CBA LMI Calculator (Independent Estimate)

Free · No sign-up · Checked 29 September 2026

How much is LMI on a CBA loan?

CBA's own published LMI figures

Which insurer does CBA use for LMI?

Arch insures new CBA home loans. CBA's low deposit options guide (form 005-855) names "Arch Lenders Mortgage Indemnity", ABN 60 074 042 934, as "the LMI provider". The change came at the start of 2026: Helia says its supply contract with CBA expired on 31 December 2025 and that it wrote no CBA new business from 31 January 2026, and Fitch (10 September 2026) lists CBA as a new Arch customer from early 2026.

Arch is not new to the big banks. It bought Westpac's own LMI insurer in 2021, so the same company now insures the Westpac group, covered on our Westpac LMI calculator page. Fitch calls Arch Indemnity "Australia's largest LMI provider by gross written premiums". We found no public Arch rate table or estimator.

A CBA loan insured before 2026 most likely still sits with Helia. Helia says it will keep earning revenue from existing CBA policies over the next 15 years; CBA itself does not say which insurer holds older loans. For how the insurers fit together, see lenders mortgage insurance.

LMI or Low Deposit Premium: which does CBA charge?

One or the other, never both. CBA says "If we ask you to pay LMI we won't ask you to pay a Low Deposit Premium". The Low Deposit Premium (LDP) is CommBank's own product; we found none at any Westpac group brand.

CBA publishes no rule for which one applies. Its rates page says LMI or LDP "may apply to your loan depending on the size of your deposit; security, applicant and loan attributes." CBA publishes no LDP amounts either, so this page cannot estimate LDP. If CBA offers you LDP, the LMI range above is only a rough comparison.

Does CBA waive LMI for some professions?

Yes, but CBA publishes few rules. Its low deposit page asks doctors, lawyers and accountants to speak to a Home Lending Specialist "to check if your profession is eligible for a LMI waiver with a deposit of as little as 10%". Its health package names GPs, medical specialists, dentists, pharmacists, vets and junior doctors (interns, residents and registrars), and a footnote excludes physiotherapists, psychologists and nurses. CBA states no LVR, income or loan limit for the waiver, so the conditions are CBA's to confirm.

Compare other banks in our LMI waiver guide, or see home loans for doctors.

CBA Guarantor Support

CBA's family guarantee is called Guarantor Support, and CBA says it may let you avoid paying LMI or a Low Deposit Premium. Its guide adds that LMI and LDP are "generally" not available when you have a guarantor, so at CBA a guarantee usually replaces LMI rather than sitting beside it. How guarantees compare across lenders: guarantor home loan.

Bankwest and Unloan do not follow CBA's LMI rules

Both are CBA divisions, but CBA's LMI terms above do not carry over to either.

• Bankwest lets you pay LMI upfront or add it to the loan "without any mark-up from Bankwest", and its LMI fact sheet says a partial refund may be available on certain policies if you repay, refinance or switch lenders in the first year. Bankwest names no insurer on the consumer pages we read, so we name none. Its broker checklist confirms an Industry Professional LMI waiver, but Bankwest does not publish who qualifies.
• Unloan says you can buy with a 10% deposit and no LMI, "however a higher interest rate applies". The LVR must stay below 90%, Unloan caps above-80% lending at $2,000,000, and some locations or property types are held to 70%. Unloan's article also shows LMI ranges on a $1,000,000 loan, but those are a general illustration, not Unloan or CBA pricing, so they are not in our table.

Neither Bankwest nor Unloan appears as a separate name on the 5% Deposit Scheme lender list.

CBA, the 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy

CBA is a Participating Lender in the 5% Deposit Scheme. An eligible first home buyer can buy with a 5% deposit (2% for an eligible single parent), the government guarantees part of the loan, and CBA's scheme page lists "No LMI" among the benefits. On a $500,000 home that avoids a typical $20,000 of LMI at 95%, and with no premium to add, the loan stays at 95%. The deposit must be at least 5% and under 20% of the lender's valuation, and price caps apply by area.

CBA is also one of six Help to Buy lenders as at 29 September 2026, and says it is "currently the only major Lender participating in the Scheme". Under the Help to Buy scheme the government takes an equity share and you can buy with 2%, so your deposit and its share cover at least 20% and no LMI is paid at purchase. You cannot use both schemes on one purchase. Every other route is in how to avoid LMI.

Can you get CBA LMI refunded or moved?

No refund. CBA says LMI and LDP are "one-off non-refundable, non-transferrable charges", including if you repay early, refinance or your LVR falls below 80%. Each premium covers that loan only, so a new loan above 80% will most likely pay again, and a top-up or restructure that lifts the LVR above 80% (or lower in some cases) brings a new or extra LMI or LDP.

You can sometimes keep the loan and swap the property. CBA offers substitution of security on most home and investment loans for $300 per security, but if the loan has LMI, "our LMI provider will need to review and approve the request".

Sources