NAB
NAB discharge formand how to use it
One form. Allow at least 10 business days.
To discharge a NAB mortgage you complete the Mortgage Discharge Authority and email it to discharge.authority@nab.com.au. NAB asks for at least 10 business days before settlement. There is usually a discharge fee, set in your loan contract rather than published.
Get the NAB discharge formGet the formPDFOpens NAB's own site. Checked 8 September 2026.
- Form
- Mortgage Discharge Authority
- Lender asks for
- at least 10 business days
- Discharge team
- 1300 880 142
- Last checked
- 8 September 2026
What a discharge authority actually does
When you took the loan out, NAB registered a mortgage over your property. That registration stays until you tell them to remove it. The discharge authority is how you tell them.
You need one in three situations: you’re selling, you’re moving the loan to another lender, or you’ve paid the loan off and want the mortgage lifted. It’s the same form each time — you just tick a different reason.
How to do it
- Get the Mortgage Discharge Authority — the PDF on their own site. Always use the lender’s copy. Broker and form-filling sites host old versions, and an out-of-date form gets rejected, which costs you the whole processing window.
- Fill in your loan account number, the property address, and the reason you’re discharging.
- Have every borrower and guarantor sign it. Most lenders still want a real signature rather than a typed one.
- Email it to discharge.authority@nab.com.au.
- Tell your conveyancer it’s lodged, and give them the date you sent it. They’ll chase the payout figure and book settlement.
Pick the settlement date from your contract or your conveyancer.
NAB asks for 10 business days. Weekends are skipped; public holidays in your state are not, so take a day off the date for each one.
NAB takes the form by email only, not through internet banking. Since 2026 they accept a digital signature on the PDF as well as a printed, hand-signed copy.
Selling or refinancing — they aren’t the same
Most pages treat these as one process. They aren’t, and the difference decides who does the chasing.
If you’re selling
- The loan is paid out of the sale proceeds on settlement day
- Your conveyancer runs it
- Lodge the form once the contract is unconditional
- Hand your conveyancer the date you sent it
If you’re refinancing
- Two lenders have to settle on the same day
- Your new lender drives it
- Nothing can be booked until NAB has processed this form
- Lodge it as soon as your new loan is formally approved, not after
What it costs
NAB doesn’t publish a standard discharge fee, and nor do most other lenders. It’s set in your loan contract, so check your letter of offer or the fees and charges booklet from settlement. It comes out of the payout figure rather than arriving as a separate bill.
Two other costs catch people out. The state land titles office charges a registration fee, which your conveyancer passes on. And if you’re still inside a fixed term, break costs are separate from the discharge fee and can run into thousands. Ask for both figures before you commit to a settlement date.
Breaking a fixed rate first
If any part of the loan is still fixed, this is step zero. NAB calls it “economic cost”, and it can be larger than every other cost on this page put together.
The figure is not published anywhere, because it depends on the day: it is roughly what NAB loses by re-lending your fixed money at today’s wholesale rate for the rest of your fixed term. If rates have gone up since you fixed, it can be zero. If they have come down, it can be thousands. To get the number: call 13 22 65 or your banker. The quote is good for seven days. NAB publishes a worked example.
In NAB’s words: “A quote of the economic cost may be obtained by calling 13 22 65 or by contacting your Banker. Please note: a quote will be valid for a period of 7 days only.” Get the quote in writing before you sign anything with the new lender, and get it again the week of settlement, because it moves with the market.
Getting the payout figure
The number your conveyancer or new lender needs to book settlement: the balance, plus interest to the day, plus the fees.
Visit a branch or ask your banker. NAB publishes no online path, and the figure has to be paid into the loan the same day it is quoted. NAB doesn't publish a turnaround. No fee for the letter is published. In NAB’s words: “Visit your local branch. Your banker will provide you with a payout figure (the home loan balance must be $0 in order for the loan to close).”
A payout figure is only good for the date on it. Interest accrues daily, so a figure for the 12th is wrong on the 15th, and if settlement slips your conveyancer will ask for a fresh one. Ask for it once the settlement date is booked, not before.
Cancelling the direct debit
The loose end. After settlement the old loan is closed, but a repayment set up from another bank can still try to run.
For a NAB account, in the NAB app go to Manage, then Your repayments, and edit the payment; or in Internet Banking under Transfer and Pay, Payment list, Modify. For another bank's account you need the form, emailed to loanmods@nab.com.au. NAB’s form is the Direct Debit Request form, the same one you use to change the account repayments come from or the repayment amount. In NAB’s words: “If you wish to set up a direct debit from a non-NAB account, download and fill out the Direct Debit Request form (PDF, 541KB) and email it to loanmods@nab.com.au.”
If the repayment comes from a NAB account, the debit stops when the loan closes. If it comes from another bank, cancel it at that bank on the day after settlement, not before, or the final repayment bounces and the payout figure is short.
Same group, different form
NAB is part of the NAB Group. The process is similar across the group, but each brand has its own form and its own discharge team — use the one for the name on your loan.
Common questions
How long does a NAB discharge take?
NAB asks for at least 10 business days from when they get your signed form to settlement day. In practice most people allow three weeks, because the form is only the first step — your new lender and both conveyancers still have to book the settlement.
Does NAB charge a discharge fee?
Usually yes, but NAB doesn't publish a standard amount. It's set in your loan contract, so check your letter of offer or the fees and charges booklet you were given at settlement. Expect it to be deducted from the payout figure rather than billed separately. If you took the loan out with a fixed rate that hasn't ended, break costs are separate and can be much larger.
What is a NAB discharge authority?
It's the form that tells NAB to release its mortgage over your property. You need one whether you're selling, refinancing to another lender, or paying the loan off entirely. NAB calls theirs the Mortgage Discharge Authority.
Should I discharge my NAB mortgage after paying it off?
Yes, and it doesn't happen on its own. Paying the balance to zero closes the loan account; it does not remove NAB's mortgage from your title. Until you lodge the Mortgage Discharge Authority and the discharge is registered with the land titles office, the property still shows NAB as mortgagee, which you will discover the day you try to sell, refinance or borrow against it. Do it while the paperwork is fresh.
What happens if I don't discharge my NAB mortgage?
Nothing, until you need the title clean. The mortgage stays registered against the property with a zero balance behind it. A sale or a new loan then has to wait for NAB to process the discharge, which takes at least 10 business days, and settlement can't be booked until it's done. Some lenders also keep charging a package or account fee on a loan that is paid out but not closed.
How do I get the NAB discharge form?
NAB takes the form by email only, not through internet banking. Since 2026 they accept a digital signature on the PDF as well as a printed, hand-signed copy. Once it's filled in and signed, send it to email to discharge.authority@nab.com.au.
How much does NAB charge to break a fixed rate?
There is no set figure. NAB calls it "economic cost", and it is worked out on the day from the difference between your fixed rate and the wholesale rate for the rest of your term, so it can be zero or thousands. call 13 22 65 or your banker. The quote is good for seven days. In NAB's words: "A quote of the economic cost may be obtained by calling 13 22 65 or by contacting your Banker. Please note: a quote will be valid for a period of 7 days only."
How do I get a payout figure from NAB?
Visit a branch or ask your banker. NAB publishes no online path, and the figure has to be paid into the loan the same day it is quoted. It is only accurate for the date on it, because interest accrues daily, so ask for it once the settlement date is booked. In NAB's words: "Visit your local branch. Your banker will provide you with a payout figure (the home loan balance must be $0 in order for the loan to close)."
How do I change or cancel the direct debit on my NAB home loan?
For a NAB account, in the NAB app go to Manage, then Your repayments, and edit the payment; or in Internet Banking under Transfer and Pay, Payment list, Modify. For another bank's account you need the form, emailed to loanmods@nab.com.au. NAB's form is the Direct Debit Request form. If the repayment comes from another bank, cancel it there the day after settlement so the final repayment doesn't bounce. In NAB's words: "If you wish to set up a direct debit from a non-NAB account, download and fill out the Direct Debit Request form (PDF, 541KB) and email it to loanmods@nab.com.au."
Checked against NAB’s own discharge page on 8 September 2026. Lenders change forms, addresses and timeframes without much warning — if something here doesn’t match what they’ve told you, theirs is right and we’d like to know.
Before you discharge, check the new rate is worth it
Discharge fees, break costs and registration fees all come off the saving. Is it worth refinancing? does the sum for the balances people ask about, and the rate monitor shows where your rate sits against every lender on the panel.
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