Big banks demand 2 years of full tax returns? Halo Loan packages BAS + bank statements + accountant letter as alt-doc evidence — formal approval in as little as 5 business days.

Alt-doc is more flexible — you can mix BAS + bank statements + accountant letter + 1 year ITR in any combination to evidence income. BAS-only is the strictest subset of alt-doc, accepting only 4 quarters of BAS with no other documents. Alt-doc has 18 lenders on panel vs BAS-only's 12, and alt-doc rates run about 0.1% lower. We recommend alt-doc first because it gives broader document flexibility.

Typical spread is 0.45% (full-doc 6.04% vs alt-doc 6.49%). On a $500k loan that's about $2,250 extra interest per year, $4,500 over two years. But during a 2-year wait for full ITR, Melbourne core suburbs at 5% growth means $35k+ in property appreciation. The real calculation is 'cost of waiting vs rate premium' — for most self-employed borrowers, alt-doc entry now beats the wait.

Yes, but the lender pool narrows to 6–8 specialists (Pepper / Liberty / Resimac / Bluestone / La Trobe primarily), with rate loading of 0.5–1%. If you had 8+ years of PAYG income in the same industry before going self-employed, some lenders treat that PAYG history as income continuity — you'll capture a rate closer to mainstream. The exact picture depends on ABN start date and industry continuity.

Once you've accumulated 2 consecutive years of ITR + NOA (usually 2 years into the alt-doc loan), you can apply for a full-doc refinance. Steps: (1) complete tax returns for 2 financial years with your accountant, (2) receive ATO NOA confirmations, (3) Halo Loan runs the refinance assessment — most cases save 0.3–0.5%, which on a $500k loan is $1,500–$2,500 per year. Note alt-doc lenders typically have no break cost penalty (unless you locked a fixed rate).

Depends on amount + history. ATO debt < $10k with payment plan honoured 6+ months: some alt-doc lenders accept. Debt > $10k or fresh payment plan: near-certain decline. We recommend either clearing the ATO debt or negotiating it under $10k with 6 months of clean repayment before applying. Critical: ALWAYS disclose at application — lenders verify ATO position, concealment triggers automatic decline plus a blacklist note.

PR / TR holders with 6+ months of Australian business cash flow: alt-doc is available, but the lender pool is smaller (4–6 lenders), LVR cap drops to 70% (deposit 30%+), and rate loading is 0.5–1%. Temporary visas (student / tourist): essentially not workable until you have Australian residency + local income history. FIRB approval + foreign-buyer stamp duty surcharges are separate costs to budget.