Essential Worker Finance
Home loans for essential workers

Home loans for dentists.

Dentistry income rarely fits a payslip template. Whether you are an associate on a percentage, a locum, or two years into owning a practice, the paperwork is the obstacle — not your capacity to repay.

Two-minute check · no credit enquiry · no fee to applyJarrad Sleight, Senior Mortgage Broker · MFAA 905617 · ACR 548528
What we get counted as income
Associate income under a service or percentage agreementSessional and locum work across multiple practicesPractice profit and director's drawingsRetained earnings held in a company or trustIncome under a short ABN historyPublic sector and hospital dental salaries
The problem

Why dentists get assessed differently

Most lenders want two full years of self-employed financials, which stops newly self-employed dentists dead — even when the income is strong and consistent. Specialist policies can work from a shorter ABN history, and treat associate agreements as reliable income rather than a red flag. If you have been declined on ABN duration alone, that is a lender problem, not a you problem.

Illustrative example · Associate dentist, 18 months self-employed
Service agreement income$210,000
ABN history18 months
Standard lender outcomedeclined — under 2 years
Specialist lender outcomeassessed on 12 months
Deposit required10% with $0 LMI
What you can access

Three things a specialist lender does differently.

Deposits from 5–10%, with $0 LMI

Most buyers need a 20% deposit to avoid lender's mortgage insurance. Essential worker waivers remove it entirely — often tens of thousands of dollars that stays in your pocket.

100% of your overtime and allowances

Standard assessments count as little as 80 cents in every dollar of secondary income. Specialist policies count all of it, which directly raises what you can borrow.

Salary packaging counted properly

Packaged income is routinely mishandled or ignored. Presented correctly to the right lender, it works in your favour rather than disappearing from the assessment.

Common questions

Dentists — what people ask.

Can dentists avoid lender's mortgage insurance?

Yes. Dentists are on the eligible professions list for LMI waivers with a number of lenders, commonly to 90% of the property value and in some cases higher. Eligibility and limits vary by lender.

I have only been self-employed for a year. Can I still borrow?

Often yes. Some lenders will assess a dentist on twelve months of financials, or in limited cases less, where the income is well documented. The two-year rule is a lender policy, not a universal requirement.

Does my practice debt stop me buying a home?

Not automatically. Practice and equipment finance is assessed as a commitment, but a lender familiar with dental practices will treat it in the context of the income it generates.

Do hospital and public sector dentists qualify?

Yes, and usually more simply — PAYG dental income is straightforward, and the essential worker LMI waiver still applies.

Find out what you can actually borrow.

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