company debt can be ignored entirely

Other forms of self-employed income aren't even considered

The loan gets declined, and you're told to come back in two years

None of that means your income is complicated. It means one lender's process is. What you actually need isn't more paperwork, it's a broker who looks at the whole picture up front and finds the simplest path through it, before you're three weeks into a bank's process.

The different ways

There's more than one way to prove what you earn.

Which path fits depends on your structure, your financials, and your timeline. We work out which one first, not which lender.

Two years' tax returns

The standard path. Full financials, averaged or taken at the lower year depending on lender policy.

Director's wage policy

Assessed on your PAYG wage from the company alone, and under this policy company debt gets ignored entirely. Useful when the business retains profit or carries debt.

Company profit plus salary

Business profit added to your wage, assessed together where a lender's policy allows it.

Retained profits assessed

Profit left in the business isn't automatically ignored. Some lenders will still count it.

Alt doc / low doc

For businesses with less than two years of financials, or income that doesn't fit a standard return.

Accountant's letter

A signed declaration confirming your income, accepted by some lenders in place of full financials.

BAS statements

Useful when your tax returns aren't the strongest reflection of where the business is at. Recent BAS lodgements show the trajectory the business is actually on, and we can annualise that trend, which can come back stronger than your most recent tax return and maximise your borrowing capacity.

Business bank statements

Cash flow through the business account, used to verify income where other documents fall short.

One year's financials

Used instead of the standard two, where a lender's policy allows it for a strong recent trading year.

Creative structuring & policy exceptions

Some situations don't fit neatly into any of the above, and that's where knowing every lender's policy in detail actually earns its keep. One example: pairing last year's lodged financials with a signed letter from your accountant confirming the current year's figures are finalised and about to be lodged, which some lenders will accept as a bridge instead of waiting on a fresh return. There are others like it. It's less about a fixed list and more about knowing which policy exceptions exist and when to use them.

The pathway

Good income now doesn't always look good on paper yet. That doesn't need to hold you back.

Where you are today

We start by working out the best way for you to move forward, based on where your income and financials actually sit right now, not where you'd like them to be.

Today

The right lender

We aim to use the unique policies major banks offer wherever they fit. If you don't fit their policy, that doesn't mean it's a no. We can place you with a second tier or non-bank lender so you can still get the lending you need now.

Settlement

The plan back to a major

If we did place you with a non-bank or second tier lender, we plan the path back to a major from day one, so you're not there longer than you need to be.

12–24 months

The difference

A broker who reads the file, versus one who guessed.

MOST BROKERS

Takes your tax returns at face value

Uses one lender

Treats a decline as the final word

Doesn't look for the easiest path to get your loan approved

Only uses major banks

Tells you to come back when your income is higher, instead of exploring every other option first

Never talks to your accountant

MORTGAGEWORKS

Adds back depreciation and non-recurring costs

Compares policy across the panel before choosing

Knows which lenders will still say yes

Works policy, then lender, then capacity, then rate

Uses second tier and non-bank lenders when they get you a better outcome

Explores and exhausts every avenue before ruling anything out

Talks to your accountant to understand your business structure

The most important thing

The relationship between your broker and your accountant matters more than either one alone.

Tax planning and lending planning are usually done by two different people, solving two different problems, without ever comparing notes. That's how a smart tax decision quietly costs someone their borrowing power.

WORKING APART

Tax minimised, borrowing power quietly reduced

Structure decided for tax reasons only

Broker finds out about the structure after the fact

Two professionals, two separate goals

WORKING TOGETHER

Tax and lending decisions made with both outcomes in mind

Structure planned with the next purchase already considered

Broker and accountant talk before decisions are locked in

One team, working toward the outcome you actually want

That coordination is what we push for on every file. Tax planning and lending planning working from the same page, so everyone involved is working toward what you're actually trying to achieve, not just their own piece of it.

Your next move

Start where you are.

01 · PURCHASE

Buy your first home, or your next one

Have your business income assessed the right way, so your borrowing capacity reflects what you really earn, not just one number on your tax return.

START HERE →

02 · EQUITY

Refinance, or pull equity to grow

Use the equity in what you already own to refinance, invest, or put funds back into your business.

START HERE →

Client outcomes

Self-employed finance in practice.

COMPANY & TRUST STRUCTURE

Two NOAs, no questions, approved

A client paid himself a wage through a company and trust, with carried forward losses and little profit sitting in the business. He also had income from a second entity and workers comp, enough that a full tax return would have invited endless questions from a lender. We didn't touch the company financials or use trust distributions, they weren't needed, and skipped his individual returns entirely. Used two Notices of Assessment at a major bank instead. Approved, no back and forth.

DIRECTOR'S WAGE POLICY

Four businesses simplified to two payslips

A client ran four different businesses, each at a different stage, some earning well, some carrying debt. Handing all of it to a lender would have meant the file getting torn apart. He was paying himself a solid salary from one of the businesses, so we used that wage alone under a director's wage policy and left every other business, and its debt, out of the assessment entirely. Approved off two payslips. A genuinely complex file made simple, no questions asked.

REFINANCE

Cashed out now, refinanced back within the year

A client's most recent financials were strong, much stronger than the year before, but not quite strong enough to refinance and cash out equity for renovations he needed done urgently. Two BAS statements showed the business was tracking for an even better year ahead, so we refinanced him to a non-bank lender to release the funds straight away. The following financial year, once a full year of stronger numbers was behind him, we used two NOAs to refinance him back to a major lender.

Who you'll deal with

Tyrell Assante

A mortgage broker based in Western Sydney, backed by MortgageWorks and operating under Connective's credit licence. Early on, I saw a gap in the service, advice, and value self-employed clients were actually getting. They weren't being given holistic advice, and their brokers weren't working with their accountants to figure out the best structure for them.

I found myself fixing those mistakes and proving what good service looked like, both to the accountant and the client, as we worked through it together. I've been focused on self-employed lending ever since, and I want to help more self-employed borrowers get the outcome they actually deserve.

Focus

Self Employed Lending

Coverage

Sydney

Backing

MortgageWorks

Reviews

What clients say.

"Purchasing a property can be stressful, but Tyrell made the entire process so much easier. No problem was ever too difficult, and whenever we hit a challenge, he always had a solution. I've dealt with brokers before who were slow to respond, Tyrell was the complete opposite: professional, knowledgeable, and always available. If the rating system allowed it, I'd happily give six stars."

Colin J.

VERIFIED GOOGLE REVIEW

"Great service, helpful around the clock. Was referred to this company and would recommend to anyone else."

Brooke P.

VERIFIED GOOGLE REVIEW

"I've been with MortgageWorks for many years and have always had a great experience. Their knowledge and expertise are outstanding, and they always take the time to explain things clearly and keep me well informed. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a reliable, professional, and supportive mortgage service."

Eliza P.

VERIFIED GOOGLE REVIEW

Questions

Straight answers.

What does it cost me? +

Nothing. Brokers are paid by the lender at settlement, not by you.

Why would two lenders give me different numbers on the same income? +

Every lender has its own policy on add-backs, depreciation, and how it treats company or trust income. Same financials, genuinely different assessments.

My bank already said no. Does that mean no everywhere? +

Usually not. A knockback tells you about one lender's policy, not the whole panel. We check where your file actually fits.

Why would you put me with a second tier or non-bank lender if a major is cheaper? +

Because policy and capacity come before rate. If a major won't lend what you need today, the cheaper rate is irrelevant. We place you where you'll actually get approved now, with a plan to refinance once your financials support a major.

Why does my accountant need to talk to my broker? +

So a decision made for tax purposes doesn't accidentally undercut your borrowing power, and vice versa. Both should be planned together, not discovered after the fact.

What if my income runs through a company or trust? +

That's most of what I deal with. We look at how the structure works and present it so lenders see your real capacity, not just what's drawn as salary.

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You minimised your tax. Now it's costing you your borrowing power.

Your accountant and your broker are solving two different problems.

Read properly, the same file tells a different story.

Most brokers start with rate. We start with policy.

Policy

Lender type

Borrowing capacity

Rate

Walking in expecting it to be simple.

There's more than one way to prove what you earn.

Two years' tax returns

Director's wage policy

Company profit plus salary

Retained profits assessed

Alt doc / low doc

Accountant's letter

BAS statements

Business bank statements

One year's financials

Creative structuring & policy exceptions

Good income now doesn't always look good on paper yet. That doesn't need to hold you back.

Where you are today

The right lender

The plan back to a major

A broker who reads the file, versus one who guessed.

The relationship between your broker and your accountant matters more than either one alone.

Start where you are.

Buy your first home, or your next one

Refinance, or pull equity to grow

Self-employed finance in practice.

Two NOAs, no questions, approved

Four businesses simplified to two payslips

Cashed out now, refinanced back within the year

What clients say.

Straight answers.

Get a number before you even call.

Unlock Your Borrowing Power

Self-Employed Readiness Score

Refinance & Equity Calculator

Stop taking the rejection personally.