Run the Numbers the Way a Bank Would Run Them

Before you commit to a loan, it helps to see what your lender sees. These calculators use the same repayment, serviceability and break-even logic our partners applied inside bank credit teams — so the figure you plan around is one that holds up under assessment.

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What Your Bank Knows About These Numbers That You Don’t

Each tool above answers one question cleanly: what a loan costs, what you may be able to service, whether a switch pays, and what paying extra does to the life of the loan. The maths is exact. The outcome is only ever as good as the assumptions behind it — which is why every figure here is an estimate, not an offer, and why the number a lender lands on can differ once your position is assessed against their current policy.

Use these to decide whether a loan is worth pursuing. Use a partner to find out whether it is achievable, and on what terms.

  • The assessment rate is the real gate, not the product rate — lenders test your loan at a buffer above the rate you actually pay, typically around three per cent. A repayment you can comfortably afford can still fail servicing once the buffer is applied, which is why borrowing power almost always sits lower than the rate on the loan would suggest.
  • Your living expenses are benchmarked, not taken at face value — lenders apply a household expenditure measure and use the higher of that figure or what you declare. Entering an honest number matters, because an assessor will not accept a figure below the benchmark for your household size and income.
  • A credit card counts at its limit, not its balance — a card you never touch still reduces your capacity by a monthly commitment set against the full limit. Reducing or closing limits before you apply often moves the number more than a pay rise does.
  • The comparison rate, not the headline rate, sets the true cost — fees, offset arrangements and structure all change what a loan actually costs. Two loans advertised at the same rate can sit several thousand dollars apart over the term.
  • A lower rate is not always a saving — refinancing to a lower rate over a fresh thirty years can cut the repayment while increasing total interest. Break costs on a fixed loan, or a re-triggered Lenders Mortgage Insurance premium, can quietly erase the gain before you see it.
  • Fortnightly is not simply monthly halved — paying half the monthly figure every fortnight puts through the equivalent of thirteen monthly repayments a year, not twelve. The frequency you choose changes the interest you pay, subject to how your lender applies it.