Anchoring defense
Lender max-borrowing figures can anchor expectations too high. This planner anchors on your sustainable monthly budget instead.
AusTax Loan Tools Stage 1 of 4: Start
Mortgage pre-approval budget planner
Decide from cashflow resilience first, then move to lender conversations.
Pre-approval decision planner
Start from cashflow reality, not maximum borrowing headline
Reverse-engineer a safer purchase range using your repayment comfort zone and stress-rate assumptions.
Loss aversion in reverse
Borrowers fear missing out on a property. Reframe around avoiding repayment stress and forced lifestyle cuts.
Second-order thinking
Budget decisions today affect optionality later: refinancing power, savings consistency, and resilience during rate volatility.
Before formal pre-approval, complete these checks
1. Rate stress table
Validate your budget under a realistic rate range, not single-point assumptions.
2. Quote quality scoring
Compare rate, fees and feature fit to avoid choosing by headline rate alone.
3. Documentation checklist
Prepare income, liabilities and supporting docs before lodging to reduce back-and-forth.
Pre-approval reality check
A lender ceiling is not your true buying ceiling after stamp duty
Before you treat a pre-approval range as your purchase range, subtract stamp duty and registration costs. Use your state calculator first, then come back to pressure-test the reduced budget.
A real purchase budget is not just deposit plus repayments. It also includes stamp duty, transfer registration, and mortgage registration before settlement.
NSW stamp duty
Transfer duty and upfront costs
VIC stamp duty
Land transfer duty by buyer type
QLD stamp duty
Home concession and investor rates
SA stamp duty
Transfer duty and registration fees
WA stamp duty
General duty and settlement costs
TAS stamp duty
Duty estimate for Tasmania purchases
ACT stamp duty
Owner-occupier and investor duty
NT stamp duty
Duty plus transfer and mortgage fees
First home buyer? Check the state-specific concession and exemption pages from the main stamp duty calculator once you choose your state.
Budget truth first
A pre-approval amount is not a target. It is a ceiling to respect.
Use this planner to choose a safer zone below your theoretical maximum, then pressure-test with scenarios.
Run full rate stress testRelated Mortgage tools
FAQs
Is this a formal pre-approval result?
No. This is a planning estimate from your repayment comfort level. Formal pre-approval depends on lender credit and documentation checks.
What should be included in repayment comfort budget?
Include mortgage repayments plus rates, insurance, strata and a realistic cash buffer for rate movement.
How conservative should my assumptions be before applying?
Model at least +1% and +2% rate stress cases and make sure your budget still works without relying on perfect conditions.