A rough range of what a lender might let you borrow — built the same way the government's MoneySmart estimator works. This is a conversation starter, not an approval: every lender calculates borrowing power differently.
Borrowing power
The estimate answers the same question as the government’s MoneySmart “How much can I borrow?” tool, using the same maths: if you can comfortably put a certain amount toward a home loan each month or fortnight, what loan size does that repayment support at your rate and term? Nothing more — it does not look at your income, expenses or debts, and neither does the government version.
Because this tool looks only at the repayment you nominate, the amount a lender would actually approve can be higher or lower — sometimes substantially. Entered rates are yours, not an offer.
Same maths as the government’s MoneySmart “How much can I borrow?” tool: the amount is the present value of the repayments you nominate, after ongoing fees. It does not look at your income, expenses or debts — and neither does the government tool. What a lender will actually approve depends on their own servicing calculation, which is a different exercise entirely.
Estimates only — this is not a quote, a pre-approval, or an indication that you qualify. It shows the loan size a nominated repayment could support, using the same present-value maths as the government’s MoneySmart “How much can I borrow?” tool. A lender’s actual assessment looks at your income, expenses, debts and their own policy, and will differ. General information only; cross-check with the MoneySmart calculator.
Reading the result
The honest starting point is working out what repayment is genuinely comfortable. A good test: take what you currently pay in rent or put into savings each month, then ask whether you could still manage it if rates rose two or three percentage points — because that is exactly the buffer lenders test with.
Lenders assess your card limits, not your balances — around 3.8% of the total limit is treated as a monthly commitment. A $20,000 limit you never touch can quietly remove tens of thousands from your borrowing power. Cutting limits before applying is one of the simplest levers available.
A lender’s own calculation is a different exercise: they assess income line by line, apply household expense benchmarks, add a serviceability buffer of at least 3% to the rate, and count credit card limits even when the cards are unused. That is why this figure is a conversation starter, not an approval figure.
One lender shades bonus income to 80%, another takes 100%. One applies a higher expense benchmark, another accepts your declared figures with evidence. That spread is exactly why the same person can be offered very different amounts — and why John checks actual lender policy rather than averages before you rely on a number.
Next step
John runs your situation through actual lender calculators and policy — income treatment, expenses, debts and property — and tells you plainly where you stand before you start making offers.
Rated 5.0 on Google · You deal with John directly
General information only. Credit assistance is subject to lender policy and responsible lending requirements.
Cross-check
The Australian Government's borrowing power calculator. Run the same numbers there — the ballpark should overlap.
Open the MoneySmart calculatorOnce you have a range, check what the repayments would actually feel like each month.
Estimate repaymentsRepayments, extra repayments and QLD stamp duty — all free, all estimates, all cross-checkable.
See all calculatorsJohn's AI mortgage helper
General information only. This helper cannot confirm approval, choose a lender or give personal credit advice.
Do not enter passwords, account numbers, tax file numbers, dates of birth or identity-document details.
Send the important details to John Book a 20-min call with John