Borrowing Power Calculator

Get a quick, realistic estimate of how much you could borrow for a Sydney home. You enter the interest rate you expect to pay, and the calculator tests your repayments at that rate plus 3%, the serviceability buffer the banking regulator requires lenders to apply.

Method: how your borrowing power is calculated

The calculator takes the surplus left after your living expenses and existing repayments, then finds the largest loan whose repayment fits that surplus at your assessed rate (the rate you entered plus the 3% buffer).

APRA (the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, the banking regulator) requires lenders to assess repayments at your rate plus 3 percentage points under prudential guidance CPG 223.
Real lenders also apply tax, the HEM (Household Expenditure Measure, the standard living-cost benchmark) baseline, and a debt-to-income cap, so your actual capacity will differ.
Method reference: ASIC (the corporate and financial-services regulator) via MoneySmart, plus APRA prudential guidance.

Sources: apra.gov.au, moneysmart.gov.au.

General advice warning

Information on this website is general in nature and does not constitute personal financial advice. It does not take into account your individual situation, objectives, or needs. Consider whether the information suits your situation before acting on it, and seek independent professional advice if needed. Any indication of borrowing power is not an offer of credit. All credit applications are subject to the lender's credit criteria, serviceability assessment, valuation outcome, and approval.

Talk to a broker

See your real borrowing power

A broker can compare lenders and confirm what you can actually borrow.

Assumption set

This calculator is a general borrowing-power guide only. It assumes principal-and-interest repayments, the loan term and expected rate entered above, a simplified tax and living-cost model, and an APRA-style serviceability buffer. It does not assess credit history, property security, lender policy exceptions, income shading, existing credit limits, deposit source, grants or mortgage insurance. A broker or lender must confirm the actual serviceability result in writing before you rely on it.