Being on probation doesn’t automatically rule you out, but it doesn’t automatically clear you either. Across lenders, probation is one of the least consistently treated factors in a home-loan application, which makes it worth checking specifically rather than assuming either way.
Four different approaches, not one rule
- No probation requirement stated. Some policies don’t treat probation as a separate condition at all, they assess the role and tenure like any other.
- Case-by-case. Some policies can assess an applicant on probation, particularly with a stable history in the same occupation, a short gap between employers, strong current evidence, or a lower LVR.
- Must be completed. Some policies simply require probation to be finished before the application proceeds, with limited exceptions.
- Combined conditions. Some policies pair probation with a minimum current-role or same-industry tenure requirement, rather than treating probation alone as the deciding factor.
What tends to help a probation-period application
A long, continuous history in the same occupation or industry before the current role; a short or non-existent gap between the previous job and this one; clear payslip and YTD evidence; and a lower LVR (which reduces the lender’s exposure and, under some policies, its evidence requirements too). None of these guarantee anything on their own, they’re the factors that tend to matter across lenders.
What doesn’t help
Waiting quietly and hoping probation “won’t come up” is not a strategy, most standard employment verification checks the start date and current status directly. If your probation period is a genuine part of your scenario, it’s better to know in advance which lender policies actually work with it than to find out after an application has already gone in.
What to prepare
- Employment contract showing your start date and probation terms
- Recent payslip(s)
- A simple summary of your employment history before this role, especially if it’s in the same field
Next step: see the Scenario Lens‘s Permanent PAYG tab for the full evidence pathway, or talk with KartikKumar about your specific probation timing.