Westpac
Westpac discharge authority formand how to use it
One form. Allow at least 10 business days.
To discharge a Westpac mortgage you complete the Property and Security Request form (their discharge authority) and send it to an online form you complete in one sitting — or, on paper, email to securityvariations@mortgage.westpac.com.au, a branch, or post to Discharges and Portabilities, Westpac Home Ownership Services, PO Box 2755, Adelaide SA 5001. Westpac doesn't publish a processing time. There is usually a discharge fee, set in your loan contract rather than published.
Start Westpac's discharge formStart the formonlineOpens Westpac's own site. Checked 8 September 2026.
- Form
- Property and Security Request form (their discharge authority)
- Lender asks for
- not published
- Discharge team
- 1800 807 693
- Last checked
- 8 September 2026
What a discharge authority actually does
When you took the loan out, Westpac 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 Property and Security Request form (their discharge authority) — their own online form. 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 Broker and form-filling sites host old versions, and an out-of-date form gets rejected, which costs you the whole processing window.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.
- Send it to an online form you complete in one sitting — or, on paper, email to securityvariations@mortgage.westpac.com.au, a branch, or post to Discharges and Portabilities, Westpac Home Ownership Services, PO Box 2755, Adelaide SA 5001.
- 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.
Westpac doesn't publish a time, so this uses 10 business days, what the other big lenders ask for. Weekends are skipped; public holidays in your state are not, so take a day off the date for each one.
Westpac's own words: “Allow 20 minutes as you can't save or come back later. All parties and guarantors must sign.” One form covers selling, paying off, refinancing and security changes. Have your loan account number, property details and everyone's ID ready before you start.
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 Westpac has processed this form
- Lodge it as soon as your new loan is formally approved, not after
What it costs
Westpac 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. Westpac calls it “break 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 Westpac 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 132 558, 8am to 8pm seven days, or request a callback online. Quotes are free and Westpac holds them for five business days, which is longer than most.
In Westpac’s words: “Break cost quotes are valid for 5 business days from the day the break fees are calculated.” 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.
Phone 1800 807 693 for an estimated payout figure; the final one is produced through the discharge process. Westpac doesn't publish a turnaround. No fee for the letter is published. In Westpac’s words: “To estimate your payout figure sooner, you can call us on 1800 807 693 to see if there's any shortfall or surplus.”
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 Westpac account, in Online Banking select the home loan, then More, then Home loan direct debit. For an account at another bank you need the form, emailed to loanmaintenance@mortgage.westpac.com.au or handed in at a branch. Westpac’s form is the Direct Debit Request: Loan Repayment form, the same one you use to change the account repayments come from or the repayment amount. In Westpac’s words: “Select your home loan. Select More and then Home loan direct debit in the dropdown. Select your account and follow the prompts.”
If the repayment comes from a Westpac 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
Westpac is part of the Westpac 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 Westpac discharge take?
Westpac doesn't publish a processing time. The other big lenders ask for at least 10 business days, so plan on that as a floor and allow three weeks end to end. Call 1800 807 693 if you have a settlement date locked in.
Does Westpac charge a discharge fee?
Usually yes, but Westpac 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 Westpac discharge authority?
It's the form that tells Westpac to release its mortgage over your property. You need one whether you're selling, refinancing to another lender, or paying the loan off entirely. Westpac calls theirs the Property and Security Request form (their discharge authority).
Should I discharge my Westpac 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 Westpac's mortgage from your title. Until you lodge the Property and Security Request form (their discharge authority) and the discharge is registered with the land titles office, the property still shows Westpac 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 Westpac 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 Westpac to process the discharge, which takes a couple of weeks, 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 Westpac discharge form?
Westpac's own words: “Allow 20 minutes as you can't save or come back later. All parties and guarantors must sign.” One form covers selling, paying off, refinancing and security changes. Have your loan account number, property details and everyone's ID ready before you start. Once it's filled in and signed, send it to an online form you complete in one sitting — or, on paper, email to securityvariations@mortgage.westpac.com.au, a branch, or post to Discharges and Portabilities, Westpac Home Ownership Services, PO Box 2755, Adelaide SA 5001.
How much does Westpac charge to break a fixed rate?
There is no set figure. Westpac calls it "break 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 132 558, 8am to 8pm seven days, or request a callback online. Quotes are free and Westpac holds them for five business days, which is longer than most. In Westpac's words: "Break cost quotes are valid for 5 business days from the day the break fees are calculated."
How do I get a payout figure from Westpac?
Phone 1800 807 693 for an estimated payout figure; the final one is produced through the discharge process. It is only accurate for the date on it, because interest accrues daily, so ask for it once the settlement date is booked. In Westpac's words: "To estimate your payout figure sooner, you can call us on 1800 807 693 to see if there's any shortfall or surplus."
How do I change or cancel the direct debit on my Westpac home loan?
For a Westpac account, in Online Banking select the home loan, then More, then Home loan direct debit. For an account at another bank you need the form, emailed to loanmaintenance@mortgage.westpac.com.au or handed in at a branch. Westpac's form is the Direct Debit Request: Loan Repayment form. If the repayment comes from another bank, cancel it there the day after settlement so the final repayment doesn't bounce. In Westpac's words: "Select your home loan. Select More and then Home loan direct debit in the dropdown. Select your account and follow the prompts."
Checked against Westpac’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.
Opens the chat with your question filled in. Nothing is sent until you press send.