Free NZ mortgage tool
Enter your income, household, deposit and any debts to get an indicative borrowing range. It works the way NZ banks do: it checks you could still afford the loan at a higher rate than you’d actually pay.
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Be honest about debts and credit card limits. Banks count the limit on a card, not the balance, so a card you never use still reduces what you can borrow.
Indicative only
Eight questions. About a minute. You'll get an indicative borrowing range and see exactly which factor is holding it back.
Before tax, including regular overtime or bonuses
Enter 0 if they're not earning
Lenders typically count around 75% of this
Savings, KiwiSaver, gifted funds or equity in a property you own
The total limit, not the balance. Limits count even when unused.
Car, personal, hire purchase, buy-now-pay-later
Indicative only · subject to lender assessment
Estimated lending
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What's setting your ceiling
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This is a rough model using one set of assumptions. Every lender scales income, debt and expenses differently — the real number is often meaningfully different in either direction. We'd love to help you work out what's actually achievable.
Book a 15-minute chatThis calculator produces an indicative estimate only. It is not an offer of finance, a pre-approval, or personalised financial advice. Figures are based on general assumptions about test rates, living costs and lending criteria, and do not reflect any particular lender's policy. Actual borrowing depends on a full assessment of your income, expenses, credit history, property and circumstances. Lender approval criteria apply. Mortgage Sense, FSP1007497.
Three things usually set the ceiling, and whichever is lowest wins.
Servicing. The bank checks that your income covers your living costs, your other debts and the new loan at a test rate. The test rate is higher than advertised rates, so there’s room if rates rise. Each bank sets its own.
Deposit. Reserve Bank rules limit how much banks can lend to owner-occupiers with less than a 20% deposit, and to investors with less than 30%. Banks can still do some of this lending, so a smaller deposit is possible, but it’s rationed. The deposit calculator shows where you sit.
Debt-to-income. Banks can only make a limited share of their lending to owner-occupiers borrowing more than six times their gross income, or investors borrowing more than seven times. It’s a limit on each bank’s total lending rather than a hard cap for every borrower, and new builds are exempt.
For the full detail, including an illustrative borrowing table by income, read how much can I borrow in NZ.
It gives you a sensible range, not an approval. Every bank uses its own test rate, living-cost benchmarks and income rules, and they change during the year. A full assessment against live lender policy is the only way to get a firm number.
Banks treat bonuses, overtime, rental income, boarder income and self-employed income differently, and they use different test rates. The same household can get noticeably different answers, which is one of the main reasons people use an adviser.
Yes. Banks count part of the card limit as a monthly cost even if you clear it every month. Buy now pay later accounts and car loans count too. I explain how in how credit cards, Afterpay and car loans affect what you can borrow.
It gives you a rough idea, but self-employed income is assessed differently. Banks usually look at your last two years of accounts and add back some expenses. See how NZ banks assess self-employed income.
If the range looks close to what you need, get pre-approval before you start house hunting. Book a free chat and I’ll run your numbers against current lender policy.