How much can I borrow on a $90,000 salary?
For a single person on $90,000 before tax, no dependants, no credit cards, no HECS and living expenses at the benchmark, most lenders' calculators land somewhere between $380,000 and $440,000. That is a range rather than a number because every lender runs its own model, and the same file can move by ten per cent or more between them.
The calculation behind it is simpler than people expect. A lender takes your after-tax income, subtracts living expenses (the higher of what you declare and their benchmark, the Household Expenditure Measure), subtracts any existing commitments, and then asks what loan the surplus could service at your interest rate plus a three per cent buffer. On a 6 per cent loan you are assessed as though you were paying 9 per cent.
Three things move the number most. A credit card with a $10,000 limit costs you roughly $80,000 of borrowing capacity even if you never carry a balance, because lenders assume it is fully drawn. A HECS debt on $90,000 takes about $3,500 a year out of your net income, which is worth around $40,000 of loan. And a second applicant on any income at all changes the picture entirely, because the household surplus is what is assessed.
If you want the number for your own situation rather than the textbook one, the first home buyer check below asks the same questions a broker would and shows the working.
Want the number for your situation? The first home buyer check asks the same questions Joshua would and shows the working.
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Related
Does HECS affect how much I can borrow for a home loan?
Yes. HECS reduces your take-home pay, and lenders assess take-home pay. Here is how much it costs and what changed in 2025.
How does the 5% deposit First Home Guarantee work?
The government guarantees the gap so you avoid LMI with a 5% deposit. Since October 2025 there are no income caps and no place limits; price caps still apply.
Do first home buyers pay stamp duty in NSW?
Not up to $800,000, and a reduced amount up to $1 million. Above that, full duty applies.