Will banks count my chef overtime as income?

Depends on lender. Some 80%; others 100% with 12+ months overtime history.

I work casual at 2 different restaurants. Will lenders accept that?

Yes — multi-venue casual income acceptable. Some lenders much better than others.

How much can I borrow as a chef on $80K?

On $80K total + 20% deposit: typically $550K–$700K.

Should I include my cash tips in income?

Only declared tips that show in tax returns count. Talk to your accountant about declaring properly.

I'm a head chef on $120K base + overtime. What's my borrowing capacity?

On $140K total + 20% deposit: typically $900K–$1.1M depending on debts.

Speak to a Broker Now — 0432 634 648 · Mon–Sat 9am–7pm

Chef / Hospitality

Chef Home Loan Australia: Lending for Hospitality Income

Mortgagefy Broker Team · Published 2026-04-29 · Last reviewed 2026-04-29

Chef income — late shifts, casual loadings, sometimes multiple venues, occasional cash tips — banks default to conservative assessments. Mortgagefy knows lenders who count it properly.

Start Your Free Assessment 0432 634 648

Who this guide is for

Australian chefs and hospitality workers wanting home loans that recognise actual income — including overtime, weekend penalties and shift loadings.

Full-time chefs in restaurants, hotels, catering and venues
Casual chefs working multiple kitchens or events
Head chefs and sous chefs with strong base + overtime income
South Asian chefs in Indian/Bangladeshi/Pakistani kitchens needing language support

The real challenge

Hospitality income is one of the trickier sectors for home loans. Casual loadings, weekend penalties and shift loadings can be 30–50% of total income — and major banks discount these aggressively. Multiple-employer chefs face additional scrutiny.

Specialist lenders count overtime and shift loadings at 100% with consistent history.

How Mortgagefy helps

Mortgagefy works with lenders who properly assess chef income. We document overtime and shift loadings, choose lenders that count them at 100%, and identify lenders comfortable with multi-venue casual chef applications.

Free advice. Honest assessment.

How it works — 4 simple steps

Free chef chat

20-minute call about your venue(s), shifts, overtime patterns and target home.

Compare lender options

We identify which lenders maximise borrowing for chef income.

Application package

We compile your payslips, employment letters, tax returns and supporting documents.

Settle your home

Approval through to settlement with ongoing support.

Frequently asked questions

We use offer letters and vesting schedules to value RSUs conservatively. We present current vesting value + projected future vesting as a 3-5 year income average. This gives lenders confidence in your income stability while accounting for market volatility.

Both. We work with W2 employees, 1099 contractors, and consultants. For contractors, we use 2 years of tax returns plus business financials. We have lenders who specialise in contractor income—they understand the variability.

Unvested options have zero value for refinancing. We count only vested equity. If you have a 4-year vest, we use 25% of the grant value (what's vested) plus a conservative projection of future vesting.

If you've been in your new role 6+ months, most lenders will refinance. We'll use your offer letter plus 6 months of pay stubs. If less than 6 months, it's harder but possible with specialist lenders.

Yes, if you have 2+ years of bonus history. We average the past 2 years and present it conservatively. Some bonuses get counted at 50% to be conservative with variable compensation.

ESPP is counted as deferred compensation. If your company matches or you have a discount, we value it as part of total compensation package.

Get a chef home loan assessment

Free 20-minute call about your real options as a chef. We count overtime properly.

Start Your Free Assessment Call 0432 634 648

Get your personalised answer in 2 minutes

Free, no obligation. We'll match you with the right lender for your situation.

Model your scenarios: Use our free home loan calculators to estimate borrowing capacity, repayments, and savings.