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Borrowing, comparing and refinancing

Borrowing Power Calculator

An estimate of the loan a lender could approve, from your income, living costs and existing debts, tested at a buffered rate.

Cost
Free
Your figures
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Rates checked
22 October 2026

Buying

Income
$a year

Study loan (HELP)

Other income, expenses and debts
$a year

Rent you receive before tax. Lenders count 80% of it.

$a month

Everything except rent or a mortgage. At least $2,067 a month is used for your household.

$a month

Car, personal and other loans, including any home loan you are keeping.

$

The total of every limit, even if the cards are paid off each month.

The new loan
% p.a.
years

You could borrow about

$515,000

Repayments of about $3,087 a month at 6.00%.

Income after tax
$7,023 a month
Living expenses
$2,500 a month
Loans and cards
$380 a month
Left over
$4,143 a month
Tested at
9.00%
Loan to income
4.7 times
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Estimate only, based on the figures entered and the assumptions listed below. It is not a quote, an offer of credit or personal advice.

What a rate change does to your borrowing power

Each figure is tested 3 percentage points above the rate shown, with everything else unchanged.

Estimated borrowing power and monthly repayment at different interest rates
Measure5.00%5.50%6.00%6.50%7.00%
Borrowing power$565,000$539,000$515,000$493,000$472,000
Monthly repayment$3,031$3,060$3,087$3,115$3,141

How the estimate is built

  • Income after tax of $7,023 a month, from $110,000 a year before tax.
  • Less living expenses of $2,500 a month, the higher of your figure and the $2,067 benchmark.
  • Less $380 a month for other loans and cards, including $380 for card limits at 3.8% a month.
  • Leaves $4,143 a month. The largest loan that surplus repays over 30 years at 9.00% is about $515,000.

How this calculator works

Lenders do not ask whether you can afford the repayment at today's rate. They check that your income after tax covers your living costs, your other debts and the new loan at a higher, buffered rate.

This is an estimate, not an approval. Each lender has its own expense benchmarks and income rules, which is why the same file can borrow noticeably more with one lender than another.

Assumptions

  • Income tax, the Medicare levy and any study loan repayment come off each applicant's income at the 2026-27 resident rates, with the low income tax offset.
  • Rental income is counted at 80% and shared equally between applicants, the minimum discount APRA expects lenders to apply.
  • Living expenses are the higher of what you enter and the Henderson Poverty Line for your household, costs other than housing (Melbourne Institute, June quarter 2026). Lenders use the Household Expenditure Measure, which is usually higher and rises with income.
  • The new loan is tested at your interest rate plus 3 percentage points, APRA's minimum serviceability buffer, with monthly principal and interest repayments over the full term.
  • Credit cards count as 3.8% of their combined limits each month, a common lender assumption, whatever the balance.
  • Other loan repayments are taken as entered. Lenders may reassess an existing home loan at a buffered rate.

Government rates, thresholds and fees were checked against official sources on 22 October 2026. They change, so confirm them before you rely on a figure.

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