Condition
Mortgage interest and income tax
How much of household income now goes on mortgage interest and income tax?
Mortgage interest, share of household income: 2.5% in Jun qtr 2022, 5.4% in Jun qtr 2026.
- Latest
- 5.4%
- Since the government took office
- Higher+2.9 pts
- Over the past year
- Higher+0.24 pts
Mortgage interest and income tax
- Share of gross income
- Quarterly
- Mortgage interest, % of household gross income
- Income tax, % of household gross income
What this is
The share of all household income, before tax, that goes on interest on home loans, and the share that goes on income tax. The ABS measures both in the national accounts every quarter, back to 1959.
Why it matters
Mortgage interest and income tax are the 2 biggest calls on household income before anything is spent. When either share rises, there is less left for everything else.
More from the figures
- Mortgage interest took 5.4% of household gross income in the June quarter 2026, against 2.5% in the June quarter 2022.
- Income tax took 15.7%, against 15.0% in the June quarter 2022.
- Together they take 21.1% of household gross income, the highest share since June quarter 2024.
- These are averages across all households. About 65% of households have no mortgage (Census 2021), so the share for a household with a mortgage is much higher.
How it’s calculated
ABS household income account, seasonally adjusted, quarterly. Interest payable on dwellings and income tax payable, each divided by total household gross income. Averages across all households, with and without a mortgage.