Can I get a home loan if I've just changed jobs?

Bayley Clarke · Mortgage broker on the road · Last checked 12 November 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

Usually, yes. Most lenders will look at permanent full time or part time income while you're still on probation, especially if you've stayed in the same line of work.

What they're really checking is the shape of your work history: how long you've been in the industry, how long between jobs, and whether your new pay is the kind of income they can count. Get those three right and the start date on your contract matters a lot less than people think.

Can I get a home loan on probation? Probation is rarely the problem

The word sounds like a red flag, so people wait it out, and most of the time they didn't need to. Across the lenders I work with, the large majority will assess permanent income while you're inside a probation period, and a couple of the big ones don't set a minimum time in the role at all. An employment contract or a first payslip gets things started. Only a few want probation finished, and most of those have exceptions for essential services workers or people with twelve months in a similar role.

So the real questions are four. Is probation itself a problem with this lender? How long do they want you in the new role: none, three months or six? How big was the gap between jobs? Four weeks or less keeps nearly every lender open. And does industry experience count instead? Usually twelve months in the same field stands in for time with your new employer. The full breakdown: Can I get a home loan on probation or after switching jobs?

Started somewhere new? Let's see what the bank will count

Send me your contract and a payslip on a call. I'll tell you which lenders will use your new income now and which want you to wait.

Book a 30 minute call Call 0437 189 939

No application, no credit check, nothing on your file. Just the numbers.

Same industry vs a new direction

Moving employers in the same line of work is the easy version. Same skills, a short gap, and to most lenders you're simply carrying on, so someone six years into the same job who moved last month often looks better than they expect.

A genuine change of career is the one to slow down on. There's less history behind the new income, and more lenders will want time in the role before they count it. It isn't a no. It narrows the list, so know which side you're on before you start looking.

Home loan as a casual employee: the history test

Being casual isn't the problem people expect it to be. Most lenders will use your casual income once you've been in the same casual role for around six months, and some will accept six months in the same industry or type of work instead of the same employer. A couple want twelve months, and at least one will work with three months for education and essential services workers.

The hidden part is how they turn your pay into a yearly figure: some multiply by 52 weeks, many by 48, several by 46, a few by 40 for casual teachers. On the same roster that can be more than $20,000 of assessed income: Will the bank give me a home loan if I'm casual?

Higher duties, pay rises and overtime

A promotion onto a new base salary is generally counted once there's a payslip at the new rate, or an employer letter confirming it. Higher duties is different. It's usually you filling in for someone, and it can stop, so a number of lenders leave it out and work off your original base. A letter saying the higher duties are now permanent changes that: I've started a higher paying or higher duties role. Will the bank count my new income?

Overtime works the same way. If it's on your payslip with some history behind it, typically three to twelve months depending on the lender, it can be counted, often at around 80% and sometimes in full for essential workers. Cash on the side doesn't exist to a bank, because there's nothing to verify: Does getting my extra hours as overtime on my payslip help more than getting paid cash on the side?

Two income statements after a payroll change

If your employer switched payroll systems, your latest payslip starts again from zero and the year to date figure looks tiny. It doesn't hurt your borrowing. We add the last payslip from the old system to the latest from the new one, or add the two income statements on myGov together, and explain it upfront so the assessor never has to ask: My employer changed payroll systems partway through the year, so my payslip reset and I've got two income statements. Will that affect how much I can borrow?

Relocating for work: what the bank needs

Same employer, new office: a letter confirming the transfer, the start date and that your pay and position haven't changed usually covers it. Working remotely is standard now and banks understand it. If you're quitting and starting fresh somewhere new, the bank wants you moved and in the new role first, because it can't assess a job you don't have yet. After that, most are fine with probation if it's the same or similar work: What does the bank need if I'm relocating for work?

From self-employed to salary (and back)

Self-employed income is read off your tax returns. A salary is read off a payslip and a contract. So if you're about to swap one for the other with a refinance on the cards, the question is which set of numbers looks better to a bank, and doing it before or after can matter. Run both versions before you resign, because once the business is closed, one of the options may be gone: I'm self-employed and about to start a salary job. Should I refinance before or after?

Going the other way, from sole trader to a company, doesn't have to reset the clock either. Some lenders will want 12 to 18 months of company financials. Others will take an accountant's letter confirming it's the same business in a new structure, and count your history from the original ABN: I'm going from sole trader to a company. Does that reset the clock? The long version of how a lender reads business income is in Self-employed home loans: how the bank actually reads your financials, and every income type is covered in What income counts for a home loan?

The honest part

The worst time to find out how a lender reads your new job is after you've signed a contract on a house. The second worst is after you've resigned. If a job change and a purchase are both on the cards, the order you do them in can matter more than either one, so ask before you move, not after.

New job, same plans? Let's time it properly

Probation, casual, a promotion or a move for work. A 30 minute call and I'll work out what the bank will count today and whether it's worth applying now or waiting a few weeks.

Book a 30 minute call Call 0437 189 939

No application, no credit check, nothing on your file. Just the numbers.

Common questions about home loans after changing jobs

Can I get a home loan on probation?+

Generally, yes. Most lenders will assess permanent full time or part time income during probation, especially with experience in the same field. A few want probation finished first, usually with exceptions for essential workers or people with twelve months in a similar role.

How long do I need to be in a new job to get a home loan?+

It depends on the lender. Some have no minimum and work from a contract and first payslip, some want three months and some want six. Twelve months in the same industry often stands in for time with the new employer.

Can I get a home loan as a casual employee?+

Yes. Most lenders count casual income after around six months in the same role, and some accept six months in the same industry. They differ in how many weeks a year they multiply your pay by, which can change your borrowing a lot.

Will the bank count my higher duties pay?+

Often not, because higher duties can stop and drop you back to your base. Many lenders assess your substantive salary instead. A promotion onto a new base, or a letter confirming the higher duties are permanent, is a different story.

Does overtime count for a home loan?+

Overtime on your payslip with a few months of history can usually be counted, often at around 80%, sometimes in full for essential workers. Cash paid on the side can't be verified, so a bank won't use it.

Next question

What income counts for a home loan?

Every kind of pay, and how much of it the bank will actually use.