Document
Business bank statements
Six to twelve months of the trading account the business actually operates through.
What an assessor reads in it
- Whether declared turnover actually lands in the account
- How much is drawn out personally, and how regularly
- Dishonours, overdrawn periods and ATO payment arrangements
How to prepare it
- Keep business and personal transactions in separate accounts, well before you apply
- Have every account statement, not just the main one
- Be able to explain any large irregular deposit in one sentence
What spoils it: Mixed personal and business spending in one account. It makes turnover unverifiable and drags your personal living expenses into the assessment at their highest reading.
Where it comes from
Moneysmart — Applying for a home loan (ASIC)
General information about how Australian lenders assess self-employed income. Lender policy differs and changes, and tax and lodgement rules are set by the ATO; each page links to the body that sets the rule. Reviewed 17 August 2026.
The other documents
Business activity statementsQuarterly statements lodged with the ATO reporting GST collected and paid, and often PAYG instalments.Accountant's declarationA letter from a qualified accountant confirming that the income figure you have declared is consistent with what they know of the business.Tax returns and notices of assessmentLodged returns for you and every entity, plus the ATO notice confirming what was assessed.Contracts and invoicesFor contractors and labour-hire workers: the current contract, its history of renewal, and the invoices behind the payments.