Documents you need for a home loan: the complete checklist

Nothing slows a home loan application down like documents arriving in dribs and drabs. Lenders assess complete files quickly and park incomplete ones, so gathering everything before you lodge is the single easiest way to speed up approval. Here is the full checklist, organised by employment type and loan purpose, plus the reasoning behind the requests that feel intrusive.

Identity documents (everyone)

Lenders must verify your identity under anti-money-laundering rules, so expect to provide:

• Driver licence or passport (usually both applicants, certified or verified electronically).
• A secondary document if required — Medicare card, birth certificate or similar.
• If your name has changed, the marriage certificate or change-of-name certificate that links your documents.

Most lenders and brokers now verify ID electronically or by video, so this step is quicker than it used to be — but mismatched names across documents remain a classic source of delay.

Income documents: PAYG employees

If you earn a salary or wages, the standard set is:

• Two or three most recent payslips, showing your employer's name, year-to-date figures and pay cycle.
• Most recent PAYG payment summary or tax return — often requested when overtime, bonus or allowance income needs a history.
• A letter of employment (occasionally) confirming role, tenure and salary — more likely if you are new in the job or on probation.
• Evidence of any other income you want counted: rental statements, family payments, dividend statements.

If a chunk of your income is overtime, commission or bonus, expect the lender to ask for more history — typically an extra year of evidence — because variable income is shaded and needs a track record. See [how banks assess serviceability](/articles/home-loans/how-banks-assess-serviceability) for why.

Income documents: self-employed

Self-employed applicants carry a heavier documentation load because there is no employer to verify the income:

• Personal tax returns and ATO notices of assessment, usually for the last one or two financial years.
• Company or trust tax returns and financial statements for the same period, if you trade through an entity.
• Sometimes interim figures — BAS statements or accountant-prepared management accounts — if your latest return is getting old.

Lenders generally average or conservatively assess self-employed income across the period. If your business had a one-off cost or a COVID-style anomaly year, tell your broker up front — some lenders can work with an accountant's explanation, and low-doc alternatives exist for strong applicants with limited paperwork. More on this in [self-employed home loans](/articles/credit-and-approval/self-employed-home-loans).

Bank statements: why 90 days, and what lenders look for

Almost every lender wants your most recent 90 days of transaction and savings account statements, and often statements for every liability. This is not curiosity — it serves three specific purposes. First, expense verification: your real spending is compared against what you declared, and against the HEM benchmark. Second, undisclosed debt detection: regular repayments to a lender you did not mention, buy now, pay later cycles, or new credit enquiries show up in transactions. Third, genuine savings: for higher-LVR loans, lenders want to see the deposit accumulating over time rather than appearing as a lump sum. Ninety days is the window regulators and lenders have settled on as long enough to reveal patterns but recent enough to be current. The practical advice: keep those three months clean — consistent savings, no dishonours, no gambling sprees, no unexplained large movements. Our guide to [improving approval chances](/articles/credit-and-approval/improve-approval-chances) covers the preparation timeline.

Deposit and asset evidence

You will need to show where the deposit is and where it came from:

• Savings account statements covering the accumulation period.
• A gift letter if family are contributing — typically stating the amount is non-repayable.
• Sale contract and settlement statement if funds come from selling another property.
• Evidence of shares, term deposits or other assets listed in the application.

Large unexplained deposits in your accounts will attract questions, so be ready to document their source. For loans above 80% LVR, many lenders also want the deposit to qualify as genuine savings — funds held or accumulated in your name for at least three months — so keep the money parked and visible rather than shuffling it between accounts in the weeks before you apply.

Buying vs refinancing: the extras

For a purchase, add:

• The signed contract of sale (or the draft, for pre-approval).
• Evidence of the deposit paid to the agent.
• Your conveyancer or solicitor's details.
• For construction, the fixed-price building contract and plans — see [construction loans](/loans/construction-loans).

For a refinance, add:

• Six months of statements for the home loan being refinanced, showing clean repayment history.
• Current statements for any debts being consolidated.
• A council rates notice as evidence you own the property.
• Your existing lender's details for the discharge process — more in [how to refinance](/loans/refinance).

How to make this painless

Three habits shortcut the whole process. Download documents as original PDFs from your bank rather than screenshots — lenders often reject cropped images. Name files clearly and send everything in one batch. And use secure channels your broker provides rather than email where possible. When you [apply with us](/apply), you will get a tailored checklist for your exact situation — usually shorter than this article, because most items only apply to some borrowers.

Talk it through with a broker

Every lender's document list differs slightly, and sending the right set the first time can shave weeks off approval. [Contact us](/contact) and we will tell you exactly what your situation requires before you gather a thing.