For accountants For accountants: refer a client, keep the tax advice
I’m a Chartered Accountant (FCA, ICAEW) who became a home loan broker. When you refer a client, you keep the tax advice and the relationship. I handle the credit side, and I can read the financials you prepared the way you’d want a lender to.
Key takeaways
- You keep tax advice, structuring and lodgement. I give credit assistance only, under the best interests duty.
- Four checks before you refer a business client with tax debt: viable, lodged, equity, review.
- The return that minimises tax can also minimise borrowing. Ask business clients once a year if they’re buying in the next 18 months.
- Nothing is shared without your client’s consent, and I report back to you only with it.
How a referral works
- You introduce the client, with their consent, by email or a short call. Send whatever figures they’re happy to share.
- I work out their real number: what lenders would make of their income, what they could borrow, the costs, and which lenders fit.
- The client decides. If they go ahead, I manage the application to settlement and review the loan every six months.
- I keep you in the loop, with the client’s consent, so lending decisions don’t surprise you at tax time.
What you keep, what I handle
| You, the accountant | Me, the broker |
|---|---|
| Tax advice and planning | Credit assistance and lender choice |
| Business and trust structure | How each lender reads that structure |
| Preparing and lodging returns | The application, from pre-approval to settlement |
| The ATO relationship and payment plans | Whether a lender accepts the plan, or pays the debt out |
| The client relationship | A six-monthly loan review after settlement |
Four checks before you refer a client with tax debt
Refinancing ATO debt only helps a good business with a historical debt. If any check fails, the answer is usually with you, not a lender.
- 1 · Viable
Is the business trading profitably now?
The debt should be historical, not still growing. A business using the house to stay afloat needs a different conversation.
- 2 · Lodged
Are returns and BAS up to date?
Most lenders won’t look at an ATO debt until lodgements are current, because unlodged returns can hide more debt.
- 3 · Equity
Is there equity in property?
Paying out the debt needs room in the home’s value. Without it, a payment plan is usually the realistic option.
- 4 · Review
Would refinancing cost more than the plan?
Over 25 years, it usually would. It makes sense for cash flow or to protect the credit file, with a plan to pay it down. I show the client both sides.
The full comparison, with rates, terms and total interest, is on home loans with ATO debt.
Before you lodge
The return that minimises tax can also minimise what a client could borrow. Most lenders build income from the last two lodged returns, add back items such as depreciation, and some ignore profit left in a company.
So the most useful question you can ask a business client is simple: are you planning to buy or refinance in the next 18 months? If they are, a conversation before the return is prepared lets you weigh the tax position with the lending in view. How you prepare the return is always your call.
What I need from you, with the client’s consent
- The last two years of returns and financial statements, and trust returns if relevant.
- Notices of assessment, and recent BAS or management accounts.
- The ATO statement and any payment plan.
- A note on any add-backs or one-off items, which lenders will want explained.
Why refer to a Chartered Accountant mortgage broker?
Because I read financial statements the way you do. I can see the add-backs, what the balance sheet says about retained profits, and where a lender will push back, before the application goes in.
I’m a Fellow of the ICAEW. I don’t give tax advice in my broking work, and I won’t second-guess yours. What I bring is the lending side: which lender reads your client’s structure best, and the true cost of each option, in writing.
Talk to me first
Call me on 0468 387 878 or email [email protected]. I’m based in Padstow and work with accountants and their clients across Australia.
FAQ Questions accountants ask
How does an accountant referral to a mortgage broker work?
With your client’s consent, you introduce them and share the figures they agree to share. I work out their real number and which lenders fit, then the client decides what to do. With the client’s consent, I tell you what I found, so tax and lending stay joined up.
Will you give my client tax advice?
No. Tax advice, structuring and lodgement stay with you. I give credit assistance only: which lenders fit, what the client could borrow, the true cost of each option, and the application through to settlement.
What do you need from me to start?
Only what your client agrees to share. Usually the last two years of returns and financial statements, notices of assessment, recent BAS, and an ATO statement if there’s a tax debt. A short note on any add-backs or one-off items saves a lender’s questions later.
Should my accountant refer me to a mortgage broker?
If you’re self-employed, it often helps. A broker who can read your financials can find the lenders that treat your income best, and your accountant knows the figures better than anyone. What matters is that the referral is disclosed and both of you stay in your own lane.
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