Ausfirst Lending Group is a finance advisory business, and self-employed lending is our specialty. Whether you run your own ABN, subcontract, or have recently gone out on your own, we help tradies buy and refinance homes when a bank’s standard assessment doesn’t fit trade income.
We assess options from a panel of more than 40 lenders and know which ones lend comfortably to trade businesses. With over 50 years of combined lending experience behind us, you work with the same adviser from the first conversation through to settlement — not a call centre, and not a different voice each time.
Sole trader, subcontractor, PAYG apprentice, or a mix of all three — the starting point is the same: an honest look at your income and a plan to present it the way lenders want to see it.
We read ABN income, add-backs and BAS the way lenders actually assess them.
We know which lenders say yes to self-employed and trade income — and which don’t.
The same person from the first chat through to settlement.
Most tradies who get declined can comfortably afford the loan. The problem is that trade income doesn’t arrive as a tidy fortnightly payslip, so a bank’s automated assessment reads a strong business as “inconsistent.” Our job is to present your income the way lenders actually assess it — net profit, add-backs and BAS — and to take your file to the lenders that understand a trade business rather than the ones that don’t.
Two builders on the same money can get two different answers, depending on how the income is documented. The four things that decide it:
The standard path is two years of tax returns and ATO notices of assessment. What matters is the add-backs — depreciation, one-off purchases, additional super and interest that reduced your taxable income but aren’t everyday costs. Read correctly, your assessable income for the loan is often well above your taxable figure.
If you’ve recently gone out on your own, some lenders will assess on your BAS statements plus an accountant’s declaration rather than two full years of returns. It usually needs a clean ABN and GST registration for a set period, and the terms differ, so it pays to match the right lender before you apply.
Trade income can jump when a business finds its feet. Where your latest year is much stronger than the year before, a handful of lenders will assess on the most recent year rather than averaging the two — which can be the difference between the loan you want and the one the computer offers.
If you’re a PAYG apprentice or a subcontractor paid as an employee, your income is assessed much like any wage earner. Many tradies also run a mix — some PAYG, some ABN — and the right structure counts both without double-handling. We work out which parts each lender will accept.
You don’t always need 20% saved. Depending on your file, a few paths can bring the purchase forward:
Lenders mortgage insurance lets you borrow above 80% and buy sooner — see our low-deposit home loans for how it works and when it’s worth it.
A family guarantee uses equity in a parent’s home as extra security, which can remove LMI and get you in without a full deposit.
If it’s your first place, government schemes may let you buy with a smaller deposit and no LMI — we’ll check what you qualify for as part of buying your first home.
Every lender is different, but most trade applications come down to four things:
Most lenders want two years of tax returns and ATO notices of assessment. Newer to your ABN? A low-doc option using BAS and an accountant’s declaration can work instead.
Lenders like to see a registered, active ABN — often held for a set period, and GST-registered where it applies — as a sign the business is established.
A tidy credit history helps. Past defaults or arrears aren’t always dealbreakers, but they change which lenders will consider your file — worth sorting early.
Genuine savings, existing equity, a family guarantee or a first-home scheme — there’s usually more than one way to cover the deposit.
A tradie-friendly loan should be a clear-eyed decision. The trade-offs worth knowing before you sign:
Low-doc loans open the door when full documentation isn’t ready, but they can carry a higher rate or LMI. We show you the full cost so it’s a considered choice, not a default.
The most a lender will approve isn’t always the amount that suits a business with lumpy income. We size the loan to your real cashflow, not just your ceiling.
Variable income invites more questions. Clean bank statements, up-to-date returns and a well-presented file turn that scrutiny from a hurdle into a formality.
If one of these sounds like you, it’s a file we’ve placed before:
Under two years’ self-employed but earning well — we look at low-doc options and lenders that accept a shorter trading history.
You’ve claimed hard, so paper income looks small. Add-backs often lift your assessable income substantially without changing your tax.
Big jobs, quiet months. We match you to lenders comfortable with variable trade income rather than ones that want a flat wage.
One bank’s decline is one bank’s policy. A different lender — and a better-presented file — often gets a yes.
We’re a finance advisory business, and self-employed lending is where that shows:
Add-backs, BAS, NOAs, ABN age, low-doc policy — we handle this every week and know which lender says yes to which file, so you’re not learning it the hard way at application.
Policy on self-employed income varies enormously between lenders. Comparing the panel means matching your income to a lender that already lends to trade businesses like yours.
You work directly with Richard Luke, our director, with more than 30 years in Queensland lending — not a call centre and not a different voice each time.
Buying a home, keeping the business file clean, and leaving room for the next ute or tool purchase — we structure the home loan with the whole picture in mind.
This page is about buying your own home. When it’s the business that needs funding, these are the ones to look at — same adviser, different tool for the job:
Working capital to bridge unpaid invoices and keep the business moving — separate from your home loan.
Fund tools, machinery and plant without tying up your cash.
Finance the work vehicle with a structure that suits a trade business.
The full picture — home, business, cashflow and asset finance under one adviser.
The broader guide to buying a home on self-employed or business income.
Options to buy with less than a 20% deposit where they fit your file.
Before you assume the bank’s “no” is the final word, let’s look at your income the way a lender will. A quick, obligation-free chat is the best place to start.
Prefer to talk in person? We’re based in the heart of Caloundra and happy to sit down with you for an obligation-free chat.
Suite 3/74 Bulcock Street
Caloundra QLD 4551
Phone: (07) 3916 7070
Open Monday to Friday, and by appointment.
Yes. Lenders assess trade income differently from a wage — usually two years of tax returns and ATO notices of assessment, or a low-doc option for newer ABNs. The key is presenting your income the way lenders read it and matching you to one that lends comfortably to trade businesses.
Two years of self-employment is the common benchmark, but it is not the only path. Some lenders will consider one year, and a few will look at a shorter history on a low-doc basis with the right documents.
Because you have claimed legitimate deductions. Lenders add several of those back — depreciation, one-off purchases, extra superannuation and interest — so your assessable income for the loan is often well above your taxable figure.
Yes. If you are a PAYG apprentice or paid as an employee, your income is assessed much like any wage earner. If you invoice through an ABN, it is assessed as self-employed income — and many tradies have a mix of both, which the right lender will count together.
No. A decline usually reflects one lender’s policy on self-employed income, not your ability to repay. A different lender, and a better-presented file, often gets a yes.
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