Home Loans for Dentists in Australia (2026): 90% No-LMI Lending
The 90% LMI waiver most dentists are never told about.
Few professions get a warmer reception from Australian lenders than dentists. As a registered dental practitioner, you can often borrow up to 90 per cent of a property's value, and higher with some lenders, without paying lenders mortgage insurance. That waiver can save tens of thousands of dollars, but it is not automatic and it is not offered everywhere. It comes down to which lender you approach, how your income is structured, and how that income is presented. This page explains how the dentist LMI waiver works, who qualifies, how practice owners and contractors are assessed, and how Everstone matches you to the right lender. Planning to own the chair as well as sit in it? Our guide to buying a dental or medical practice covers the financing.
- Registered dentists can access an LMI waiver up to 90 per cent of the property value, and higher with select lenders, saving tens of thousands in insurance premiums.
- Dental specialists such as orthodontists, periodontists and oral surgeons are often viewed even more favourably and may reach a higher LVR with some lenders.
- The waiver applies to PAYG dentists, ABN contractors and self-employed practice owners, but each income type is assessed differently.
- Lender policy varies widely. One lender will waive LMI for a dentist that another declines outright, so the lender you choose decides the outcome.
- Eligibility depends on current AHPRA registration and the lender accepting your occupation, not on a fixed income floor at every institution.
- What is the dentist LMI waiver?
- Which dentists qualify for the waiver?
- Dentist home loans: what rates and terms can you expect?
- New graduates and first-year dentists
- How are self-employed and practice-owner dentists assessed?
- What documents you need
- How Everstone helps dentists secure the waiver
- Home loans for dentists FAQs
What is the dentist LMI waiver?
The dentist LMI waiver lets registered dentists borrow up to 90 per cent of a property's value, and higher with some lenders, without paying lenders mortgage insurance. Lenders extend this because dentists show stable, high incomes and very low default rates. The premium is waived rather than discounted, which can save tens of thousands of dollars.
Lenders mortgage insurance normally applies when you borrow more than 80 per cent of a property's value. It protects the lender, not you, and the cost climbs sharply as the loan grows. For high-income, low-risk professions, a number of lenders waive that premium entirely. Dentists qualify for this treatment because their incomes are strong and predictable and their default history is among the lowest on lenders' books. The practical effect is that you can buy with a smaller deposit, or keep more of your savings, while avoiding a premium that on a larger purchase can run well into the tens of thousands. Dental specialists are frequently assessed even more generously, and with select lenders the waiver can extend beyond 90 per cent. We avoid quoting a single fixed figure because the exact ceiling differs by lender and by your circumstances, which is precisely why the lender you approach matters.
Which dentists qualify for the waiver?
Dentists and dental specialists with current AHPRA registration generally qualify. This covers general dentists, orthodontists, periodontists, endodontists, prosthodontists and oral surgeons. Eligibility depends on the lender accepting your occupation and registration, not on meeting a single income threshold everywhere, since policies vary considerably between lenders.
The starting point is current registration with AHPRA as a dental practitioner. From there, eligibility hinges on the individual lender's published professional list and how it defines an eligible dentist. General dentists are widely accepted. Recognised dental specialists, including orthodontists, periodontists, endodontists, prosthodontists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons, are often treated even more favourably and may reach a higher LVR with certain lenders. The catch is divergence between lenders. One lender's policy will waive LMI for a given dentist while another declines the same applicant, and some lenders apply an income expectation while others do not. Because there is no universal standard, qualifying is less about whether you are a dentist and more about being matched to a lender whose policy fits your registration, income type and the property you are buying. Our role is to know which lender says yes to your specific situation. This mirrors the approach we take for related professions, including doctors. The same list covers veterinarians too, covered in our guide to home loans for veterinarians.
Dentist home loans: what rates and terms can you expect?
There is no separate rate card for dentist home loans. Lenders price dentists on their professional packages, which sit at the sharp end of standard pricing, and the LMI waiver usually saves far more than a small rate difference. We compare the whole cost of the mortgage, not just the headline rate.
Professional-package pricing typically pairs a competitive variable or fixed rate with an offset account and an annual package fee, and lenders compete hard for dental professionals within that structure. As a dentist you will usually be offered pricing at the stronger end of what each lender writes, and we negotiate from there, because the advertised rate and the discount actually approved are rarely the same thing.
The more useful way to think about it is that the waiver usually outweighs small rate differences. A mortgage with a marginally lower rate but a five-figure LMI premium is often the worse deal than a slightly higher rate with the premium waived, especially if you expect to refinance or move within a few years. Terms are otherwise standard: loan terms up to 30 years, principal and interest or interest only, and fixed, variable or split structures. How the waiver interacts with pricing across occupations is covered in our guide to the 90 per cent LMI waiver for professionals.
New graduates and first-year dentists
Yes, new graduates can qualify. Lenders that offer the dentist waiver generally accept newly registered dentists with only a short employment history, provided you hold current AHPRA registration and can show a signed contract or your first payslips. Some will lend while you are still in probation.
Most occupations need time in a role before a lender will consider a high-LVR loan. Dentistry is an exception. A dental degree plus current AHPRA registration reads as the start of a long, stable earning career, so many lenders will accept a first-year dentist only months into an associate role. A signed contract and early payslips are often enough, and percentage-of-billings arrangements can work where the lender annualises the income sensibly. You will still need a deposit and evidence of savings behaviour, and lender choice matters even more at this stage, because policies on short employment history vary as widely as the waiver itself.
How are self-employed and practice-owner dentists assessed?
Self-employed and practice-owner dentists are assessed on taxable income from tax returns and business financials, not turnover. Lenders typically want two years of returns, though some accept one. Add-backs such as depreciation and retained profit can lift assessable income. Practice structure, whether sole trader, company or trust, changes which lenders suit you.
If you own or part-own a practice, lenders look at your taxable income across your personal and business returns rather than what the practice bills. Most want two years of tax returns and notices of assessment, supported by business financials, ABN and GST details and recent bank statements, although some lenders will work from a single year where income is established and consistent. Add-backs matter here. Items like depreciation, voluntary superannuation, one-off expenses and retained company profit can be added back to your assessable income, which often lifts your borrowing capacity meaningfully. Your structure shapes the lender choice: a sole trader is read from personal returns, a company director may benefit from retained-profit add-backs, and a discretionary trust needs a lender comfortable with that structure. ABN contractors and associate dentists working under service agreements sit somewhere in between and are assessed on their declared income and contract history. The waiver is still available to self-employed dentists, but only with lenders whose self-employed policy and structure tolerance align with how your practice is set up. You can read more on our guide to self-employed home loans in Australia.
What documents you need
The checklist depends on how you earn. Three common situations cover most of the dentists we work with.
| How you work | What lenders usually want |
|---|---|
| Employed associate (PAYG) | Photo ID, current AHPRA registration, two recent payslips, your employment contract, and statements showing your deposit and savings. |
| Contractor (ABN) | Photo ID, current AHPRA registration, your service agreement or contract, ABN details, and recent bank statements showing income. Some lenders also ask for a year of tax returns. |
| Practice owner | Photo ID, current AHPRA registration, one to two years of personal and business tax returns with notices of assessment, business financials, and ABN and GST details. |
How Everstone helps dentists secure the waiver
Everstone is an independent broker comparing more than 40 lenders. We identify which lenders waive LMI for your specific occupation, income type and structure, present your income to each lender's method, and structure practice-owner applications correctly. Our advice is free because the lender pays us on settlement, not you.
Because the waiver lives in the fine print of each lender's policy, the value of a broker is knowing where to take your application before you apply. We compare more than 40 lenders, identify which ones waive LMI for your registration and income type, and confirm the LVR ceiling available to you rather than guessing at it. For PAYG and contractor dentists, that means presenting income, allowances and contract arrangements the way each lender assesses them. For practice owners, it means structuring the application around your entity, surfacing legitimate add-backs and choosing lenders comfortable with companies and trusts. We are independent and ex-bankers, so we know how these policies are actually applied behind the published lists. Our advice costs you nothing because the lender pays us when your loan settles, which keeps our incentive aligned with finding you the right outcome rather than the nearest one.
A dentist buying or refinancing?
Tell us your role and income setup. We will work out the lenders that waive LMI for dentists and match you to the sharpest deal. No cost, no obligation.
Talk to an ex-bankerHome loans for dentists FAQs
Can dentists get a home loan without paying LMI?
Yes. Registered dentists can access an LMI waiver up to 90 per cent of the property value, and higher with some lenders, without paying lenders mortgage insurance. The waiver is not offered by every lender, so the outcome depends on which lender you approach and how your income is presented.
How much can a dentist borrow without LMI?
Most lenders that offer the dentist waiver allow borrowing up to 90 per cent of the property value without LMI, and some go higher, particularly for recognised dental specialists. The exact ceiling varies by lender and by your income type and structure, so we confirm what you specifically qualify for rather than quoting one fixed number.
Are dentist home loans cheaper than standard loans?
Not through a special advertised rate. Dentists are priced on each lender's professional package, which sits at the sharp end of standard pricing rather than below it. The genuine saving is the LMI waiver, which usually outweighs a small rate difference, so we compare the whole cost of the loan rather than the headline rate.
Do dental specialists get better terms than general dentists?
Often, yes. Recognised specialists such as orthodontists, periodontists, endodontists, prosthodontists and oral surgeons are frequently viewed even more favourably, and with certain lenders may reach a higher LVR than a general dentist. As with all of these policies, the benefit depends on the individual lender's published professional list.
Can a new graduate dentist get the 90% no LMI deal?
Generally, yes. Lenders that offer the dentist waiver will usually accept a newly registered dentist with a short employment history, provided you hold current AHPRA registration and can show a signed contract or your first payslips. You still need a deposit and evidence of genuine savings, and policies vary between lenders, so where you apply matters.
Can self-employed dentists and practice owners qualify for the waiver?
Yes. The waiver is available to self-employed and practice-owner dentists, but income is assessed on your tax returns and business financials rather than turnover, and your structure matters. Sole traders, company directors and trusts each suit different lenders, so the practice-owner path is about matching your setup to the right lender.
What does a dentist need to prove to access the waiver?
At minimum, current AHPRA registration as a dental practitioner, plus standard income evidence. PAYG dentists provide payslips and a contract, while self-employed dentists provide tax returns, notices of assessment and business financials. The lender then confirms your occupation qualifies under its professional policy.
Does Everstone charge dentists for arranging the loan?
No. Everstone's advice is free to you because the lender pays us a commission when your loan settles. We are an independent broker comparing more than 40 lenders, and our role is to find the lender whose policy waives LMI for your occupation, income type and practice structure, at no cost to you.
Related guides
Important information
This guide is part of our home loans for professionals series covering every occupation that can buy with no LMI.