How a mum of two bought her first home after leaving a difficult relationship
A mum in her 40s in regional Australia left a difficult relationship with two young children and effectively nothing to her name. Over two and a half years, she worked hard in a permanent part-time role, took casual shifts on top when she could, and rebuilt her financial base. With a permanent PAYG salary, casual income, overtime, child support formally assessed through Services Australia, Single Parenting Payment, and Family Tax Benefit, her total assessable income reached around $77,000. She saved around $140,000 during that time, retained around $30,000 for furniture, legal fees, and moving costs, and put approximately $110,000 toward her deposit. Using the Help to Buy Scheme with a 25% government equity share, she purchased a $560,000 home with a loan of around $300,000.
This case study walks through how the numbers actually work when a specialist lender counts every income stream properly.
This case study is a composite based on several clients I've worked with in similar situations. Details have been adjusted to protect privacy while preserving the truth of the situation and outcome. Because of the nature of these stories, this case is written as a composite rather than a real client account.
The situation
She was in her mid-40s. She had two young children, both under school age when she left. When she came into my office, they were in primary school and she was raising them on her own in a small regional town in New South Wales.
Two and a half years earlier, she had left her relationship with essentially nothing. No savings in her name. No credit file in her sole name. No car she owned outright. What she had was her children, a suitcase, and the resolve to build a different life for the three of them.
The two and a half years between leaving and walking into my office were the hardest work she had ever done. She had built a permanent part-time PAYG role that gave her stability, earning around $38,000 a year in base salary. She took on overtime when she could (around $3,000 a year) and picked up a casual role on the side that added another $9,000 or so, depending on shifts available. Between all three, her total employment income came to around $51,000 a year.
On top of that, she received child support of $125 a week (around $6,500 a year), formally assessed and paid through Services Australia. She also received Single Parenting Payment (around $14,300 a year based on her income level) and Family Tax Benefit Part A and Part B combined (around $5,500 a year) because both her children were under 13.
Her total assessable household income sat at around $77,000 once every stream was counted properly. She had rented a small place, kept her kids in the same primary school throughout, and saved everything she could. By the time we met, she had built total savings of around $140,000. That took discipline that most people would find difficult to sustain.
She knew from the start of our conversation that she couldn't use every dollar of it as deposit. She had left with nothing, and she and the children were still living with borrowed furniture and mismatched second-hand basics. When she moved into her own home, she wanted to properly furnish it for herself and her kids. She also knew that legal fees, building and pest inspections, moving costs, and a small buffer for unexpected expenses had to come from somewhere. Practically, she wanted to keep around $30,000 aside for all of that. It left approximately $110,000 available toward the actual deposit.
The challenge
The good news was the deposit and the income mix. The challenge was making sure a lender would actually count every income stream properly.
Her employment income at $51,000 (permanent, overtime and casual combined) on its own wasn't going to service a $300,000 loan for a family of three. Lenders assess casual income more conservatively than full-time PAYG, and many will only count 60% to 80% of it. She had 12 months of history in her casual role, but the way each lender treated that income made a significant difference to the numbers.
Her child support, SPP, and FTB together added around $26,000 to her total assessable income when the right lender counted them properly. This is exactly where lender choice starts to matter enormously. Different lenders treat these income streams very differently:
Some accept 100% of child support if formally documented through Services Australia; others only count 60% or 80%
Some accept SPP at 100%; others discount it heavily or refuse to count it once children hit certain ages
Some accept FTB fully for children under specific age thresholds; others restrict it
Some accept 100% of casual income if there's been 12 months of continuous shifts; others insist on discounting it
She wanted to buy in the same town where her kids were settled. Property prices there had risen. The homes suitable for her situation (two or three bedrooms, close to schools, low-maintenance) sat around $550,000 to $600,000. On a mainstream bank's assessment, her borrowing capacity for that price range wasn't going to reach.
She had spoken to her bank. They had counted her permanent PAYG, discounted her casual income significantly, and only counted a small portion of her government benefits. They had told her she could afford around $220,000, which wasn't going to buy anything appropriate in her area. She had gone home, done the maths herself, and concluded that despite everything she had saved and everything she had rebuilt, she still couldn't buy her own home.
That was the position she walked into my office in. Exhausted, quietly determined, and prepared to hear another no.
The approach
The Help to Buy Scheme changed the picture immediately.
The scheme, which opened to applications in December 2025, allows the federal government to take an equity share of up to 30% in an existing home (or 40% in a new build). For a woman whose bottleneck was serviceability rather than deposit, this was the exact structural solution.
Here's what we worked through:
Confirmed eligibility. Help to Buy is available to buyers who don't currently own residential property, meet income caps, and intend to live in the home as an owner-occupier. Her situation qualified cleanly.
Ran the numbers. With her $110,000 deposit contribution (after retaining $30,000 for furniture, legal fees, moving costs, and a small safety buffer) and a 25% government equity share (approximately $140,000 based on the property value), her required loan came down to around $300,000. This was within her serviceability with the right specialist lender.
Chose the right Participating Lender. The Help to Buy panel is limited to specific lenders. Among them, some are significantly more generous with casual income and government benefits than others. Matching her file to a lender that would count 100% of her casual income (given her 12 months of history), her permanent PAYG, her overtime, her formally assessed child support, her SPP, and her FTB was where the approval was ultimately unlocked. Under the right lender's assessment, her total assessable income sat at around $77,000, which serviced the loan amount she needed.
Prepared the documentation package. Twelve months of payslips from her permanent and casual roles, ATO income statements, three months of bank statements showing her saving pattern, formal Services Australia documentation of her child support assessment, Centrelink statements for her SPP and FTB, evidence of her sole responsibility for the children, and her formalised parenting arrangements. All in one clean package.
Supported her emotionally through the process. She was quietly convinced something would go wrong. Every stage of the process was walked through with her carefully. Nothing was assumed. Nothing was hurried.
The outcome
The application was approved. Settlement happened eight weeks after our first conversation.
The numbers at settlement:
Property purchase price: approximately $560,000
Total assessable income (with the right lender counting all streams): approximately $77,000
Permanent part-time PAYG: ~$38,000
Overtime: ~$3,000
Casual shifts (counted at 100% given 12-month history): ~$9,000
Child support (formal Services Australia assessment): ~$6,500
Single Parenting Payment: ~$14,300
Family Tax Benefit Part A + B: ~$5,500
Her total savings: approximately $140,000
Retained for furniture, legal fees, moving costs, and buffer: approximately $30,000
Deposit contribution: approximately $110,000
Government equity share (25%): approximately $140,000
Her loan: approximately $300,000
Monthly repayment: around $1,900 (within her serviceability with the right lender)
She and her children moved in a few weeks later. The kids kept their friendships, their school, and their sense of continuity. She had a home in her own name. No one could ask her to leave.
The ongoing consideration is the shared equity. When she eventually sells (or buys the government's share out), 25% of the property's value at that time returns to the government. She understands this and is comfortable with it because the alternative was continuing to rent, potentially for the rest of her working life.
What made the difference
Three things.
The deposit strategy. Without the total $140,000 she had saved, the numbers wouldn't have stacked up on any scheme. Just as important was how she used it. Rather than throwing every dollar at the deposit, she kept back around $30,000 for furniture, legal fees, moving costs, and a buffer for the unexpected. This meant she moved into her home with the runway she needed, not stripped bare on day one.
The Help to Buy Scheme. Without the government equity share, her borrowing capacity on a casual income of $60,000 wasn't going to reach an appropriate family home in her area. The scheme's ability to reduce loan requirements was the specific mechanical solution to her specific constraint.
The right lender within the Help to Buy panel. Her bank counted only her permanent PAYG salary properly and heavily discounted her casual income and government benefits. A different Participating Lender counted every one of her income streams at close to full value, including her casual role at 100% given her 12 months of continuous history. That took her assessable income from around $38,000 to around $77,000. That was the specific mechanical difference between a $220,000 borrowing capacity and one that reached what she actually needed.
None of these three would have been enough on their own. Together, they made the impossible feel achievable.
Could this work for you?
If you're rebuilding your financial life on your own after leaving a difficult relationship, and you've been quietly saving toward a home you're not sure you'll ever be able to buy, Help to Buy is worth investigating.
It won't suit every situation. The shared equity trade-off matters. The Participating Lender panel is limited. Eligibility criteria apply. But for women whose income is modest but whose deposit is substantial, and whose bottleneck is borrowing capacity rather than credit or income stability, the scheme can be the specific unlock that mainstream lending isn't.
If you're not sure whether you qualify or what the numbers would look like for your situation, a conversation with a mortgage broker who understands both the scheme and the reality of rebuilding after a hard chapter is a good starting point.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Help to Buy if my income is casual or part-time?
Yes, provided you meet the general eligibility criteria (income caps, Australian citizenship, no current residential property ownership, intention to owner-occupy). Different Participating Lenders under the scheme have different approaches to casual and part-time income. Most require 12 months of consistent income in the same role. A mortgage broker familiar with the scheme can identify which lenders are most flexible.
Do I need a huge deposit to use the scheme?
No. The minimum deposit under Help to Buy is 2 percent. But the more deposit you have, the smaller your loan needs to be and the easier serviceability becomes. There's no maximum deposit; using a larger deposit alongside the scheme is entirely acceptable and often makes the numbers work more comfortably.
What if I'm still nervous about the ongoing shared equity aspect?
That's normal, and it should be discussed clearly before entering the scheme. When you eventually sell the property (or buy the government's share back), 25% to 40% of the value returns to the government, including any capital growth. You can also choose to buy back all or part of the government's share earlier if your circumstances change. It's not a loan; it's a genuine equity share. Understanding this trade-off clearly upfront is important.
How do I access Services Australia support while I'm rebuilding?
Services Australia has specific supports available to people leaving difficult relationships, including Crisis Payment, single parenting payments, and access to advocacy through 1800 RESPECT. These are best accessed through Services Australia directly or through a social worker. This is well outside mortgage broker territory, but building financial recovery works best when the supports available are known and used.
Should I use my entire savings as deposit, or keep some aside?
For most buyers, keeping some savings aside is the sensible move. You'll need funds for legal and conveyancing fees, building and pest inspections, moving costs, and initial setup. For anyone who is starting a home from scratch (particularly after leaving with nothing), furniture and basics can easily run to tens of thousands of dollars. Aim to have a buffer of at least $10,000 to $30,000 aside beyond your deposit, depending on your situation. Moving in with financial breathing room protects everything you've worked for.
This article is general information only and does not constitute financial, legal or tax advice. Every situation is different. Please speak to a licensed financial adviser, solicitor and your accountant about your specific circumstances.
If you're in a difficult or unsafe home situation, 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) is a free, confidential 24-hour support line. Services Australia also has dedicated supports for people navigating major life transitions.
Rielle Berglund is a mortgage broker specialising in single parents, women, and self-employed Australians navigating home loans on a single income. She is the founder of Matilda Tree Finance and the creator of Runa, a free financial literacy app for Australian women.
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Sources and references
This case study draws on Rielle Berglund's professional experience as a mortgage broker. The following sources are relevant to topics covered:
Australian Government Help to Buy Scheme: firsthomebuyers.gov.au/help-to-buy
Services Australia: servicesaustralia.gov.au
1800 RESPECT: 1800respect.org.au