Mortgage & Finance Calculators — Plan With Real Numbers
Five professional-grade calculators, built the way we model scenarios for clients: borrowing capacity with the assessment buffer lenders actually apply, true refinance savings with break-even, Victorian stamp duty with first home buyer concessions, repayments, and what an offset account really saves. Every result is an estimate to start a conversation — pin your scenarios, then bring them to a director and we'll pressure-test them against live lender policy.
Borrowing Capacity Calculator
| Scenario | Income | Expenses | Capacity |
|---|
Assumes 30-year P&I term, a 3% assessment buffer over your input rate (APRA standard), credit cards assessed at 3.8% of limit monthly, and a minimum living-expense floor. Every lender calculates differently — real capacity varies by tens of thousands between lenders, which is exactly where a broker earns their keep.
Why lenders will quote you different numbers: each lender applies its own expense floors (HEM), income shading on overtime, bonus and rental income, and different treatment of existing debts. Self-employed and complex-income borrowers see the widest variation — if that's you, read our self-employed lending guide or the full borrowing power guide, then let a director model your actual position.
Mortgage Repayment Calculator
| Scenario | Loan | Rate | Repayment |
|---|
Estimates exclude fees and assume a constant rate. Fortnightly/weekly shown as simple divisions; true accelerated fortnightly repayments (half the monthly, 26 times a year) pay loans off years faster — ask us to model it properly.
Fixed, variable or split? The repayment is only one side of the decision — flexibility, offset access and break costs are the other. Our guide to fixed vs variable in the current rate cycle covers the trade-offs.
Stamp Duty Calculator — Victoria
| Scenario | Price | Buyer | Duty |
|---|
Victorian general rates. First home buyers: full exemption to $600,000 and a sliding concession to $750,000. Principal-place-of-residence concessions, off-the-plan concessions and foreign purchaser surcharges are not modelled — ask us for a property-specific estimate. Rates change; confirm current figures with the SRO or with us before contracting.
Buying your first home? Stamp duty is one of three levers — the others are the First Home Guarantee (5% deposit, no LMI) and the $10,000 FHOG for new builds. Our first home buyer page and Victorian stamp duty guide cover the full picture.
Refinance Savings Calculator
| Scenario | Balance | Rate Δ | Monthly saving |
|---|
Compares P&I repayments over the same remaining term. Fixed-rate break costs are not included — if you're on a fixed rate, get the payout figure first (we'll request it for you). A refinance review also examines structure, offset and lender fit, not just rate.
Rule of thumb: if the break-even is under 12 months and you'll hold the loan longer than that, the switch usually deserves a serious look. Start with our refinancing page or the honest checklist in "Should I refinance?" — and remember lenders reserve their best pricing for new customers, not loyal ones.
Car & Equipment Finance Calculator
| Scenario | Amount | Balloon | Monthly |
|---|
Estimates exclude establishment fees and assume a fixed rate. Rates differ meaningfully by asset type, age and your ABN/trading history — and the balloon should sit below the asset's realistic end-of-term value, with a plan for the crossover. We model all three balloon exits (refinance, trade, payout) before you commit.
Chattel mortgage, lease, consumer loan or novated? The structure decision matters as much as the rate — and for business use it has tax implications that belong with your accountant. Our car & equipment finance page covers the structures, and the homepage detailed vehicle calculator adds fixed-amount balloons and downloadable PDF summaries.
Offset Account Savings Calculator
| Scenario | Loan | Offset | Interest saved |
|---|
Assumes repayments stay at the no-offset level (the standard structure), so the offset shortens the loan. Savings assume the average balance is maintained — salaries paid into the offset and daily spending from a linked card typically sustain it. Offset benefits are generally tax-free where paying down debt isn't — but confirm your situation with your accountant.
Offset vs redraw vs extra repayments: similar interest maths, very different flexibility and structure consequences — especially for future investment plans. Our guide to offset vs redraw explains when each wins.
What these calculators can't see — and we can
Calculators model arithmetic. Lending decisions run on policy: which lender shades your bonus income and which takes it in full, who accepts your postcode at 90% and who caps it at 80, how your entities are read, what this loan does to the next one. That's the layer a director-led review adds — we take your pinned scenarios and turn them into a lending strategy tested against live credit policy. It costs nothing, and it's the difference between an estimate and an answer.
Calculator Questions, Answered Honestly
- How accurate is the borrowing capacity estimate?
- It's a sound first approximation using the standard 3% assessment buffer, but every lender applies different expense floors, income shading and debt treatment — real-world capacity commonly varies by $50,000–$150,000 between lenders for the same applicant. Use it for direction, then have us model your actual position against specific lender calculators.
- Why do you add 3% to my interest rate?
- Because lenders must. APRA requires serviceability to be assessed at your rate plus a buffer (currently 3 percentage points), so you're approved for repayments you could still afford if rates rose. It's why your borrowing power is lower than the repayment you feel you could manage.
- Does the stamp duty calculator include first home buyer concessions?
- Yes — the Victorian FHB exemption (to $600,000) and sliding concession ($600,001–$750,000). It doesn't model PPR concessions, off-the-plan arrangements or foreign purchaser surcharges; for anything non-standard, ask us for a property-specific figure.
- What's not included in the refinance savings figure?
- Fixed-rate break costs (get a payout figure first), ongoing fee differences between the loans, and any cash-back offers. It also assumes the same remaining term — resetting a 25-year loan to 30 years lowers repayments but can raise lifetime interest. A proper review accounts for all of it.
- Can I save or share my results?
- Pin scenarios as you go — then book a consultation and we'll rebuild your pinned scenarios with live lender policy, or use the calculators on our homepage for downloadable PDF summaries. Nothing you enter here is stored or transmitted; the maths runs entirely in your browser.
- Are these calculators financial advice?
- No — they're general estimation tools that don't consider your full circumstances. Outcomes depend on lender assessment of your complete position. For advice on your situation, book a free consultation; for tax questions (including offset and investment structuring), speak with your accountant.
Turn estimates into a strategy
Bring your pinned scenarios to a free consultation — a director will pressure-test them against live lender policy and show you what's actually achievable.
Book a Free Consultation or call 0401 333 636 (Brian) · 0413 032 898 (Frank)
Reviewed by Brian Hermosilla, Director — 20+ years in banking & finance · Credit Representative 485802 · MFAA Member #716100. All results are estimates only, exclude lender fees and charges unless stated, and do not constitute credit, financial or taxation advice.