Document
Tax returns and notices of assessment
Lodged returns for you and every entity, plus the ATO notice confirming what was assessed.
What an assessor reads in it
- Declared taxable income, which is the starting figure before add-backs
- Whether the return and the notice agree
- Whether there is an outstanding liability or a payment arrangement
How to prepare it
- Lodge every outstanding year before applying — this is the single most common blocker
- Have the notice as well as the return; one without the other is incomplete
- Know which add-backs your accountant applied and why
What spoils it: Years of aggressive minimisation followed by an application to borrow against income you never declared. Lenders assess the declared figure, with only recognised add-backs.
Where it comes from
General information about how Australian lenders assess self-employed income. Lender policy differs and changes, and tax and lodgement rules are set by the ATO; each page links to the body that sets the rule. Reviewed 17 August 2026.
The other documents
Business activity statementsQuarterly statements lodged with the ATO reporting GST collected and paid, and often PAYG instalments.Business bank statementsSix to twelve months of the trading account the business actually operates through.Accountant's declarationA letter from a qualified accountant confirming that the income figure you have declared is consistent with what they know of the business.Contracts and invoicesFor contractors and labour-hire workers: the current contract, its history of renewal, and the invoices behind the payments.