Home Loans for Accountants: 2026 Eligibility Guide
Home Loans for Accountants: 2026 Eligibility Guide
By Patrick O’Brien, Director and Home Loan Specialist since 2001
Accountants are one of the professions lenders like most. Your income tends to be stable and your qualification is easy to check, so a number of lenders will let you borrow up to 90% of a property’s value without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). This guide covers who qualifies, what lenders ask for and where accountants most often get caught out.
It’s one of the occupation guides in our LMI waivers and no-LMI home loans hub, which also covers the other professions that qualify and what to do if a waiver doesn’t fit.
What an accountant LMI waiver is worth
LMI normally applies when you borrow more than 80% of the property’s value. With a waiver you can buy with a 10% deposit and skip it.
Take an $800,000 home bought with an $80,000 deposit: that’s a $720,000 loan at 90% LVR. Without a waiver, LMI on that loan is typically around $12,000 to $17,000 for an owner-occupier (based on current Helia premiums), depending on the lender and its insurer. With a waiver, it’s nil. Those figures are estimates, not a quote, and our guide to lenders mortgage insurance explains how the premium is calculated.
Who qualifies
Eligible roles
Depending on the lender, eligible roles can include:
- Accountant
- Auditor
- Actuary
- Chief Financial Officer
- Finance Director, Finance Manager or Financial Controller
- Partner in an accounting firm
The qualification behind the title matters more than the title itself. Lenders generally want your main income to come from working in accounting or finance, and at least one checks that your role matches the membership you hold.
Accepted professional memberships
- Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. Some lenders also accept members of other Global Accounting Alliance bodies.
- CPA Australia. Some lenders also accept an overseas body that has a mutual recognition agreement with CPA Australia.
- Institute of Public Accountants (IPA), accepted by some lenders but not all.
- CFA Institute (Chartered Financial Analysts).
- Actuaries Institute: Fellows (FIAA), and Associates (AIAA) at one lender.
Student and provisional memberships aren’t accepted, and at least one lender excludes ACCA members. Your membership needs to be current, and some lenders want the evidence dated within the last 12 months.
How accountant waivers compare across lenders
Every lender runs its own version of the waiver. Here’s what we see across the lenders we work with, as at September 2026:
| Condition | What we see across lenders |
|---|---|
| Maximum LVR without LMI | 90% at most lenders; just under 90% at some |
| Minimum income | None at several lenders; $100,000 per eligible applicant at one; $120,000 at another (combined where both applicants qualify, and only income from the profession counts) |
| Repayments | Some lenders require principal and interest; others allow interest-only, sometimes at a lower LVR |
| Total lending without LMI | Commonly $4 million to $7 million. One lender lowers the LVR once the loan on a single property passes $2 million |
| Employment | Built for employees; at least one lender excludes self-employed borrowers |
| Commonly excluded | Family guarantee, bridging and low doc loans. Construction loans are excluded at some lenders and accepted at others |
The income test is the one that catches people out. We’ve helped plenty of accountant clients avoid LMI without earning $120,000, because several lenders we work with don’t set an income test at all.
Self-employed accountants and partners
If you run your own practice or you’re a partner, a waiver is still possible, but fewer lenders will offer it. At least one lender limits its program to employees. Lenders that do accept self-employed accountants assess them on the usual evidence, typically two years of personal and business tax returns and notices of assessment.
Some lenders also run a separate program for partners in accounting and law firms, with its own evidence rules, such as confirmation of your partnership from the firm.
Look beyond the waiver
An LMI waiver is the headline, but it’s one part of the loan. Some lenders price waiver loans at their lower rates for borrowers with a 20% deposit and discount package fees for professionals. Others don’t. A waiver that comes with a higher ongoing rate can end up costing more than the premium it saved, so we compare the total cost, not just the LMI line.
Also keep in mind that borrowing at 90% ties you to that lender until your equity grows past 20%, because refinancing away at a high LVR would usually mean paying LMI to the new lender, unless the new lender also offers you a waiver.
If a waiver doesn’t fit
Not every accountant meets every lender’s criteria, and a waiver isn’t always the lowest-cost route. First home buyers can use the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, which needs only a 5% deposit and has no LMI. A family guarantee removes LMI and gets you the lower rates too. And a few lenders go to 85% or 90% without LMI for any occupation, sometimes only in certain postcodes. Our hub covers every way to avoid LMI and the other occupations that qualify for a waiver.
How to apply
- Get your membership evidence together: a current certificate or letter from your professional body.
- Gather your income evidence: two recent payslips and your latest income statement, or two years of tax returns if you’re self-employed.
- We match you to the lenders whose waiver fits your income, membership and loan size.
- Get pre-approval so you know what you can spend before you make an offer.
- Once you’ve found the property, we lodge the full application and manage it through valuation, approval and settlement.
Speak to a mortgage broker at Mortgage World Australia on (02) 8004 7459 or email [email protected] and we will map your options across 52+ lenders.
Frequently asked questions
Can accountants get LMI waived?
Yes. Several lenders waive LMI for qualified accountants borrowing up to 90% of the property value, as long as you hold a full, current membership of an accepted professional body such as Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand or CPA Australia. The income test, loan limits and accepted memberships differ from lender to lender.
Is there a minimum income for an accountant LMI waiver?
It depends on the lender. Several lenders set no minimum income for accountants, one requires $100,000 a year for each eligible applicant and another requires $120,000 from the profession. Rental and other income can’t be counted towards that last threshold.
Do both applicants need to be accountants?
Generally not. The waiver hinges on at least one applicant holding the eligible qualification, and any income test is applied to the qualifying applicant or applicants. Rules for joint applications vary, so we check them lender by lender.
Can a provisional or student member qualify?
No. Lenders want full, current membership. Student and provisional memberships aren’t accepted, and at least one lender doesn’t accept ACCA membership.
Can I use an accountant LMI waiver on an investment property?
At many lenders, yes, on a principal-and-interest loan up to 90% of the property value. Interest-only rules vary: some lenders exclude it, while others allow it, sometimes at a lower LVR.
How do I prove my professional membership?
A current membership certificate or letter from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, CPA Australia, the IPA, the CFA Institute or the Actuaries Institute. Some lenders want it dated within the last 12 months.
What if I don’t meet the criteria for an LMI waiver?
You still have options. First home buyers can use the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, a family guarantee can remove LMI altogether, and a few lenders will go to 85% or 90% without LMI for any occupation, sometimes only in certain postcodes.
This article contains general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Your personal financial situation, objectives and needs have not been considered. Before acting on any information, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. Speak to a qualified mortgage broker for advice tailored to your situation. Mortgage World Australia Pty Ltd is a credit representative (CR No. 396946) of Mortgage Specialists Pty Ltd (ACN 612 422 178, Australian Credit Licence No. 387025). Patrick O’Brien is a Credit Representative (396946) of Mortgage Specialists Pty Ltd (ACN 612 422 178, Australian Credit Licence No. 387025).
Patrick is a Director and a Home Loan Specialist. He has been helping Australians with home loans since 2001. Prior to working as a mortgage broker Patrick was employed by Macquarie Bank for 3 years and also worked as an accountant for a publicly listed company. Patrick’s qualifications include:
Bachelor of Business, UTS Sydney. Majored in accounting and sub-majored in Finance and Marketing.
Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management FNS50310
Certificate IV in Financial Services (Finance/Mortgage Broking) FNS40804
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