Banks read tax returns. We read businesses. We know which add-backs to push for, which lenders accept them, and how to turn your "on paper" income into the borrowing power you've actually earned.
If you're self-employed, you've spent years getting good at managing tax. Depreciation, super contributions, business loan interest, the new ute, that one-off equipment upgrade — every cent legitimately written off, exactly as your accountant set it up. Then you walk into a bank, hand over your tax return, and they treat your net profit number like it's gospel. Suddenly the income that funds your life is half what your bank assessor will count.
That's where we earn our keep. We work with your accountant to build a proper add-back schedule — depreciation, business interest, additional super, non-recurring expenses, owner's salary. Then we match it to a lender who'll accept the full picture. The number that ends up on your application is closer to the income you actually live on, not the number the ATO sees.
The bank gave us $420K. Pilbara Finance came back at $710K. Same business, same income — they just knew which lender would count it properly.
On a $90K tax-return profit, the wrong lender will lend you $420K. The right one — same business, same accountant — lifts assessable income to $140K+ and your borrowing power to $700K+. The difference is which add-backs each lender counts: depreciation, business loan interest, additional super contributions, one-off non-recurring expenses, director's salary above retained earnings, even franking credits in some cases. We know which lenders count the full schedule, and we work with your accountant to build it properly.
Most banks want two years of tax returns. A handful of our lenders accept one — if your income is strong, your industry's stable, and your accountant can vouch for the trajectory. We know which ones, and we know how to package the application so it lands.
If full-doc isn't right for your situation — newly self-employed, last year was atypical, accountant hasn't lodged yet — we have alt-doc lenders who'll work off BAS statements and an accountant's declaration. Slightly higher rates in some cases, but usually only 0.2–0.4% spread, not the rip-off some make it sound.
Pty Ltd structure with retained earnings? Discretionary trust with multiple beneficiaries? Sole trader on the side of a PAYG job? We know how each lender interprets distribution, salary, dividends, and mixed income — and we apply to the ones that read it the way your accountant intended.
We work with your accountant. We package the file properly. We pick the right lender.
Two years of tax returns (or one, if that's all you've got), latest BAS, accountant's contact. We'll review the lot and tell you where you stand.
We work with your accountant to build a proper add-back schedule and match it to a lender that accepts the full picture.
We handle the application, the underwriter follow-ups, and the paperwork. You sign where we tell you.
Tell us your tax-return profit, your add-backs and a few details. We'll show you how the three lender bands count it — and how much that swings your borrowing power.
Net profit before tax — the bottom-line number on your tax return after all deductions.
Non-cash or one-off deductions on your tax return that don't reflect real cash leaving the business.
Total add-backs: $13,000. Specialist lenders count most of these; major banks count almost none.
Living expenses (HEM-style) and existing commitments are deducted from countable income before borrowing capacity is calculated.
Include: credit card minimums (~3% of total card limit), car loans, personal loans, HECS-HELP. Exclude: existing rent if buying owner-occupier, business loans (covered by your trading add-backs).
This is where self-employed borrowing power swings most. Major banks count almost no add-backs; specialist self-employed lenders count nearly all.
Trading history also matters: under 1 year usually means alt-doc only; 1–2 years opens up tier 2; 2+ years lets you choose any lender (subject to other criteria). Major banks usually want 2 years tax returns and take the lower-of-two-years profit.
Estimate at chosen rate (with 3% APRA serviceability buffer applied), 30-yr P&I term, after tax + Medicare, HEM living and commitments.
Same tax-return profit. Same add-backs available. Same family. Only the lender's policy on which add-backs to count changes — and your borrowing capacity can swing 30–60% as a result. The tier 2 / specialist gap is where most self-employed clients find their actual loan.
Have a quick chat with a Pilbara Finance broker. We know which self-employed lenders accept which add-backs at full value, which industries trigger which policies, and how to package your file so the assessor counts every dollar your business actually generates.
Estimates only. This calculator does not assess your actual borrowing capacity and is not a credit offer. Lender add-back treatment shown is indicative of typical major bank, tier 2, and alt-doc specialist policies — actual policies vary by lender and industry. Tax estimate uses 2024–25 Australian Taxation Office (ATO) brackets plus 2% Medicare. Living costs use simplified Household Expenditure Measure (HEM) approximations. Capacity uses a 30-year P&I term at the chosen rate plus a 3% Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) serviceability buffer. Trading history under 2 years restricts available lenders regardless of profit level. Pilbara Equities Pty Ltd, CRN 478535, of Mortgage Specialists Pty Ltd, ACL 387025.
A tax return shows net profit. That's the number after every legitimate deduction. Add-backs are the items that come back in when calculating your real income for lending purposes. Most banks add back depreciation automatically. Better lenders add back: business loan interest (because the bank's already counting the loan as a liability — counting the interest twice is wrong); additional super contributions above the mandatory rate; one-off, non-recurring expenses (a major equipment purchase, a fit-out, a new vehicle); owner's salary if you're a Pty Ltd director paying yourself a token amount and retaining profit; and in some cases franking credits. Done properly, an add-back schedule lifts a $90K net profit to $140K+ assessable income. That's the difference between $420K and $700K of borrowing power.
Full-doc uses two years of tax returns. Cleanest path if your accountant has lodged on time and the numbers are strong. Alt-doc uses Business Activity Statements (BAS) — usually six months — plus an accountant's declaration of your trading income. Useful if you've only been self-employed a year, or if your most recent BAS shows a stronger picture than your last lodged return. Low-doc is the lighter touch — usually requires a self-declaration of income plus business bank statements. Used to attract a big rate premium; today it's usually 0.2–0.4% above standard. We'll model all three so you can see the actual cost of each route.
Most lenders want a minimum of two full years of trading. A smaller group will accept one year, but the application needs to look strong: industry experience before the ABN (e.g., a sparky who was PAYG for 10 years before going on his own); a clean tax return with healthy net profit; an accountant's letter confirming the business is on a positive trajectory. Even smaller group will go on 6 months of BAS under alt-doc. We know which lenders sit at each level and we'll be straight about whether your file fits.
If you're running a Pty Ltd, the bank should be looking at your director's salary plus your share of retained earnings — not just the wage you pay yourself. If you're using a discretionary trust with multiple beneficiaries, lenders treat distributions differently — some count them at 100%, others discount based on consistency over time. We work with your accountant to make sure the application reflects the actual economic income flowing to you, not just the line item on your individual tax return.
Brett's a sparky three years into running his own outfit — two apprentices, steady commercial contracts, ute and tools paid off, business loan against the Hilux. His accountant had legitimately reduced his taxable income through depreciation, super contributions, and the usual write-offs. Tax return showed $90K net profit. The bank ran the serviceability calculator on that $90K and came back with $420K of borrowing power — short of the $700K he'd need for a Mandurah family home with three bedrooms and a yard for the kids.
We worked with Brett's accountant to build out a proper add-back schedule: $32K in depreciation on the work ute and tools, $14K of interest on the business loan (already accounted for as a liability), $12K of additional super contributions above mandatory, and $14K of one-off expenses from the fit-out and apprentice tools when he scaled up. Total add-backs: $72K. Real assessable income: closer to $162K. We took the schedule to a lender that accepts the full add-back picture for trade businesses three-plus years in. Borrowing capacity came back at $710K — same Brett, same business, just a lender who counted the income properly.
Composite scenario built from multiple real Pilbara Finance transactions with self-employed Australians. Names, locations and identifying details are illustrative; the timeline, structure and pricing reflect the kind of outcomes our specialist self-employed lender panel produces in 2026.
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A no-obligation chat with a broker who knows how to read self-employed income. We'll work with your accountant, build the schedule properly, and tell you what you can really borrow.
"Three banks said no. Pilbara Finance found a lender who actually understood my business. Same income, different answer."
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