Self-employed borrower with complex income

The challenge: strong income, a complicated structure

This self-employed client wanted to purchase an owner-occupied property in Victoria for $1.8 million and held a 20% deposit. They were a high income earner, but their earnings did not come through a straightforward salary arrangement.

Income flowed through multiple companies and trusts, with distributions through family trusts before reaching the applicant personally. Understanding the income available to support a home loan meant looking carefully at the underlying structure and financial records.

The client told us they had already approached several mortgage brokers who were reluctant to take on the application because of its complexity. They needed someone prepared to work through the detail.

Finding what was limiting borrowing capacity

Drawing on more than 20 years of experience dealing with these types of income structures, Chris Berry reviewed the income documents and identified the key obstacle: existing loans held by the companies and trusts from which the applicant derived income.

The applicant’s personal-level income supported the proposed home loan. However, when the existing entity loan commitments were included in the servicing calculation, the application did not meet the required repayment-capacity assessment.

The issue was how the lender assessed income alongside those entity commitments. A strong personal income alone did not resolve that difference in treatment.

Matching the application to an appropriate lender policy

We considered lenders whose assessment policies suited the applicant’s circumstances and proceeded with Macquarie.

For this application, Macquarie’s policy allowed the applicant’s personal income to be assessed without including the existing loan commitments held by the companies and trusts from which that income was derived. This treatment allowed the application to meet servicing requirements.

The work involved reviewing the financial information, identifying the assessment obstacle and selecting a suitable lending approach before submitting the completed application.

The result: approval within 48 hours, settlement in May

Macquarie issued full approval within 48 hours of the completed application being submitted. The purchase settled in May 2026.

That approval timeframe relates to the lender’s decision after submission. It does not include the earlier time spent reviewing the structure, assessing options and preparing the application.

1. ReviewIncome documents and existing entity loans examined
2. Lender selectionMacquarie’s assessment approach matched to this application
3. Within 48 hours of completed submissionFull approval received
4. May 2026Purchase settled

What other self-employed borrowers can take from this

A complex income structure needs a careful explanation of where income comes from and how it reaches the applicant. The way a lender treats company and trust commitments can also affect the result.

This case shows the value of reviewing the full structure and lender policy before deciding whether a purchase is achievable. It does not mean every borrower with similar income will qualify, or that the same lender will always be appropriate.

If your income comes through companies or trusts, begin with a review of your financial records, existing commitments and purchase plans. Our self-employed home loan guide includes a document checklist to help you prepare.