DOC PATHWAYS

Home loans without tax returns? With 4 quarters of BAS + ABN ≥ 2 yrs, Halo Loan secures 80% LVR — formal approval in 10 days.

BAS-only is the simplest pathway within alt-doc — income evidenced through 4 quarters of BAS statements alone, no tax returns, no financial statements, no accountant declaration required. Halo Loan works with 12 BAS-only lenders (Pepper, Liberty, Resimac, Bluestone, La Trobe lead the panel), LVR cap 80%, rates from 6.59%, formal approval in as little as 10 days. Fits self-employed borrowers 2+ years into their ABN, GST-registered, who lodge BAS quarterly but don't yet have 2 sets of completed ITR + NOA.

Who this is for

  • ·ABN ≥ 2 years · GST registered · BAS lodged on time each quarter (no late lodgement history)
  • ·Just finished a financial year — tax returns not yet completed (accountant still working / waiting for NOA)
  • ·Taxable income heavily suppressed by add-backs (depreciation, one-off equipment, director's loans dominate)
  • ·Cash-heavy industries (hospitality / retail / services) — BAS turnover already captures the real cash flow accurately

What we handle

  • Cross-check 12 BAS-only lenders: ABN tenure rules, LVR cap, rate loading, BAS completeness requirements per lender
  • BAS data packaging: pick the strongest 4 quarters to present (avoid COVID anomaly quarters / include peak GST quarters)
  • Income annualisation: extrapolate 12-month turnover from 4 quarters of BAS, mapped to each lender's servicing calculation
  • Side-by-side comparison: BAS-only vs alt-doc + bank statements — helps you decide between simplest path (BAS-only) and stronger document combination (alt-doc)

Documentation Pathway Matrix

Find the rate, LVR, and turnaround that matches the documents you can supply.

Full-doc

What you bring

2 yrs ITR + NOA · company financials · BAS

Rate from
6.04%
Max LVR
90%
Turnaround
14–21 days
Lenders
24

Alt-doc

What you bring

6 mo bank statements + BAS / accountant letter · ABN ≥ 1 yr

Rate from
6.49%
Max LVR
80%
Turnaround
14–28 days
Lenders
18

BAS-only

What you bring

4 quarters of BAS · ABN ≥ 2 yrs · GST registered

Rate from
6.59%
Max LVR
80%
Turnaround
10–21 days
Lenders
12

Accountant letter

What you bring

Signed accountant declaration · 6 mo bank statements

Rate from
6.69%
Max LVR
80%
Turnaround
14–21 days
Lenders
8

Indicative only — actual rate and LVR cap subject to lender formal approval.

Honest trade-offs

  • LVR cap 80%, strictest lenders top at 70% (varies by industry + ABN tenure + BAS turnover stability)
  • Rate runs 0.5–1.2% above full-doc (typically 0.55–0.6%). On a $500k loan that's $2,500–$3,000 extra interest per year
  • ABN < 2 years rules you out automatically (unless combined with same-industry PAYG history via alt-doc instead)
  • BAS late lodgement history (any quarter filed late) → some lenders auto-decline; catch up + 6 months of clean lodgements before applying
  • BAS turnover < actual business cash flow (cash receipts not captured in BAS) → BAS-only underestimates you; switch to alt-doc + bank statements pathway so the lender sees the real cash flow

Frequently asked

Is BAS-only simpler or more complex than alt-doc?

BAS-only is the simplest in document prep — just 4 quarters of BAS. Alt-doc is more flexible but requires combining at least 2 documents (BAS + statements + accountant letter). Trade-off: BAS-only has a smaller lender pool (12 vs alt-doc's 18) and rates run 0.1% higher. Decision rule: if your BAS turnover is stable and accurate, BAS-only is the cleanest path. If not, switch to alt-doc and supplement with bank statements.

I report BAS conservatively (under-state turnover). Does BAS-only disadvantage me?

Yes. BAS-only lenders take BAS turnover directly as the income reference — under-reporting equals reduced borrowing capacity. If your actual cash flow (business account deposits) is 30%+ above BAS, switch to alt-doc + bank statements so the lender sees the real cash flow. Halo Loan runs this comparison for you — BAS figures vs actual deposits — and chooses the pathway that maximises your borrowing capacity.

Do the 4 quarters of BAS need to be consecutive? Can they span financial years?

Yes — the most recent 4 consecutive quarters (covering a 12-month trading period) is the standard requirement, and they can span across financial years. For example, you can submit 2025-Q3, 2025-Q4, 2026-Q1, 2026-Q2 together. But if any one quarter was filed late or skipped, some lenders require you to remedy that before reapplying.

Does late BAS lodgement affect approval?

Significantly. Most BAS-only lenders require the last 4 quarters all filed on time. One late quarter that's been remedied: some lenders accept but apply 0.2–0.5% rate loading. Two or more late or skipped quarters: near-certain decline. We recommend catching up first + 6 months of clean lodgement history before applying.

Is the BAS-only rate higher or lower than alt-doc?

BAS-only sits about 0.1% above alt-doc (6.59% vs 6.49%). The rate premium reflects narrower document evidence — lenders see only BAS, with no visibility into cash flow detail, accountant verification, or ITR cross-checks, so the risk premium is slightly higher. The trade-off: prep time is shortest (no accountant appointment, no bank statement organisation), so BAS-only suits speed-priority cases.

My ABN is 18 months old — can I use BAS-only?

Standard BAS-only requires ABN ≥ 2 years, so 18 months doesn't qualify. Two workarounds: (1) alt-doc with 1 year of BAS + bank statements + prior same-industry PAYG history (lenders treat that as income continuity); (2) wait until ABN reaches 24 months and apply BAS-only then. Which path is fastest depends on your numbers — Halo Loan's free 3-minute pre-check calculates both for you.

Next step

3-minute pre-check for bas-only home loans

Drop a few basics. We cross-check 40+ lenders against your situation and return how much you can borrow + which doc pathway is right for you.