Borrowing power calculator
Get a rough estimate of how much you could borrow for a home loan, based on your income, your living costs and any debts you already carry.
Assessed at 0% (your rate plus a 3 per cent buffer), over 30 years.
Rough estimate only, for general information and not financial advice. Lenders assess differently, weigh your specific debts, dependants, credit history and living costs against benchmark figures, and apply their own serviceability buffer. The only real number comes from a lender or broker. Last checked June 2026.
How lenders work out what you can borrow
A lender starts with your income, subtracts your living expenses and existing commitments, and tests whether the surplus can cover a loan repayment, not at the rate you would pay, but at a higher buffered rate (commonly around 3 percentage points more). That buffer is why your approved amount is often lower than a simple repayment sum suggests. The full method is in how much can I borrow.
What lifts your borrowing power
Reducing or closing other debts (especially credit-card limits, which count even if unused), trimming regular expenses, and a stronger credit score all help. So does a bigger deposit. See the wider picture in our home loans guide.
The bottom line
Use this to get in the ballpark before you start looking, then get a real assessment. A tool like Your Finance Guide can match you to lenders for an accurate figure.