First Home Buyer Nurses: What Happens If You Change Jobs During the Loan Process?

Changing jobs is a normal part of many nursing careers. You might be moving hospitals, stepping into a new contract, taking on agency work, or shifting from casual to permanent. At the same time, you may be trying to buy your first home. That overlap often creates anxiety.

For many first home buyer nurses, the biggest fear is that a job change will derail a home loan application or delay settlement. In reality, a change in employment does not automatically mean a loan will be declined. What matters is when the change happens, how your income is structured, and how lenders assess continuity and risk at each stage of the loan process.

In this guide, we explain how lenders in Australia typically view job changes during a home loan application, what risks may arise at different stages, and how a mortgage broker for first home buyer nurses can help you plan ahead and navigate the process with more confidence.

Why Job Changes Matter During a Home Loan Application

Lenders are not assessing your employer for loyalty. They are assessing your ability to maintain income and meet repayments over time. From a credit perspective, employment is one of the key inputs into servicing calculations.

For nurses, this assessment is often more nuanced than it appears. Nursing is an essential profession with consistent demand, but lenders still apply individual policy rules around income verification, employment type, and probation periods. What lenders usually focus on includes:

• Whether your income is ongoing
• Whether your role is consistent with your recent work history
• Whether your pay structure has changed
• Whether your employment situation introduces uncertainty close to settlement

Understanding this framework helps explain why timing and documentation matter more than the job change itself.

How Lenders Assess Employment for First Home Buyer Nurses

Lenders assess employment to confirm your income is ongoing. The employer name matters less than income stability.

For first home buyer nurses, lenders look for clear patterns. Moving between similar nursing roles is usually treated differently from changing industries or income types. Staying within nursing can support continuity if your hours and income remain consistent.

Lenders generally focus on continuity within the profession, consistency of hours or shifts, and income stability over time. Changing employers does not automatically create an issue if your work and income remain ongoing.

To confirm this, lenders may verify employment at different stages of the loan process and request:

• Recent and consecutive payslips
• Employment contracts or letters of offer
• Additional income evidence for casual or agency nurses

Employment checks can also occur close to settlement to confirm there have been no material changes that could affect loan approval.

Why the Stage of the Loan Process Changes the Risk

A job change can affect a home loan application differently depending on where you are in the loan process. Lenders reassess risk at multiple points, so timing plays a key role.

Before you apply for a loan

Changing jobs before lodging an application is usually the simplest scenario to manage. Lenders assess your situation as it stands at the time of application. If you have already started a new role, some lenders may accept:

• A signed employment contract
• Confirmation of salary and hours
• Evidence that the role is ongoing

Probation periods are not automatically a problem. Some lenders may consider applications during probation if the role is consistent with your experience and income is stable.

After pre-approval but before formal approval

Pre-approval is conditional and reflects your circumstances at the time it is granted. If your situation changes, lenders are required to reassess the application to ensure it still meets their lending criteria. If you change jobs during this stage, lenders may:

• Recheck your income
• Recalculate borrowing capacity
• Request updated employment documents

A job change may have minimal impact if the role, hours, and income remain similar. A greater change in structure or income type may prompt further review.

After formal approval but before settlement

This is usually the most sensitive stage. Many lenders re-verify employment shortly before settlement to confirm there have been no material changes. If a job change occurs here, possible outcomes may include:

• Requests for updated payslips or contracts
• Delays while information is reviewed
• In some cases, a reassessment of servicing

This does not mean settlement will not proceed, but it may require coordination to manage any additional checks or timing issues.

Changing Jobs Before You Apply for a Home Loan

This is usually the simplest stage to manage a job change, as lenders assess your application based on your current role, provided the new position is stable and well documented.

Moving into a new nursing role

If you change jobs before applying for a home loan for nurses, lenders generally assess your situation as it stands at the time of application. Their focus is on whether your new role supports ongoing income rather than the fact that you have recently changed employers.

In most cases, lenders consider:

• Whether the new role aligns with your nursing background
• Whether income is comparable to previous earnings
• Whether employment is ongoing

A signed contract with a confirmed start date can be helpful. Some lenders may accept applications before your first payslip, while others may require evidence of income being received.

Probation periods and lender policy

Probation is common in healthcare and is not automatically an issue. Some lenders may still consider applications during probation where the role is permanent, income is consistent with previous employment, and there is a solid work history. Eligibility can vary depending on the lender’s policy.

Changing Jobs After Pre-Approval

This stage requires more care, as lenders may reassess your application if your employment or income changes after pre-approval.

Why lenders reassess at this stage

Pre-approval is not a guarantee. If your circumstances change, lenders reassess to ensure the loan remains suitable under responsible lending obligations set by ASIC. A reassessment may consider:

• Changes to income or hours
• Changes from permanent to casual work
• Gaps between roles

When the impact may be limited

A job change may be viewed as lower risk when you remain in a similar nursing role and your income and hours stay broadly the same or increase. In these situations, some lenders may be comfortable proceeding with minimal adjustments, depending on their policy and documentation requirements.

When further review is more likely

Reassessment is more likely when a job change results in reduced income, a shift to casual or agency work without sufficient income history, or a short gap between roles. These changes can prompt lenders to carry out additional checks before confirming formal approval.

Changing Jobs After Formal Approval but Before Settlement

This is the most sensitive stage, as lenders complete final checks before releasing funds and confirming settlement can proceed as approved.

Why lenders check again

Close to settlement, lenders carry out final checks to confirm that nothing material has changed since formal approval was issued. This often includes re-verifying employment details, such as employer confirmation calls or requesting updated payslips, to ensure income remains consistent with the approved loan for nurses.

Common issues that can arise

At this stage, challenges may include:

• New employment contracts not yet finalised or formally signed
• Income from the new role not yet received or fully evidenced
• Changes in pay frequency, such as moving from fortnightly to monthly pay, which can affect servicing calculations

These issues are usually procedural rather than personal. With early disclosure and clear documentation, lenders can often work through these checks so settlement can proceed, although timing and coordination may be required.

How Different Nursing Employment Types Are Assessed

Lenders assess nursing income differently depending on how your role is structured and how predictable your earnings are.

Permanent full-time and part-time nurses

Permanent roles are generally viewed as lower risk because income is more predictable. For part-time nurses, lenders focus on whether hours and income have been consistent and how long you have been in the role. Being in a probation period is not automatically an issue, but this depends on the lender’s policy.

Casual and agency nurses

Some lenders may consider casual or agency nurse income where there is a consistent work pattern. For nurses, requirements vary, but lenders usually look for regular shifts, stable income over time, and evidence that work is ongoing. Policies differ, and not all lenders assess casual income the same way.

Contract nurses

For nurses on fixed-term contracts, lenders typically assess how much time remains on the contract, whether there is a history of renewals, and whether income has been consistent. Contracts nearing their end date may require additional review, particularly if there is no confirmed extension in place.

What Lenders Care About Most When Jobs Change

Across all scenarios, lenders focus on how a job change affects income continuity and settlement risk, rather than the change itself. Their assessment is based on evidence available at the time. In practice, lenders typically focus on:

• Ongoing income rather than employer loyalty, with emphasis on whether earnings are likely to continue
• Evidence rather than assumptions, relying on payslips, contracts, and verified information
• Risk at settlement rather than career progression, assessing your position as it stands, not future potential

Because of this approach, clear documentation and early disclosure of any employment changes are critical to keeping the loan process on track.

How We Help First Home Buyer Nurses Manage Job Changes

As brokers, our role is to interpret lender policy, explain how different employment scenarios are assessed, and help manage risk throughout the loan process. When a job change is involved, our support may include:

• Checking how different lenders assess job changes
• Advising on timing where possible
• Matching your situation to lenders whose policies may be more flexible

We work within current lending rules and do not guarantee outcomes. However, clear planning and early guidance can help reduce uncertainty and avoid unnecessary delays.

Support for Nurses Navigating Job Changes During a Home Loan

Changing jobs during a home loan process is common for nurses and does not automatically prevent a loan from proceeding. What matters most is timing, income structure, documentation, and clear communication. With the right preparation, many job changes can be managed within lender policy.

If you’re a first home buyer nurse considering a job change while buying your first home, speaking with a broker early can help. As a mortgage broker for nurses, Swish Mortgages can explain how different lenders may assess your situation and help you plan the next steps with more certainty.

Job changes don’t have to put your home plans on hold. If you’d like to see what options may be available for your situation, we can help you compare policies and guide you through the next steps.