Monet Finance Learn Hub
Clear answers about property and finance
Short, practical answers for Australians – especially self-employed people and business owners – comparing refinancing, property and business-finance decisions.
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Refinancing
Work out when switching is worthwhile and what the change may cost.
Refinancing
When is refinancing actually worth it?
A practical break-even test for deciding whether changing home loans is likely to leave you better off.
Refinancing
How much does refinancing cost in Australia?
The common fees involved in switching an Australian home loan and how to calculate the real total.
Refinancing
Should I refinance or ask my bank for a lower rate?
Why negotiating with your existing lender is a sensible first step – but not the whole comparison.
Refinancing
How often can you refinance a home loan?
There is no universal waiting period, but frequent refinancing can create costs and approval problems.
Refinancing
Is it better to refinance with my current bank or a new lender?
Compare the simplicity of an internal change with the wider options available through a new lender.
Refinancing
Are refinance cashback offers worth it?
A cashback can offset switching costs, but it cannot rescue an unsuitable or expensive home loan.
Refinancing
Can you refinance a fixed-rate home loan?
You can leave a fixed loan early, but the current break cost can determine whether it is worthwhile.
Refinancing
Can I refinance and release equity at the same time?
A refinance can include cash out, but usable equity, serviceability and purpose are assessed separately.
Refinancing
Can I refinance with a low credit score?
A weaker credit file can limit options, but the cause, recency and overall application matter.
Refinancing
Can self-employed borrowers refinance a home loan?
Self-employed borrowers can refinance, but current income evidence and lender policy drive the result.
Refinancing
How long does refinancing a home loan take?
A straightforward refinance can move quickly, but valuation, documents and discharge processing set the pace.
Refinancing
What happens if the refinance valuation is too low?
A lower valuation increases the calculated LVR and can reduce cash out, pricing or approval options.
Self-employed
See how business income, retained profit and trusts may be assessed.
Self-employed
How do banks calculate self-employed income?
How Australian lenders turn business and personal financial records into assessable home-loan income.
Self-employed
Can retained company profits count toward borrowing capacity?
When a lender may look beyond salary and dividends to profit retained inside a company.
Self-employed
How do lenders treat trust distributions?
How consistency, control and tax evidence affect whether trust income counts for a home loan.
Self-employed
How long do I need to be self-employed before getting a home loan?
Many lenders prefer two years of history, but some can consider a shorter established-business period.
Self-employed
Can I get a home loan with only one year of business financials?
Some lenders can use the latest year, but they still test history, sustainability and supporting evidence.
Self-employed
What self-employed income add-backs do lenders accept?
Add-backs can adjust accounting profit, but only when the expense meets the selected lender's rules.
Self-employed
Is paying myself a salary enough for a home loan?
Payslips from your own company may not convert the application into ordinary PAYG lending.
Self-employed
Does ATO tax debt affect a self-employed home-loan application?
Tax debt does not always prevent approval, but the amount, conduct and repayment plan matter.
Self-employed
Do business loans reduce home-loan borrowing capacity?
Business debt can affect a personal mortgage even when the company makes every repayment.
Self-employed
How can self-employed borrowers improve borrowing capacity?
The strongest improvements come from clearer sustainable income and fewer unnecessary commitments.
Alt-doc
Understand alternative income verification and the documents lenders may accept.
Alt-doc
Alt-doc vs full-doc home loans: what's the difference?
A plain-English comparison of standard and alternative income verification for self-employed borrowers.
Alt-doc
What documents can be used for an alt-doc loan?
The alternative income documents commonly accepted for Australian self-employed home-loan applications.
Alt-doc
Are alt-doc home-loan rates higher?
Alt-doc pricing is often higher than full-doc pricing, but the difference depends on risk and evidence.
Alt-doc
How long do I need an ABN for an alt-doc loan?
Minimum ABN and GST periods vary, and registration alone does not prove sustainable income.
Alt-doc
Is an accountant's letter enough for an alt-doc loan?
Some products accept an accountant declaration, but it must satisfy detailed eligibility and consistency checks.
Buying property
Plan your budget, deposit and approval before you make an offer.
Buying property
How much can I borrow for a home loan?
The main factors Australian lenders use to calculate home-loan borrowing capacity.
Buying property
How much deposit do I need to buy a home?
How deposit size, purchase costs and LVR affect an Australian home-loan application.
Buying property
Should I get home-loan pre-approval before making an offer?
What pre-approval tells you, what it does not guarantee and when to arrange it.
Buying property
Should I make an unconditional offer before finance approval?
An unconditional contract can put the deposit and completion obligation at risk if finance fails.
Buying property
What costs do I need besides a house deposit?
Stamp duty, professional checks, loan costs and a cash buffer all sit outside the headline deposit.
Home loans
Understand loan structures, features and the help a broker can provide.
Home loans
Fixed vs variable home loans: which is better?
A simple comparison of repayment certainty, flexibility and risk in fixed and variable home loans.
Home loans
Offset account vs redraw: what's the difference?
How offset and redraw reduce home-loan interest, and why access and tax treatment can differ.
Home loans
Does a mortgage broker cost money?
How Australian mortgage brokers are paid and what fee information you should receive upfront.
Home loans
Should I make extra repayments or keep money in an offset account?
Both can reduce interest, but access, fees, behaviour and future tax use can make one structure better.
Home loans
Do credit-card limits affect home-loan borrowing capacity?
Lenders can assess the approved limit even when the card balance is zero and paid monthly.
Investors
Learn how rental income and repayment choices affect an investment application.
Investors
How do banks calculate rental income?
Why lenders usually count less than the full advertised rent when assessing an investment loan.
Investors
Interest-only vs principal-and-interest investment loans
How repayment type changes cash flow, debt reduction and the long-term cost of an investment property loan.
Investors
Does negative gearing increase borrowing capacity?
Some lenders include a tax benefit, but rental shading, property costs and loan commitments still apply.
Investors
Can I use home equity to buy an investment property?
Usable equity can fund the deposit and costs, but it increases debt secured against the home.
Equity
Estimate usable equity and understand the separate borrowing-capacity test.
Equity
How much equity can I release from my home?
A simple usable-equity formula – and why property value alone does not determine how much you can borrow.
Equity
Why is a bank valuation different from market value?
A lender valuation measures security risk and may not match an agent appraisal, online estimate or sale price.
Debt
Compare the immediate relief and long-term risks of mortgage debt consolidation.
Debt
Is consolidating debt into a mortgage a good idea?
When mortgage debt consolidation can reduce pressure – and how a longer term can quietly increase total interest.
Debt
Can I consolidate ATO debt into my mortgage?
Some lenders allow equity release to clear tax debt, but the home, loan term and business conduct are central.
SMSF
Review the current business-real-property rule, deposit, structure and liquidity for an SMSF LRBA.
SMSF
How much deposit do you need for an SMSF property loan?
How the 10 August 2026 LRBA changes affect eligible property and the cash an SMSF may need.
Business
Consider how home equity can be structured for a genuine business purpose.
Business
Can business owners use home equity to fund a business?
How business funding secured by home equity can work – and the risks that need to be controlled first.
Commercial finance
Prepare for the deposit and assessment behind an owner-occupied or investment commercial property.
Commercial finance
How much deposit do I need for a commercial property loan?
Why commercial-property deposit requirements vary by asset, borrower and lender.
Commercial finance
How are commercial property loans assessed?
The property, lease, business and repayment factors lenders examine in commercial finance.
Commercial finance
Can I use home equity for a commercial property deposit?
Home equity can support the contribution, but the commercial loan and household exposure still require full assessment.
Need an answer about your situation?
A lending policy can change the result. Speak directly with Monet Finance to compare suitable options for your circumstances.