Does my partner's income count if they're not on the loan?

No. If they're not on the loan, their income isn't used to work out what you can borrow. But if you live together, most lenders still count living expenses for them.

Why does the bank count my partner's living expenses?

Because if you live together in a de facto relationship, the bank sees one household. Most lenders use couple living expenses on your application even when your partner isn't borrowing.

Can I be assessed as single if I live with my partner?

At some lenders, effectively yes. A handful will reduce or apportion spousal expenses if your partner's own income is verified and they're financially self-sufficient. Some set a minimum income for your partner.

What does my partner need to provide?

Generally their income documents, ID and a signed consent form, and at some lenders a credit check. They're not borrowing, but the lender needs to see they support themselves.

What about debts we share?

Some lenders won't split joint debts, so the full repayment counts on your application. It's one of the details that decides which lender fits.

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Straight Answers · First home

How much could I borrow on my own, without my partner on the loan?

Bayley Clarke · Mortgage broker on the road · Last checked 1 November 2026 · 3 min read

The short answer

I can't give you a number without knowing what you earn and what your partner earns. But here's the way to look at it: if you live together, the banks see you as a couple from a household living expense standpoint, even if your partner isn't on the loan.

So most lenders will still factor in living expenses for your partner, which pulls your borrowing power down. However, a couple of lenders will reduce those spousal expenses if we can prove your partner works and is financially self-sufficient, so you're assessed closer to single. That's bank by bank.

The 90 second version, filmed from the driver's seat. The rest of this page is the detail underneath it.

Why your partner still counts when they're not on the loan

When a bank works out what you can borrow, it's an income versus expense conversation. Your income goes in one side, and your debts and living costs come out the other. If you're living with your partner in a de facto relationship, the bank's view is that you're running one household, so it uses couple living expenses rather than single ones.

That means you get all of the household cost and none of your partner's income. On a sole application, that can take a real chunk off what you'd otherwise be able to borrow, and it catches people out, because in their head the loan is just theirs. From the bank's perspective, it's still a two person household.

How some lenders assess you closer to single

There are a handful of lenders that will reduce or apportion those spousal expenses. Effectively, if we can prove your partner is working and is self-sufficient from a financial perspective, they'll take your partner's share of the household costs off your application, so you're not carrying living expenses for someone the loan doesn't cover.

How they do it varies. Some switch you to a single living expense view once your partner's own income is verified. Others keep the couple figure but split it by each person's share of the income. Some set a minimum income your partner has to earn before they'll do it, and at least one lender won't apportion at all, so your partner's costs stay on your application no matter what.

What we'd need from your partner

Even though your partner isn't borrowing, the lenders that do this generally want proof. That's normally your partner's income documents, like payslips, a signed consent form from your partner, their ID, and at some lenders a credit check on your partner too. Some also want a written acknowledgement or a statement of your partner's financial position.

Joint debts are worth flagging as well. If you and your partner share a car loan or a credit card, some lenders won't split that, so the full repayment lands on your application. That's the sort of detail that changes which lender is the right fit, and it's where I come in, because I'm the middleman doing the running around to find the one that suits you.

The honest bit: your partner is still part of the application

Your partner isn't borrowing, but they're not invisible either. If you want the single treatment, they'll need to hand over documents and sign off, so it's a conversation to have with them before we apply, not halfway through.

And the right lender for the expense treatment still has to fit everything else you need, from your deposit to the kind of property you're buying. We weigh it all up together rather than chasing the one setting.

Want to know what you could borrow on your own?

A 30 minute call. We go through your income, your partner's situation and your debts, and I run the scenario at the lenders that treat sole applicants differently.

Book a 30 minute call Call 0437 189 939

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Next question

How much can I actually borrow?

Income versus outgoings, then the bank adds a buffer to your rate before it names a number.