Dentist home loans: no LMI, up to 95%
Yes, a dentist can buy with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance (LMI). Westpac Group, ANZ and NAB waive it for dentists up to 95% of the property's value, and CommBank and Bankwest up to 89.99%, each with its own conditions. Suncorp's waiver doesn't cover dentists. On a $1,000,000 home at 95%, the waiver saves about $43,500.
Which lenders waive LMI for dentists, and to what limit
For a dentist buying a home to live in, from each lender's own policy as checked on 1 October 2026.
| Lender | Highest loan without LMI | Who the policy names | Main conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westpac Group (Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA) | 95% | Dentists, in its first medical group | Principal and interest; no minimum income; loans up to $5 million |
| ANZ | 95%, or 90% if your debts are 6 times your income or more | Dental practitioners, in its first medical group | General or specialist registration only; principal and interest; no bridging loans or family guarantees |
| NAB | 95% | Dental, excluding hygienists | AHPRA registration; your main income from the profession; property up to $4.5 million |
| CommBank | 89.99% | Dentists | Its medical package; principal and interest |
| Bankwest | 89.99% on loans up to $2 million, 84.99% up to $3 million | Dentists, among more than 40 specialities | Principal and interest; in your own name, not a company or trust |
Suncorp's medical waiver is for medical practitioners only, so dentists aren't eligible. ING and AMP don't offer a professional LMI waiver. Every lender still applies its normal credit tests: the waiver removes LMI, not the assessment.
Which dental roles qualify, and where the line falls
Dentists, general or specialist.
All five lenders above take a registered dentist. ANZ asks for general or specialist registration, and its group names AHPRA specialists, so orthodontists, oral surgeons and other dental specialists sit in the same tier.
Dental hygienists, at NAB: no.
NAB's policy takes dental practitioners but leaves out hygienists by name. Westpac Group, CommBank and Bankwest name dentists, not hygienists or therapists, so a hygienist shouldn't assume the dentist tier applies.
Therapists, oral health therapists and prosthetists: ask first.
ANZ's group says "dental practitioner", the wider registration term. Whether it reaches these roles is a question to settle with the lender before you apply, not after.
New graduates and your registration type
The Dental Board of Australia registers dentists as general, specialist, limited, non-practising or student. A new graduate with general registration meets ANZ's test from day one; a dentist on limited or non-practising registration doesn't.
Westpac Group sets no minimum income for dentists, so a first-year associate's salary isn't held against the waiver itself. Every lender still checks that your income carries the repayments, and most want to see a stretch of time in your current role. If you're starting out, that history matters as much as the registration.
Associate, contractor or practice owner: three different applications
The waiver depends on your registration. The borrowing depends on how you're paid, and dentistry has three ways.
Employed associate.
Paid a salary through payroll, with payslips and a contract. This is the simplest case: lenders read your payslip and the waiver does the rest.
Contractor on a service agreement.
Paid a share of your billings through your own ABN, as most associates are. Most lenders read this as self-employed income, so they ask for tax returns rather than payslips, and usually two years of them.
Practice owner.
Your income comes through the practice, often a company or trust. Lenders read the business's financial statements and your tax returns. Bankwest's waiver is for loans in your own name only, and NAB's needs your main income to come from the profession.
Buying into a practice while buying a home
This is the real situation for many dentists, and it's one decision, not two. Any loan you're personally on for the practice, its fit-out or its equipment counts against what you can borrow for the home, and so does a guarantee you sign for the practice's company.
The order matters. Buy the home first and the practice lender sees a larger personal debt; buy into the practice first and the home lender may want to see a full year of your new income before it counts it. Work out both loans on one page before you sign either contract.
What the waiver is worth, in dollars
LMI on a 95% loan to buy a home to live in, on one lender's standard rates. With a waiver, you don't pay it.
| Purchase price | Loan at 95% | LMI without a waiver |
|---|---|---|
| $800,000 | $760,000 | about $34,800 |
| $1,000,000 | $950,000 | about $43,500 |
| $1,200,000 | $1,140,000 | about $57,500 |
| $1,500,000 | $1,425,000 | about $71,800 |
At 90% the same card gives about $24,100 on a $1,000,000 home, which is what you'd save at CommBank or Bankwest, where the waiver stops at 89.99%. LMI varies between lenders, so these are illustrations from one rate card, not a quote.
When the waiver isn't worth taking
The waiver saves LMI. It doesn't make a bigger loan the right loan.
When the rate costs more than the LMI. A lender that waives LMI isn't always the one with the lowest rate. Over a long loan, a higher rate can cost more than the LMI you saved, so compare the whole loan, not one line of it.
When a 95% loan leaves nothing in reserve. Borrowing 95% keeps cash in your account, but it also means the largest repayments. If you're about to buy into a practice, that cash may be worth more there.
When the package costs more than it saves. CommBank's waiver comes with its medical package. Weigh what the package costs over the years you'll hold the loan.
When you'd stretch to reach the lender's limits. ANZ drops to 90% once your debts reach 6 times your income, and Bankwest to 84.99% above $2 million. Planning to the edge of a limit leaves no room if the valuation comes in low.
Buying an investment property as a dentist
Some of these waivers carry over to investment loans. ANZ goes to 95% on an investment, interest-only included, while your debts are under 6 times your income. NAB goes to 90% on an investment, against 95% for a home. CommBank reaches 94.99% for an investment purchase under its medical package, with debts no more than 6 times income. Bankwest applies the same limits to an investment as to a home.
What you'll need to provide
Proof of registration. Your AHPRA registration with the Dental Board, showing whether it's general or specialist.
Proof of income. Payslips and a contract if you're employed; tax returns, and the practice's financial statements if you own it, if you're self-employed.
Any practice debts. Statements for practice, fit-out or equipment loans you're on, and any guarantee you've signed.
The deposit and costs. 5% or 10%, plus stamp duty and fees, from your own savings.
Questions dentists ask us
Yes. Westpac Group, ANZ and NAB waive lenders mortgage insurance for dentists up to 95% of the property's value, and CommBank and Bankwest up to 89.99%, each with conditions. Suncorp's medical waiver doesn't cover dentists (Money Brain, lender policies checked 1 October 2026).
A dentist buying a home, or a practice and a home?
Tell me your registration, how you're paid, the price you're looking at and what you've saved. I'll tell you which lenders would waive LMI for you, at what limit, and which comes out ahead.
You'll hear back within the hour in business hours, and by 9am the next business day after hours.
Sources
- 1
Lender policies on professional LMI waivers: Westpac Group (Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA), ANZ, NAB, CommBank, Bankwest, Suncorp, ING, AMP. Checked 1 October 2026.
- 2
LMI premiums: one lender's published rate card, owner-occupier standard rates. Checked 1 October 2026.
- 3
Dental Board of Australia, Registration (registration types). https://
dentalboard.gov.au/ . Read 2 October 2026.Registration
Updated 2 October 2026