In short: Yes, you can often get a home loan while on probation. A number of lenders accept a new permanent role from your first payslip where the industry is the same, the salary is in a signed contract and there is no gap in employment. Others require probation to be completed, or three to six months in the role. The lender you pick decides the answer.
The belief that you must be "six months in the job" before you can buy is one of the most expensive myths in Australian lending. It is true of some lenders. It is not true of the market. Gorakh Timilsina assessed employment continuity on hundreds of files as a senior credit officer, and the pattern is that lenders care far more about the shape of your career than about the label on your current probation clause.
What the assessor is testing
Employment policy exists to answer one question: how likely is this income to still be here in six months? An assessor breaks that into four checks.
- Continuity. Has there been a break between the old job and the new one? A same-day or same-week transition is barely a risk event. A four-month gap is.
- Industry. Moving from one warehouse role to another warehouse role at higher pay reads as career progression. Moving from nursing to running a cafe does not.
- Nature of the change. A move from casual to permanent, or from a contract to a permanent role with the same employer, is usually treated as strengthening the file, not weakening it.
- Certainty of the figure. Base salary in a signed contract is verifiable. A new role built around a first-year bonus is not, which is why some promotions temporarily reduce borrowing power.
How probation and new employment are commonly treated
Policy varies between lenders and changes without notice, so we check the current position before you apply.
| Situation | Time in role commonly required | How income is commonly assessed | Evidence typically requested |
|---|---|---|---|
| New permanent role, same industry, no gap, still on probation | Often accepted from the first payslip | 100% of base salary in the contract | Signed contract, one or two payslips, employment letter |
| New permanent role, different industry, on probation | Often 3–6 months, or probation completed | 100% of base once accepted | Contract, payslips, letter confirming satisfactory performance |
| Probation completed with current employer | Immediately acceptable to nearly all lenders | 100% of base | Two payslips, employment letter |
| Casual converted to permanent, same employer | Usually accepted immediately | 100% of base; prior casual tenure counted | Contract, payslips, letter confirming continuous service |
| Contract role converted to permanent | Usually accepted immediately | 100% of base | Contract, letter confirming continuous service |
| New role with an employment gap of 1–3 months | Often 3–6 months in the new role | 100% of base once accepted | Contract, payslips, written explanation of the gap |
| Returning to the workforce after a long break | 6–12 months typical | 100% of base | Contract, payslips, explanation |
| New role, salary includes a first-year bonus or commission | Immediate for the base only | Base at 100%, variable component often nil until it has history | Contract; see the shading rules for variable pay |
Two practical notes. First, "probation accepted" almost always means the base salary, not the variable pay. The overtime, bonus and commission rules are separate and are set out in overtime, bonus and commission income. Second, several lenders that accept probation still exclude a casual role that started within probation, so if you moved employers and went casual, read casual and contract income home loans.
Worked example: what the new salary is worth
Michael has been a maintenance planner for six years. Three weeks ago he moved to a new employer in the same industry, no gap, on a six-month probation. His old salary was $95,000. His new signed contract says $118,000.
- Path A: apply now, with a lender that accepts a new permanent role in the same industry from the first payslip. Assessed income $118,000.
- Path B: wait six months for probation to end, or apply to a lender that would only have accepted his previous position. Assessed income $95,000.
The arithmetic on the 2026–27 resident tax scale plus the 2% Medicare levy:
| Path A ($118,000) | Path B ($95,000) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tax ($4,020 on the 15% band, plus 30% above $45,000) | $25,920 | $19,020 |
| Medicare levy at 2% | $2,360 | $1,900 |
| Net income | $89,720 | $74,080 |
| Net per month | $7,476.67 | $6,173.33 |
The monthly difference is $1,303.34. At a rate of 6.00% p.a. assessed with the APRA buffer of 3 percentage points, the assessment rate is 9.00%, and over a 30-year term $1 of monthly surplus supports roughly $124 of loan.
$1,303.34 × 124 = about $161,600 of borrowing capacity.
That is what choosing a probation-friendly lender was worth to Michael, on top of not spending six months watching prices move. These figures are illustrative and every lender's calculator applies different tax, expense and buffer assumptions. Start with the borrowing power calculator and then have the employment policy checked properly.
What gets a probation file declined
- An undisclosed gap. The assessor sees the last salary credit in your old account and the first in your new one. A three-month gap you did not mention is a credibility problem, not just a timing problem.
- A change of industry with no explanation. One paragraph in the file notes explaining that the move is a promotion into an adjacent field, with the same skill set, resolves most of this.
- Applying with no payslip. Even lenders that accept probation almost always want one payslip from the new employer to confirm the contract is live. A contract alone is rarely enough.
- A resignation between pre-approval and settlement. This is the big one, and it deserves its own section.
Changing jobs after pre-approval
A pre-approval is conditional. Lenders re-verify employment before formal approval and again, in many cases, shortly before settlement. If you resign or are made redundant between the two, the approval can be withdrawn, and if you have already exchanged contracts you may be exposed under the finance clause. Read subject to finance clause and what happens if finance falls through before you sign anything.
The practical rule from the credit side: do not change jobs between pre-approval and settlement unless you have no choice. If a change is unavoidable, tell your broker the day you know, not the week before settlement. There is almost always a way to restructure the application if there is time; there is almost never one if there is not.
How to strengthen a new-job application
- Get a full employment letter, not just the offer. It should state your start date, your position, your base salary, whether the role is permanent full-time, the probation period and its end date, and ideally that performance to date is satisfactory.
- Show continuity. If your old and new employment overlap or run back to back, say so explicitly. If there was a gap, explain it in one sentence and provide any leave payout evidence.
- Keep everything else clean. A new job is one risk factor; add messy statements or an active BNPL habit and the file tips over. See living expenses and HEM explained and buy now pay later and your home loan.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a home loan while on probation?
Often, yes. A number of lenders will accept a new permanent role from your first payslip where you have moved within the same industry with no employment gap and your base salary is set out in a signed contract. Others require probation to be completed or three to six months of service. Because the policies differ so much, the lender choice effectively decides the outcome.
How long do I need to be in a new job before applying for a home loan?
There is no single rule. With a same-industry permanent move and no gap, one payslip is enough for some lenders. With an industry change, an employment gap, or a move into casual or contract work, three to six months is more realistic and twelve months opens the widest panel. Time in the industry often matters more than time with the employer.
Will changing jobs after pre-approval cancel my loan?
It can. Lenders re-verify employment before formal approval and often again before settlement, so a resignation or redundancy in that window can cause the approval to be withdrawn or reassessed. Tell your broker immediately. If there is enough time before finance approval is due, the application can often be moved to a lender whose policy accepts the new role.
Does moving from casual to permanent help?
Usually yes, and often immediately. Where you convert to permanent with the same employer, most lenders treat your service as continuous, so you get the certainty of a salary without resetting your tenure. Moving to a permanent role with a new employer is a bigger step, because you start a fresh probation period and lose the tenure you built.
Talk to GNT Finance
A new job should not cost you a house. It costs you a house only when the application goes to a lender whose employment policy does not fit. Gorakh Timilsina read employment continuity from the credit side for years before founding GNT Finance, and we use that to place probation files where they will be assessed on their merits, at no cost to you for our home-loan service in most cases. Book a free consultation or call 0426 403 703.
This page is general information only and not legal, tax or financial advice. Lender policy varies and changes without notice, so we confirm the current position before you apply.
Written by Gorakh Timilsina
Founder, CEO & Senior Mortgage Consultant at GNT Finance. Gorakh started as a broker assistant, spent years as a senior credit officer assessing loan applications, and now helps Melbourne families get the right loan approved. English, Nepali and Hindi spoken.