Bankwest Discharge Form: How to Discharge Your Home Loan
Quick answer. The Bankwest discharge form is a PDF called the Discharge Authority (Release of Security and/or Funds Distribution). Bankwest asks you to request it by messaging the bank in the Bankwest App or online banking, though the same PDF sits in its legal library. Every borrower, guarantor and security owner signs it, and it goes back by email to supportingdocs@bankwest.com.au. Bankwest does not publish its discharge fee or a turnaround time; it sends a letter with the fee breakdown after it receives the form, so check with the bank. The NSW government fee to register the discharge is $182.73. A broker refinancing you handles all of this.
Where to get the official Bankwest discharge form
Bankwest’s discharge my home loan page tells you to message the bank in the app or online banking and it will issue the form. The document itself is the Bankwest Discharge Authority (PDF), which also sits on the bank’s broker forms page. Format: PDF. Bankwest does not say on the page or the form whether an electronic signature is accepted, so if you want certainty, sign it by hand.
Return it by email to supportingdocs@bankwest.com.au, by secure message in online banking (Bankwest calls this Bankmail), or by post to Bankwest, Reply Paid GPO E237, Perth WA 6841. General enquiries are on 13 17 19; there is no separate discharge line.
What you’ll need to fill it in
- The type of discharge: full, partial, related-party transfer, or moving the loan to another property (portability).
- Every borrower, guarantor and security owner, including a company or trust name if one holds the property, with addresses and contact numbers.
- The property details for each security being released.
- Why you are discharging: sale, refinance, or debt repaid; your settlement representative; the incoming lender if refinancing; the sale price and expected settlement date; your broker’s details.
- What to do with the money: accounts to close or limits to reduce, and a BSB and account for any surplus.
- An acknowledgement that fees, break costs and government charges will be taken from the payout.
- Signatures of all borrowers, guarantors and security owners, with their role stated (borrower, director, trustee and so on).
What it costs
| Cost | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bankwest discharge fee | Not published as a dollar figure; check with the bank | Bankwest home loan terms, clause A.7.3: “A discharge fee will apply” |
| Fixed-rate break cost | Individually calculated | Bankwest: ending a fixed rate period early |
| Fixed rate break administration fee | $50 (as at 20 September 2026) | Bankwest fixed rate home loans |
| NSW government fee to register the discharge | $182.73 incl. GST (as at 20 September 2026; other states differ) | NSW LRS 2026/27 fees |
Bankwest is unusual among the bigger lenders in not printing its discharge fee anywhere public. The terms say a discharge fee applies, the form says fees and charges will be deducted, and the support page says you get a letter with the breakdown once the form is in. Ask for the figure when you request the form; your loan contract will also state it.
On a fixed rate, Bankwest charges a break cost only if it has made a loss on the money it borrowed to fund your fixed rate, and says plainly it does not profit from it. It also charges a $50 administration fee on top whenever a fixed rate is broken.
How long it takes
Bankwest does not publish a processing time for a home loan discharge, so check with the bank when you lodge. The only timing on the form is that money debited from a non-Bankwest account can take up to three business days to arrive. Our working assumption with any bank is around ten business days from a complete form, and we plan settlement around that.
Because Bankwest wants the form requested through the app, the slow part is often just getting the form into your hands. If you are refinancing through us, we send you the PDF the same day.
The traps we see people fall into
Guessing the fee. With no published figure, people assume it is $350 like everywhere else. It may be, but the letter after lodgement is where you find out. Budget for it before you sign with the new lender, not after.
Lodging before the new loan is unconditional. The discharge authority starts Bankwest’s payout. If the new approval slips, you have a payout ready and nothing to pay it with. Formal approval first.
The offset sweep. At settlement Bankwest clears the loan and closes the linked accounts, offset included. Move the money deliberately, and before the account closes check the offset was doing its job. How to check.
Bankwest is owned by CommBank, but the process is its own. Bankwest customers sometimes follow CommBank’s online form. Do not; Bankwest wants its own PDF. (If you are actually with CommBank, the CBA discharge form is here.)
Timing. The old loan must be paid out the day the new one settles. Someone has to own that date. When we refinance a client, it is us.
Run the numbers before you send the form
A discharge only makes sense if the new loan beats the old one after the fees. 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 — the new lender’s rate next to what Bankwest charges you now.
- Home loan offset calculator — what an offset account is worth to you, at either lender.
- Offset account checker — before the old loan closes, check Bankwest was crediting your offset properly. It is much harder to argue a mistake after the account is gone.
Refinancing? You don’t need to do any of this yourself
When Soren Financial refinances a client away from Bankwest, we prepare the Discharge Authority, tell you exactly where to sign, lodge it, chase the payout figure and any break cost, and book settlement so the Bankwest loan closes the day the new one opens. The incoming lender pays us, 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 do I get the Bankwest discharge form?
Message Bankwest in the app or online banking and it will send you the Discharge Authority PDF. The same PDF is in Bankwest’s legal library and on its broker forms page.
How much is the Bankwest discharge fee?
Bankwest does not publish a dollar figure. Its terms say a discharge fee applies and it sends a letter with the breakdown after it receives your form. Check with the bank.
Where do I send the Bankwest discharge form?
Email it to supportingdocs@bankwest.com.au, send it by secure message in online banking, or post it to Bankwest, Reply Paid GPO E237, Perth WA 6841.
How long does a Bankwest discharge take?
Bankwest does not publish a timeframe. Check with the bank when you lodge and allow at least a couple of weeks before settlement.
Does Bankwest charge break costs on a fixed loan?
Yes, if it has made a loss when you break the fixed rate early, plus a $50 break administration fee.