NAB Discharge Form: $350 Fee and 10 Business Days
Quick answer. The NAB discharge form is a PDF called the Mortgage and Business Security Discharge Authority. You download it from NAB’s website, fill it in, sign it (NAB accepts a digital signature on the PDF or a printed and signed copy) and email it to discharge.authority@nab.com.au. NAB charges a $350 mortgage discharge fee, plus the NSW government’s $182.73 to register the discharge, and asks for at least ten business days before settlement. If you are refinancing through a broker, the broker does all of this for you.
Where to get the official NAB discharge form
NAB explains the process on its mortgage discharge page and gives you a step-by-step discharge checklist. The form is the NAB Mortgage and Business Security Discharge Authority (PDF). NAB says to allow about ten minutes to complete it.
Format: PDF. Unlike ANZ, NAB lets you sign the PDF digitally on your device, or print it and sign by hand. Either way it goes back by email to discharge.authority@nab.com.au. NAB’s discharge line for customers is 1300 880 142; brokers, solicitors and conveyancers use 1300 622 276.
What you’ll need to fill it in
- The names of every borrower and every property owner on the title.
- The home loan account number(s) being paid out, and what NAB should do with each.
- The property address and your expected settlement date.
- Why you are discharging: sale, refinance, or release of security.
- Who is authorised to deal with NAB on the discharge: your broker, solicitor or conveyancer.
- A NAB transaction account NAB can debit the $350 fee from.
- A BSB and account number for any refund or surplus funds.
- Signatures and dates from every borrower and property owner.
What it costs
| Cost | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NAB mortgage discharge fee | $350 (as at 20 September 2026) | NAB home loan fees and charges |
| Fixed-rate economic cost | Individually calculated; quote valid 7 days | NAB economic costs |
| NSW government fee to register the discharge | $182.73 incl. GST (as at 20 September 2026; other states differ) | NSW LRS 2026/27 fees |
NAB’s $350 covers preparing the discharge, attending settlement and lodging the paperwork. It is one fee, not three, which makes NAB simpler than ANZ to budget for. NAB’s fee page notes its figures are current as at 1 November 2024, so confirm with the bank if you are reading this much later.
On a fixed rate NAB calls the break cost an economic cost. It applies if you pay the loan out early, switch to another rate, or move from fixed to variable. You can get an estimate on 13 22 65 and it is only valid for seven days, so get it close to when you plan to settle.
How long it takes
NAB is clear on this: allow at least ten business days between lodging the form and your settlement date. The checklist repeats it and so does the PDF. That is a minimum, not a promise, and it assumes the form arrived complete.
What slows a NAB discharge down is the same thing that slows every bank down. An account number typed wrong, a property owner who is on the title but not on the loan and did not sign, or a settlement date that changed and nobody told NAB. The digital signature option helps here because a borrower who is away can still sign the same day.
The traps we see people fall into
Lodging before the new loan is unconditional. The discharge authority starts NAB’s payout process. If the incoming lender then asks for one more payslip and the approval slips a fortnight, you have a NAB payout ready and no money to pay it with. Wait for the unconditional letter.
The offset gets closed with the loan. NAB pays itself out and closes the linked accounts at settlement, offset included. If you have been parking savings there, move them deliberately, and check first that NAB was crediting the offset the way it should. This shows you how to check.
An economic cost that is bigger than the saving. On a $700,000 NAB fixed loan with a year and a half to run, the economic cost can be well into four figures. If it swallows the saving from the new rate, waiting until the fixed term ends is the better deal. You only find that out by asking for the quote.
Settlement drift. NAB’s ten business days and the new lender’s settlement have to meet on the same day. Get it wrong and you are either paying two loans or your new lender is sitting on funds waiting for NAB. Someone has to own that date, and when we refinance a client, we do.
Run the numbers before you send the form
A discharge only makes sense if the new loan beats the old one after the fees. Three of our calculators do the maths in a minute or two:
- Cost to switch calculator — the one to start with: it takes the discharge fee, the government fee and any break cost and tells you how many months until the switch has paid for itself.
- Loan repayment calculator — put in the new lender’s rate and see the monthly repayment side by side with what NAB charges you now.
- Home loan offset calculator — if you are moving to (or away from) an offset account, this shows what the offset is actually worth in interest.
- Offset account checker — before you close the old loan, check NAB has been crediting your offset properly. It is much harder to argue a mistake once the account is closed.
Refinancing? You don’t need to do any of this yourself
When Soren Financial refinances a client away from NAB, we complete the discharge authority, get every signature in the right place, email it to NAB’s discharge team, chase the payout figure and any economic cost, and book settlement so the NAB loan closes the same day the new one opens. The new lender pays our fee, so it costs you nothing.
Written by Mansour Soltani, Director, Soren Financial. Mansour has arranged refinances across the major banks and the non-bank lenders since 2019, and handles the discharge paperwork for every client Soren moves. Certificate IV and Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking Management. FBAA member. Credit Representative 527161 of Finsure Finance and Insurance Pty Ltd, Australian Credit Licence 384704.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the NAB discharge fee?
$350, as at 20 September 2026. It covers preparing the discharge, attending settlement and lodging the documents. Government registration fees and any fixed-rate economic cost are on top.
Can I sign the NAB discharge form digitally?
Yes. NAB’s checklist says you can print the form and sign it, or sign the PDF digitally on your device.
How long does NAB take to discharge a mortgage?
NAB asks for at least ten business days before your proposed settlement date, assuming the form is complete.
Where do I send the NAB discharge form?
Email the completed, signed form to discharge.authority@nab.com.au.
Do I need the NAB discharge form to fix my rate or switch products?
No. The discharge authority is for releasing NAB’s mortgage over the property, usually because you are selling, refinancing to another lender, or have paid the loan out. A rate change within NAB is a different request.