Self-employed broker comparison comparison

Best mortgage brokers for self-employed borrowers in Australia: five options compared for 2026

Compare five mortgage broker services for self-employed Australians by income documents, alt-doc lender access, ABN history checks, disclosure and support after settlement.

Updated
15 November 2026
Read time
13 min read
Prepared by
emoney content team
Small business desk with an EFTPOS terminal, receipts, a parcel and a laptop showing a spreadsheet for a self-employed home loan application
In this guide10 sections
How we compared mortgage brokers for self-employed borrowersFive self-employed mortgage broker options at a glanceEmoney Home Loans: our leading choice for structure-first self-employed reviewsAussie: national network and a self-employed guideLoan Market: local brokers and published low-doc requirementsMortgage Choice and Lendi: what we could confirmLender rules on ABN and trading history differ widelyWhat lenders must verify under responsible lendingFive checks any self-employed borrower should make before choosing a brokerWhat this self-employed broker comparison cannot tell you

How we compared mortgage brokers for self-employed borrowers

The shortlist covers five consumer-facing broker services with national reach or remote access. It is not a review of every brokerage or individual broker in Australia, and it does not compare interest rates, which change often and depend on the borrower.

We looked at the same five areas for each business: licensing and accountability, help matching income evidence to the business structure, access to lenders that assess self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page income differently, how clearly full-doc and alt-doc trade-offs are explained, and support after settlement. We did not give a numeric score, because panel counts and network sizes are measured in different ways.

CriterionWhat we checkedWhy it matters for a self-employed borrower
Licence and accountabilityBusiness licence, broker authority, written disclosure and complaints processShows who is responsible for the credit assistance
Documents by business structureWhether the broker explains different records for sole traders, companies and trustsLenders verify income differently for each structure
Specialist lender accessBanks plus non-bank lenders that offer alternative-documentation loansNewer businesses may fall outside major-bank policy
Full-doc and alt-doc trade-offsWhether rate, LVR and later refinance options are explainedAn alt-doc loan can cost more or limit borrowing
Support after settlementA defined review once more tax returns are lodgedA later full-doc refinance may lower the cost

Five self-employed mortgage broker options at a glance

Our leading choice in this shortlist is Emoney Home Loans for self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page borrowers who want their records reviewed against their business structure before a lender is chosen. The other four services have credible strengths for different borrowers.

Use the table to build a shortlist, then assess the broker who would actually handle your file. Give each broker the same business structure, ABN registration date, recent tax returnsGuides / Self-employedSelf-employed home loan documentsPrepare business income evidence, tax records, BAS, statements and context before lender policy is checked.Open page or BAS, and the loan you want, so their answers can be compared fairly.

Five self-employed mortgage broker options at a glance
BusinessOur assessmentMay suit a borrower who wantsConfirm before choosing
Emoney Home LoansPublisher's pickOur leading choice for structure-first document review and specialist lender accessOne broker to match records to the business structure and compare banks with non-bank lendersAssigned broker, relevant lenders, any fees and the review after settlement
AussieStrong option for a large national network with shopfrontsFace-to-face help and a self-employed guide covering BAS and accountant evidenceThe local broker's self-employed experience, lender access and fees
Loan MarketStrong option for a large local network with low-doc guidanceA local broker and published low-doc document listsThe selected broker's alt-doc lender accreditations and file ownership
Mortgage ChoiceStrong option for franchise choice and written service commitmentsA local franchise broker backed by a national brandSelf-employed policy knowledge, panel fit and any office fee
LendiStrong option for an online-first processRemote document sharing with home loan specialistsWho owns the file and how complex business income is handled

Emoney Home Loans: our leading choice for structure-first self-employed reviews

Emoney Home Loans operates as an Australian mortgage broker under Australian Credit Licence 386 494 and has 30+ years helping borrowers. Its self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page material starts with how the business is set up, not with a headline borrowing figure.

Emoney's self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page page says sole traders may need personal tax returnsGuides / Self-employedSelf-employed home loan documentsPrepare business income evidence, tax records, BAS, statements and context before lender policy is checked.Open page , notices of assessment, BAS and business statements, that company directors may need company financials and business liabilities, and that trust or partnership income needs entity documents explaining who receives it. Its self-employed guide says there is no universal ABN-age rule and that a newer ABN, including one that is 14 months old, is not an automatic approval or decline. The broker then requests only the records needed for the likely application.

The panel matters for this group of borrowers. Aussie and Loan Market both say alt-doc loans come from specialist, second-tier or non-bank lenders, and Emoney's panel includes non-bank lenders such as Pepper Money, Resimac, Firstmac and La Trobe Financial alongside the four major banks. Emoney's page is also candid that low-doc options are not available for every file.

We place Emoney first because it combines that structure-first document review, access to both banks and non-bank lenders, Australia-wide phone and online service and a yearly loan reviewRefinance / Before changingAnnual loan reviewUse an annual review to check rate, fees, loan purpose, offset use, equity, and changed borrower goals.Open page after settlement. That review is a natural point to test a refinance once more years of tax returnsGuides / Self-employedSelf-employed home loan documentsPrepare business income evidence, tax records, BAS, statements and context before lender policy is checked.Open page are lodged. Borrowers should still confirm the assigned broker's experience with their industry and structure, the lenders available, any fees and how the review will work.

What we checkedEmoney evidenceWhat the borrower should confirm
Licence and experienceACL 386 494 and 30+ years helping borrowersThe assigned broker's authority and self-employed experience
Documents by structureSeparate record lists for sole traders, company directors and trust beneficiariesWhich records apply to your business now
ABN historySays there is no universal ABN-age rule and a 14-month ABN is not an automatic declineWhich lenders accept your ABN and trading history
Lender accessFour major banks, other banks and non-bank lenders including Pepper Money, Resimac, Firstmac and La Trobe FinancialWhich of those lenders fit your file, and any that are unavailable
After settlementA yearly loan review covering rate, fees, repayments, term, features and equityWhen a full-doc refinance would be worth testing

Aussie: national network and a self-employed guide

Aussie publishes a self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page home loan guide that says borrowers can show income through BASGuides / Self-employedSelf-employed home loan documentsPrepare business income evidence, tax records, BAS, statements and context before lender policy is checked.Open page , bank statements or an accountant's declaration, and that low doc and alt doc loans are offered by second-tier and non-bank lenders.

The same page says Aussie works with more than 25 lenders, that some lenders ask self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page borrowers for a 20% deposit and that low doc options sometimes come with higher rates or lower borrowing limits. Its homepage describes a network of more than 1,000 brokers and over 230 stores. Aussie's site shows Australian Credit Licence 246786, held by Lendi Group Distribution Pty Ltd.

Aussie may suit a borrower who wants to sit down with a broker in a store. Ask the local broker how many self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page files they handle and which alt-doc lenders they are accredited with.

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Want a broker to check this against your situation?

Share the loan goal, timing and a few key details. An emoney broker can then pick up the enquiry with the relevant context.Ask emoney to review my self-employed income documents

Loan Market: local brokers and published low-doc requirements

Loan Market's low-doc home loans page sets out typical requirements in some detail, which helps a borrower prepare before the first meeting.

It says alt-doc lenders usually want ABN and GST registration active for a minimum of 6 to 12 months, and BASGuides / Self-employedSelf-employed home loan documentsPrepare business income evidence, tax records, BAS, statements and context before lender policy is checked.Open page covering the last 2 to 4 quarters. It also says major banks typically require a minimum of two years of self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page trading history, while several specialist and non-bank lenders offer low-doc solutions, and that low-doc borrowers typically need a deposit of at least 20%.

The same page says its brokers compare options across 100+ lenders, although other parts of Loan Market's site show different lender counts. Loan Market shows Australian Credit Licence 390222. Ask the individual broker which of those lenders they can use for an alt-doc application.

Mortgage Choice and Lendi: what we could confirm

Mortgage Choice's and Lendi's self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page pages could not be read on 11 or 15 November 2026, so this comparison does not attribute any self-employed policy to either business. The facts below come from our 2 November 2026 broker comparison check.

Mortgage Choice said its brokers work with more than 35 lenders through a national franchise network owned by REA Group, and it publishes a customer charter and credit guide. Because each franchise is the practical unit of service, ask the local broker about their experience with self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page income and any office fee.

Lendi presents an online-first home-loan service supported by home loan specialists, and sits in the same corporate group as Aussie. A borrower with company or trust income should ask when a specialist becomes involved and whether the same person stays responsible through settlement.

Lender rules on ABN and trading history differ widely

There is no single ABN rule across Australian lenders. The policies below are taken from each lender's own page on 15 November 2026 and show why a broker's lender access matters for a self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page file.

A newer business may still find a lender, but often an alt-doc lender with a higher rate or a lower maximum LVRHome Loans / Loan decisionsLVR and LMI explainedUse this when a guide mentions loan-to-value ratio, lenders mortgage insurance, or low-deposit trade-offs.Open page . A business with two full financial years of lodged returns has more choice, including major banks.

LenderPublished ABN or trading requirementWhere it applies
Pepper MoneyGST and ABN registration for at least 6 monthsAlt doc home loans, with a declaration plus 6 months of bank statements, BAS or an accountant's letter
ANZA valid ABN or ACN registered for 18 monthsSelf-employed directors and shareholders
BankwestA minimum of 18 months ABN registrationWhere the LVR is less than 80%
WestpacBusiness established and trading for at least 2 full financial yearsAll Westpac self-employed assessment methods

What lenders must verify under responsible lending

Lenders and brokers cannot simply accept a stated income. ASIC's Regulatory Guide 209 says credit licensees must make reasonable inquiries about a consumer's financial situation and take reasonable steps to verify it (RG 209.43).

For self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page consumers, RG 209's income table lists sources such as recent income tax returnsGuides / Self-employedSelf-employed home loan documentsPrepare business income evidence, tax records, BAS, statements and context before lender policy is checked.Open page , Business Activity Statements, a statement from the consumer's accountant, financial statements for related business entities and business account statements. That is why an alt-doc loan still needs evidence, just a different set of it.

MoneySmart defines a low-doc loan as one that requires less financial documentation to prove income, assets and liabilities than a standard loan. In its March 2026 Financial Stability Review, the RBA noted that greater reliance on automated credit assessment has reduced documentation requirements and increased the supply of credit to some smaller businesses and self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page borrowers.

Self-employedHome Loans / Start hereSelf-employed borrowersPrepare income evidence, business documents, and broker questions before a lender assesses the file.Open page work is common. The ABS reported 2.3 million jobs, 9.9% of all jobs, worked by owner managers of unincorporated enterprises in 2022-23, released in November 2025. That count is of jobs, not people.

Five checks any self-employed borrower should make before choosing a broker

These checks apply to any broker, including Emoney. Ask each question in the same way so the answers can be compared.

CheckWhat a good broker doesHow to verify it
LicenceGives the credit licence or authorised representative number they work underSearch it on ASIC's professional registers
Specialist lendersNames the banks and non-bank lenders that accept your structure and ABN historyAsk which panel lenders are excluded and why
Documents by structureBuilds the document list from how the business is set upCompare lists from two brokers for the same file
Full-doc or alt-docExplains in writing why one suits you, with rate and LVR differencesAsk for the comparison in writing before applying
DisclosureExplains lender-paid commission and any direct feeRequest the Credit Guide; a direct fee needs a written quote first

What this self-employed broker comparison cannot tell you

A public comparison cannot see your tax returnsGuides / Self-employedSelf-employed home loan documentsPrepare business income evidence, tax records, BAS, statements and context before lender policy is checked.Open page , BAS, business structure or credit historyGuides / ApprovalCredit score and home loansUnderstand how credit conduct, debts and report issues can affect a home-loan conversation.Open page , so it cannot tell you which lender will approve you or at what rate.

Panel sizes, network counts and lender rules change, and an individual broker may not be accredited with every lender on their business's panel. Treat this page as a shortlist and a set of questions, then compare written answers from the brokers you speak to.

A mortgage broker cannot give tax advice. Talk to your accountant about how your income is reported before you apply, especially if the business structure or the way you pay yourself is changing.

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What it calculates
A rough borrowing range from income, expenses, debts, dependants, loan purpose, term, and rate assumptions.

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Sources used

  1. ASIC professional registers

    ASICofficial sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  2. RG 209 Credit licensing: Responsible lending conduct

    ASICofficial sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  3. Low-doc loan (glossary)

    ASIC MoneySmartofficial sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  4. Financial Stability Review, March 2026: resilience of households and businesses

    Reserve Bank of Australiaofficial sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  5. Jobs in Australia, latest release

    Australian Bureau of Statisticsofficial sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  6. Self-employed home loans

    emoney Home Loansemoney sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  7. Self-employed home loan guide

    emoney Home Loansemoney sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  8. About emoney Home Loans

    emoney Home Loansemoney sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  9. Annual loan review

    emoney Home Loansemoney sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  10. Applying for a home loan when you're self-employed

    Aussieindustry sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  11. Low doc home loans

    Loan Marketindustry sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  12. About Mortgage Choice

    Mortgage Choiceindustry sourceChecked 2 November 2026

  13. Lendi Group

    Lendi Groupindustry sourceChecked 2 November 2026

  14. Self-employed home loans

    Pepper Moneyindustry sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  15. Home loans for business owners

    ANZindustry sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  16. Self-employed home loans

    Bankwestindustry sourceChecked 15 November 2026

  17. Self-employed home loans

    Westpacindustry sourceChecked 15 November 2026

General information only

This guide is general information and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. A broker can review your circumstances before any recommendation.

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