Home Loans for Midwives

A midwife home loan is a home loan placed through a mortgage broker for nurses who understands how midwifery income works and which lenders treat it accurately. Midwives employed in hospital settings typically earn a combination of base salary, shift loadings, overtime and penalty rates. Midwives working in continuity of care or caseload models may also receive on-call allowances or earn self-employed income. How a lender treats each of these components directly affects borrowing capacity, and the gap between lenders can be tens of thousands of dollars.

A broker who focuses on home loans for nurses and midwives knows which lenders assess midwifery income in full, which offer LMI waivers specifically for registered midwives, and how to position your application to reflect what you actually earn rather than a discounted version of it.

Who Qualifies for Midwife Home Loans

Home loans for midwives are available to registered midwives holding current AHPRA registration who are working in Australia. This includes midwives employed in public hospitals, private hospitals, birth centres, community midwifery programs and midwifery group practices. Midwives working in caseload or continuity of care models, including those operating as sole practitioners or through a company structure, may also qualify depending on the lender. If you are self-employed, visit our self-employed loans for midwives page to see how that income is assessed.

Eligibility for specific benefits such as LMI waivers and enhanced income assessment depends on the lender, your registration type and your income level. Our brokers can confirm which options apply to your role and circumstances.

LMI Waivers for Midwives

Lenders Mortgage Insurance can add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of purchasing a property. Registered midwives may be able to have it waived entirely at select lenders.

Westpac Group lenders, including Westpac, St George Bank, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA, may waive LMI for registered midwives borrowing up to 90% LVR, subject to a minimum annual income of $90,000. The maximum loan amount under this waiver is $5 million, with total lending with LMI waiver up to $7.5 million. Principal and interest repayments are required, and evidence of current AHPRA registration must be provided with the application.

Bankwest may also offer an LMI waiver for eligible professionals in the medical category, with loans up to $2 million at a maximum LVR of 89.99%, or up to $3 million at a maximum LVR of 84.99%. Loan purposes can include purchase, refinance, construction or renovation of an owner-occupied or investment property. Applications involving foreign income or family support guarantees are not eligible.

Commonwealth Bank's Professionals Offer does not currently extend to midwives. NAB's LMI waiver policy covers a range of medical practitioners including dentists, GPs, surgeons and pharmacists, but does not currently list midwives as an eligible profession.

Midwives who do not meet the criteria for a lender LMI waiver may still be able to avoid LMI entirely through the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme. Visit our no LMI loans for midwives page for a full breakdown of how midwives can purchase without paying LMI.

How Midwifery Income is Assessed

Midwifery income often includes components well beyond base salary. Shift loadings, overtime, penalty rates, on-call allowances and weekend rates can form a substantial portion of total earnings. How lenders treat this income varies, and that variation directly affects how much you can borrow.

Westpac Group lenders may assess overtime and allowances at 100% for hospital-employed nurses and midwives under their Emergency Services Policy, provided the applicant has been in their current role for a qualifying period. Suncorp may also assess overtime and allowances at 100% for essential services workers, including nurses, where the income can be confirmed as regular and ongoing and the applicant has been in their current employment for at least three months with probation passed, or has performed a similar role for at least 12 months. UBank may assess 100% of base salary, allowances and overtime income for eligible medical and health workers under specific occupation codes. Standard lender treatment of overtime and allowances for non-essential services workers is typically 80% or less.

For midwives on casual or agency contracts, some lenders accept six months of consistent income history, while others require 12 months. Suncorp may accept casual income earned continuously for six months or more at 100%. Bankwest validates casual income using year-to-date payslip figures, annualised over the period shown. A PAYG summary or income statement is required where three months of year-to-date data is not evident on the payslip.

The way a lender treats midwifery income can change your borrowing capacity significantly. A broker who works with mortgages for nurses and midwives every day can match your application with the lender that takes the most accurate view of your income structure.

Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme for Midwives

The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme may allow eligible first home buyers, including midwives, to purchase a property with a 5% deposit and no LMI. Eligible single parents and single legal guardians may be able to purchase with as little as a 2% deposit. From 1 October 2025, the Australian Government expanded the scheme by removing income caps and uncapping the number of available places. Property price caps still apply, and the property must be in Australia and priced at or below the location's price cap.

The scheme cannot be used together with the Help to Buy Scheme for the same purchase, but it may be combined with the First Home Owner Grant and stamp duty concessions. Applications are made through participating lenders, not directly with Housing Australia. Visit our 5% Deposit Scheme for nurses page for a full breakdown.

For midwives who do not qualify for a lender LMI waiver, or whose income sits below the $90,000 threshold, this scheme may be the most direct route to purchasing with a reduced deposit and no LMI. Our brokers can confirm eligibility and help determine whether the scheme or a lender LMI waiver provides the more favourable outcome for your situation.

Parental Leave and Midwife Home Loans

Parental leave is a common consideration for midwives applying for a home loan. Westpac Group lenders offer options for borrowers going on or currently on parental leave, including pausing repayments or switching to interest-only for the parental leave period, reducing repayments by up to 50% for up to six months, or accessing excess payment funds for a certain period. Return-to-work income can also be considered as part of the borrowing power assessment. Interest continues to accrue on the loan balance during any pause or reduction.

Lender policies on parental leave vary. Our brokers can assess your situation and confirm which lenders accommodate parental leave arrangements without significantly reducing your borrowing capacity.

Types of Home Loans Available to Midwives

Home loans for midwives come in a range of structures to suit different financial goals. The main options include fixed rate loans, variable rate loans, split loans combining both, loans with offset accounts, and interest-only loans. A fixed rate loan provides certainty over repayments for a set period, while a variable rate loan offers flexibility and the ability to make extra repayments. If you are looking at property investment, visit our investment loans for midwives page. If you are looking at refinancing, we can help assess whether switching to a different loan structure or lender could work in your favour.

How Nurse Loans Helps Midwives Get Home Loans Approved

Nurse Loans provides access to 70+ banks and lenders and over 2,000 loan products across Australia. Our brokers understand how midwifery income is structured across hospital, community and caseload settings, and which lenders assess it most accurately. We identify LMI waiver eligibility, confirm government scheme options, and position each application to reflect the full scope of your earnings. Whether you are buying your first home, refinancing, or investing, we manage the research, comparison and application process from pre-approval through to settlement.

Step 1: Free consultation about your midwifery income and goals

We start by understanding your income structure in detail, including base salary, shift loadings, overtime, penalty rates, on-call allowances and any salary packaging arrangements through your employer. We ask about your roster pattern, your employment type and whether you work across multiple employers or through an agency. If you are a self-employed midwife operating in a caseload or continuity of care model, we discuss how that income is documented. This shapes every decision that follows, including which lenders we approach and how your application is presented.

Step 2: Confirm your LMI waiver and scheme eligibility

Before we assess borrowing capacity, we confirm whether you qualify for an LMI waiver as a registered midwife. Westpac Group lenders may waive LMI at up to 90% LVR for registered midwives earning a minimum of $90,000 per year, and Bankwest may offer a waiver for eligible medical professionals. We also check whether you qualify for the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, which from 1 October 2025 has no income caps and no limit on available places. Getting this right at the outset can save you tens of thousands of dollars and determines your deposit strategy.

Step 3: Assess your borrowing capacity using lenders that recognise midwifery income

We calculate how much you can borrow using lenders that assess your midwifery income accurately. Where possible, we place your application with lenders that assess overtime and allowances at 100% for hospital-employed midwives rather than discounting them to 80% or less. We also factor in HECS debt, existing commitments and living expenses so there are no surprises later. If your income includes casual, agency or on-call components, we identify which lenders take the most favourable view of that structure.

Step 4: Compare loan options across 70+ lenders

We research and compare home loans across our full lender panel, including fixed, variable, split and offset products. We present you with the options that suit your goals, explain the trade-offs of each clearly, and confirm which loans can be paired with any LMI waiver or government scheme you are eligible for.

Step 5: Prepare and lodge your pre-approval application

We prepare your complete application, including payslips that show your shift income breakdown, your employment contract or agency agreement, AHPRA registration confirmation and all supporting documents. For midwives on rotating rosters, we ensure the payslips and income evidence presented reflect your actual earning pattern. A strong application from the outset reduces back-and-forth with lenders and speeds up pre-approval.

Step 6: Manage your formal application through to approval

Once you have found a property, we submit the formal application, manage all lender queries and keep you updated throughout. We handle the process so you are not chasing emails between shifts or during on-call periods.

Step 7: Settlement and beyond

We coordinate with your solicitor or conveyancer through to settlement. After settlement, we remain available for loan reviews, refinancing conversations and future property plans, including investment loans and expanding your property portfolio. We check in regularly to make sure your loan continues to work as hard as your income does.