Borrowing power calculator
How much can I borrow?
Enter your income, expenses and existing commitments to see an estimate of your home loan borrowing power, likely repayments, and indicative property budget before purchase costs. No credit check, no obligation.
Your details
All figures are estimates only. Nothing is submitted.
Start from a typical scenario
About you
Income
Entered as an annual figure, then shaded to 80% for servicing.
Entered as an annual figure, then shaded to 80% for servicing.
Entered as an annual figure, then shaded to 80% for servicing.
Living expenses
Groceries, utilities, transport, insurance, schooling and entertainment. Lenders compare this against a benchmark.
Debts
Lenders assess about 3.8% of your limit per month, even at a zero balance.
Used to estimate compulsory annual HELP repayments from income.
New loan
Used for the indicative property budget. Stamp duty, legal fees, LMI and other purchase costs are not included.
Estimated borrowing power
$470,689
Assessed at 8.90% over 30 years (your rate plus a 3% buffer).
- Indicative property budget*
- $570,689
- Repayments at 5.90%
- $2,792 / mo
- Assessable gross income
- $95,000 / yr
- Income tax
- $19,288 / yr
- Medicare
- $1,900 / yr
- HELP/HECS repayment
- $0 / yr
- Net household income
- $6,151 / mo
- Assessed commitments
- $2,200 / mo
- Monthly surplus
- $3,951 / mo
*Before stamp duty, legal fees, LMI and other purchase costs.
This calculator provides an estimate only and is not an offer of finance, a pre-approval, or credit advice. Results are based on the information you enter and generalised lender assumptions, including a 3% assessment buffer and household expense benchmarks. Your actual borrowing capacity will depend on the lender, your credit history, employment, deposit, and full financial position.
Power moves
Real levers, real dollars. Tap one to load it straight into the calculator.
Biggest win: Save another $25,000 · +$25,000
Each figure is the change to your indicative property budget if only that one thing changed. Estimates only, not an offer of finance.
See it visually
The same numbers, charted. Hover any point for exact values, or read the table below.
How much you can borrow if rates move. Each bar assesses your surplus at that rate plus the 3% buffer, subject to the minimum assessment floor.
| Rate | Assessed at | Borrowing power | Repayment / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.90% | 8.00% | $511,533 | $2,715 |
| 5.40% | 8.40% | $492,684 | $2,767 |
| 5.90% (yours) | 8.90% | $470,689 | $2,792 |
| 6.40% | 9.40% | $450,287 | $2,817 |
| 6.90% | 9.90% | $431,336 | $2,841 |
| 7.40% | 10.40% | $413,708 | $2,864 |
| 7.90% | 10.90% | $397,285 | $2,887 |
A 1% rate rise typically trims roughly 10% off borrowing power. The highlighted row is your current rate.
Scenario lab
Drag the rate and deposit sliders. Everything below updates instantly.
$570,689
Property budget · $470,689 loan · $2,792 / mo
Mirrors the rate and deposit above. Change it here and the calculator numbers stay put. Over 30 years.
$590,639
Property budget · $440,639 loan · $2,829 / mo
Your what-if. Nudge the rate up or a bigger deposit in and watch the gap move. Over 30 years.
Scenario B puts you +$19,950 on property budget, with repayments +$37 a month.
Both scenarios use the same income, expenses and commitments you entered above. Only the interest rate and deposit change, assessed at your rate plus a 3% buffer with a 8% floor. Estimates only, not an offer of finance.
What lenders actually look at
How is borrowing power calculated?
Lenders take your assessable income, subtract income tax, Medicare, HELP/HECS repayments, declared or benchmark living expenses, existing debt repayments and a notional payment on credit card limits. Whatever surplus is left is then converted into a loan amount using an assessment rate that is usually about 3% higher than the actual interest rate.
Why do different lenders give different numbers?
Each lender uses its own living expense benchmarks, treats overtime, bonus, commission and rental income differently, and applies its own assessment buffer. It is common to see a $150,000 or larger difference between lenders on the same application.
Does this calculator affect my credit score?
No. Nothing is submitted anywhere and no credit check is performed. It is an estimate only, based on the numbers you enter.
How accurate is the estimate?
It is a guide, not an approval. A full assessment looks at your credit file, employment history, deposit, genuine savings, HELP/HECS debt and the specific lender's policy. Jason can run your figures across 25+ lenders and give you a realistic number.
Want the number a lender will actually approve? Talk to Jason or read more about our home loan services.