Home loan top-ups: understanding the basics

What is a home loan top-up?

Increasing, or ‘topping up’, your home loan is a way to access more funds by borrowing against your home’s equity – that is, the difference between our valuation of your home and the amount you owe on it.

How it works?

Depending on how much equity you have and your financial situation, you can increase the size of your home loan up to 80% of its value to fund certain things.

How to grow your home’s equity?

Your home’s value can increase just through rising house market prices. Other ways to build equity include paying off more of your home loan and increasing its value through renovations and improvements.

Key benefits of a home loan top-up

Renovation plans

Looking to increase the value of your home or just make it more comfortable? A home loan top-up is a flexible way to finance a renovation.

Control your finances

Home loans generally offer a lower interest rate than credit cards and personal loans – which means you may be able to combine your debts at a lower interest rate.

Fund your big plans

If you’re planning a special celebration or looking to upgrade your car, borrowing extra money on your home loan could be a good option.

Things to consider

Before making the decision to apply for a home loan top-up there are a few things to consider.

Eligible home loans

Most of our variable home loan products are eligible for a top-up if you have equity available and you’re able to cover the increases in regular repayments. If you have a fixed interest rate, we recommend that you speak with one of our home loan specialists to discuss your options.

How does a home loan top-up impact my repayments?

Following a home loan top-up, your regular repayments will increase. How much they increase depends on the size of the top-up. The more you borrow, the more your repayments will increase. You can use our home loans repayments calculator to generate an estimate of your future repayments.

Does a home loan top-up affect the length of my loan?

Topping up your home loan will not impact your loan term. If you would like to make changes to your loan term, your NAB home lending specialist will be able to discuss your options with you.

How much can I increase my loan by?

Your home loan top-up is going to depend on a number of factors. We recommend that you speak to your NAB Home Lending specialist to discuss your options.

How do I request a home loan top-up?

The best way to request a home top up is to speak to one of our home lending specialists. You can book an appointment at a time that suits you. However, if you got your home loan through a broker, it’s best to discuss your options directly with your broker or you can call us on 13 22 65.

Fees & charges

Home loan top-ups generally won’t attract any fees. One of our home loan lending specialists will be able to discuss your options and let you know if there are any fees or charges

Home loan calculators

Do the numbers first, use our handy home loan calculators to estimate your home loan equity.

Equity Loan Calculator

Before you apply

  • Review your financial situation

    Make sure you feel comfortable you can budget for extra mortgage repayments.

  • Get your paperwork ready

    You’ll need income documents like payslips for our application process.

  • Review your payment history

    Ensure your loan repayments are up to date and in order.

  • Check your home loan type

    See if your type of loan is eligible to request a top-up.

  • Check your home’s equity

    Our handy equity calculator can help you estimate how much extra you could borrow.

Applying is easy

Just make a time to talk with one of our home lending specialists. We can answer your questions and help you apply over the phone if you’re ready.

Enquire now

Related Articles

Here are some helpful articles to get you on your way.

Using equity to buy an investment property

Michael Sloan explains how to calculate your equity and how to use it.

Using your home's equity to invest

Making more frequent home loan repayments is a good place to start.

6 tips for working out your renovation costs

Here are six tips to help you work out your renovation costs.

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Terms and Conditions

The information contained on this webpage is intended to be of a general nature only. It has been prepared without taking into account any person’s objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this information, NAB recommends that you consider whether it is appropriate for your circumstances. NAB recommends that you seek independent legal, financial and taxation advice before acting on any information on this webpage.

NAB’s Home loan products are not available to applicants who reside overseas (regardless of citizenship) and/or for applicants who require Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to purchase residential property in Australia.

Information is correct as at 19/07/2021 and subject to change. Applications for credit are subject to NAB’s credit approval and eligibility criteria. Terms and Conditions apply to all NAB products and are available on application. Fees and charges are payable.