Banks see complications. We see your actual income. Site allowances, living-away-from-home allowance, overtime, casual hours — we know which lenders count it all. Pilbara-born brokers who've been doing this since day one.
Sat across from a bank assessor trying to make sense of a roster they've never had to assess before? You know the drill. Site allowances? Not counted. Living-away-from-home allowance? Maybe. Casual contractor through a labour-hire mob? Forget about it. The whole serviceability system is built for nine-to-five, which is exactly the opposite of how you earn.
Pilbara Finance was born in Karratha helping miners, tradies and FIFO workers buy homes when the big banks couldn't make heads or tails of their pay structures. That's still our wheelhouse. We know which lenders look past the headline numbers and assess your actual earning power. We know which ones count site allowances at 100% — and which ones won't blink at a 2-and-1 swing or a four-month probation.
Two banks said no. They couldn't make sense of my roster. Pilbara Finance had me approved in eight days — same income, different lender.
Site allowances. LAFHA. Overtime. Camp allowance. Project bonuses. Different lenders treat each one differently — some count them at 100%, some at 80%, some not at all. Get matched with the wrong lender and your borrowing power evaporates. We know who's generous with FIFO income, who's strict, and who'll structure your application so the maximum gets counted.
We started in Karratha. Most of our early clients were FIFO workers, miners, and tradies the banks couldn't figure out. We learnt the lender panel from that angle first — and we still run the same way today, helping FIFO workers right across WA and the country.
2-and-1, 8-and-6, 4-and-1. Permanent, casual, contractor through a labour-hire mob. Probation, contract, permanent. We've placed loans across every shape and we know which lenders are happy with which set-up. No "you're too complex" — we just find the lender that fits.
No call centres. No outsourced loan officers. You get the same broker from first chat to settlement day, and they'll work around your roster — calls during your bay time, emails between meetings, signing when you're on R&R.
We work to your timeframe — not the bank's.
Roster, employer, income breakdown, where you're at — takes 15 minutes on a phone call between meetings.
We run your situation across 60+ lenders and bring back the ones who count your full income — not just the easy parts.
We handle the bank-chasing, paperwork, and follow-ups. You sign where we tell you. We work around your swings.
Tell us your roster, base salary, allowances and bonuses. We'll show you how each lender band counts the income — and how dramatically your borrowing power swings.
Roster pattern affects which lenders are most comfortable. 2:1 and 8:6 are the easiest sells.
Tenure matters. Most lenders want 12+ months consistent FIFO income before they'll count overtime and roster bonuses. A few specialists work with 6 months.
Each component gets treated differently by different lenders. Be honest — gross figures, before tax.
Total gross: $185,000. Per diems / travel reimbursements aren't income — leave those out. Don't include super.
Lenders use Household Expenditure Measure (HEM) for living costs. We approximate it from family size.
Include: credit card minimums (lenders use ~3% of total card limit), car loans, personal loans, student loans. Exclude: existing rent if you're buying owner-occupier.
This is where FIFO borrowing power swings most. Major banks treat allowances conservatively; FIFO specialists count more.
Overtime treatment also depends on tenure: most lenders need 12+ months consistent overtime before counting any of it. Specialist FIFO lenders accept 6+ months.
Estimate at chosen rate (with the 3% regulator-mandated serviceability buffer applied), 30-yr P&I term, after tax + Medicare, HEM living and commitments.
Same gross income. Same family. Same commitments. Only the lender's policy on counting allowances, bonuses and overtime changes — and your borrowing capacity can swing 30–50% as a result. This is why "the bank said no" doesn't mean the deal is dead.
Have a quick chat with a Pilbara Finance broker. We know which FIFO lenders count which allowances at full value, which industries trigger which policies, and how to package your file so the assessor counts every dollar you've earned.
Estimates only. This calculator does not assess your actual borrowing capacity and is not a credit offer. Lender allowance/bonus/overtime treatment shown is indicative of typical major bank, tier 2, and specialist FIFO lender policies — actual policies vary by lender and by industry. Tax estimate uses current Australian Taxation Office brackets (financial year 2025–26) plus 2% Medicare. Living costs use simplified HEM-style approximations. Capacity uses a 30-year P&I term at the chosen rate plus the 3% regulator-mandated serviceability buffer. Pilbara Equities Pty Ltd, CRN 478535, of Mortgage Specialists Pty Ltd, ACL 387025.
This is where most FIFO applications fall over. Site allowances are usually counted, but at different rates — some lenders 100%, some 80%, some only after 12 months of consistent earnings. Living-away-from-home allowance is treated as taxable income by some lenders and excluded by others. Overtime is generally counted if it's been consistent for 6–12 months, but the percentage varies. We map your income against lender policies and pick the ones that maximise what gets counted.
If you're permanently employed, most lenders will lend to you with three months on the job (sometimes one). If you're casual with consistent hours for 6+ months, plenty of lenders are fine. If you're a contractor through a labour-hire mob, it's narrower — but there are specialist lenders who do it well. Self-employed contractor running your own business is a different game again, and we work with lenders who'll assess from one or two years of tax returns.
A few common roadblocks: a bank requiring 6 months in the role when you've been there three; a lender wanting a contract that runs longer than the loan settlement date; or one that won't lend during a probation period. Different lenders have different rules. We know which ones are flexible and which ones aren't, and we steer your application accordingly. Often the difference between "decline" and "approved" is just picking the right lender to start with.
Where you buy matters too. Some lenders cap their lending in mining towns (postcode restrictions). Some apply lower loan-to-value ratio (LVR) caps in regional areas — meaning you might need a 20% deposit instead of 10%. Some are fine with FIFO income but won't lend on a property in a town where the population's under 5,000. We know the postcode policies and we'll match the right lender to where you're buying.
Tyler does mechanical maintenance on a 2-and-1 swing south of Port Hedland. Most of his income is base wage plus site allowance plus overtime — solid money on paper, but the assessor at his existing bank only counted the base. Megan picks up casual nursing shifts at Karratha Health Campus, which the bank ignored entirely because she'd only been casual for nine months. They wanted a $720K home in Karratha. The bank came back with a borrowing capacity that was $180K short.
We took the same income to a lender that counts site allowances at 100% and accepts casual income from six months. Same family, same payslips, completely different number. They came back with a borrowing capacity that covered the purchase with room to spare. Pre-approval in five days, formal approval eight days later. They settled six weeks after the contract was signed.
Composite scenario built from multiple real Pilbara Finance FIFO worker transactions. Names, locations and identifying details are illustrative; the timeline, structure and pricing reflect the kind of outcomes our 60+ residential lender panel produces in 2026.
Real reviews from real Google. No curated screenshots, no cherry-picked quotes.
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A no-obligation chat with a broker who's been placing FIFO loans since day one. We'll work around your swing.
"On a 2-and-1 swing, two banks said no. Pilbara Finance had me approved in a week. Different lender, same payslips."
Standard home loans with our full 60+ lender panel. Upgrading, buying again, or after your second place — we'll find the right fit.
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