What is NILS for Vehicles?

Help to buy a vehicle interest free.

NILS for Vehicles is a fee free, interest free loan of $2000 to $5000 that can be paid off over up to 48 months with simple fortnightly repayments. NILS for Vehicles is a variation of our existing NILS program. 

NILS for vehicles isn’t a bank loan, it is a circular community credit model. This means when a borrower makes a repayment the funds are then made available to another community member. NILS for Vehicles is offered by Mary MacKillop Today in partnership with Good Shepherd Australia. 

NILS for Vehicles is for the purchase of a vehicle that is used for transport. This includes cars, motorcycles, mobility scooters and boats. Please note this does not include recreational bikes, boats or caravans. The vehicle being purchased must be road worthy (excluding mobility scooters).

Vehicles can be purchased from a dealer or through a private sale within 90 days of approval. All money is transferred directly to the person or business selling the vehicle.

Please note we do not:

• give you cash

• allow purchase of motor vehicle from Interstate

• allow purchase of a motor vehicle from a friend/partner/spouse/family members/person living in same household

• allow you to take out another loan from elsewhere to contribute towards this purchase

• allow the purchase of an unregistered vehicle – it must be registered by the seller

It may take up to 7 business days once the loan interview has been submitted for your loan to be assessed. Funding of the loan may take a further 7 days once purchase documents are provided. Please expect this process to take 3 or more weeks from submitting your documents to us.

Please read the criteria below carefully before you submit your enquiry to ensure you are eligible to apply.

You can apply for a NILS for Vehicles loan with Mary MacKillop Today if you:

• Hold a current licence

  • Must show your current address (be a NSW or ACT licence)

  • Must not be suspended or expired

• Credit Report

  • Debts must be on a payment plan being paid per schedule (no missed, late or reduced payments) for 90 days

  • Defaults need to be under $500 in total. If there is a default below $500, a payment plan must be in place with one payment made.

• Live in NSW or ACT (unless Good Shepherd have referred you directly to us)

• Have been at your current address for 3+ months or

  • Have experienced family or domestic violence in the last 10 years

  • Have moved into a public/community housing property

  • Are a previous NILS borrower

  • Lived at your previous address for 6+ months (with no gap between addresses and can provide evidence of this)

Please note your rent needs to show no arrears to be eligible to apply.

• Have a Health Care or Pension Card (Centrelink) or on a low income or

  • Single: less than $70k ($57k net)

  • Couple/individual with dependents: less than $100k ($75k net).

You must be employed for more than three months to include employment income.

• Utilities need to be up to date (no balance brought forward). Current charges can be on a payment plan with the first payment made.

• Loans and debts need to be up to date (no arrears, missed, reduced or late payments).

Additional Criteria and Important Information.

• Dishonours – you must not have multiple payment dishonours showing on your bank transactions.

• Current loans – your current loans will need to be accounted for in your budget (for example if your fortnightly repayment for a buy now pay later provider is $400 we will need to fit this into your budget, you may want to consider reducing your expenses before applying if your repayments are high).

• Your budget needs to show you have funds left over each fortnight to repay the loan.

• If you are receiving Job Seeker, Austudy or Youth Allowance please note that it is difficult to show a significant surplus in your budget that can accommodate vehicle and loan expenses.

• If you have a current NILS loan you must have made 90 days of repayments per the schedule to apply.

• If you take out a NILS for Vehicles loan while you have a current NILS loan, you won’t be able to apply for another standard NILS loan until the vehicle loan is fully repaid.

• If you apply for a NILS for Vehicles loan once your original NILS loan is paid off, you may apply again (if eligible) and continue using the NILS program during the vehicle loan period.

• The maximum amount you can borrow is $5,000. For example, if you owe $500 on a NILS loan you will only be eligible to borrow up to $4500 for a NILS for Vehicles loan.

• You will require documentation to verify the above.

There are five simple steps to apply and receive a NILS Loan with Mary Mackillop Today: 

1. ENQUIRE

Please note: enquiries will only be open when we have the capacity to process your application. While our waiting list is full, we will not be able to accept enquiries. We accept enquiries online, face to face or from support workers, we do not accept enquiries over the phone.

If you are a support worker assisting a client, believe that purchasing a vehicle is a time sensitive need and can help your client collect their documentation, we may be able to accept an application at any time. Support workers unable to apply online please email us at info@mmtloans.org.au. Please note when applications are closed only enquiry emails from community service providers will be responded to.

2. DOCUMENTATION

If the NILS for Vehicles application form is open, you will be asked to upload your credit report and Drivers Licence. If you are eligible, you will then be asked to upload the required documents. You will need to provide ALL documents listed in the document checklist before we are able to proceed with your application. If you provide all documents in the first instance, we will be in contact with you to finalise the application. If we need to contact you for additional documents, the process will take longer for you. Please go through the document checklist and information following the checklist to ensure you are providing the information we require. There are also videos available to help you get the right information together.

You will have seven days to provide the required documents, if all the required documents are not received within seven days of our email requesting them, your enquiry will be closed.

If you have not obtained a Free Credit Report please obtain one from a Credit Reporting agency such as Experian. You can get a free Experian credit report by calling them at 1300 783 684 or 13 23 33.

Alternatively, you can request one for free online through the Experian Credit Check website:

Please read and consider the implications of obtaining your credit report from a credit reporting agency before you apply. If you are unsure about your financial rights or concerned about your credit rating, you can obtain free Financial Counselling support.

3. INTERVIEW

Once all documents are received, we will organise a phone interview to discuss your financial situation and we help you apply. We will call you or send you a link to organise a time to complete the interview.

4. ASSESSMENT 

The application will be assessed by Good Shepherd Australia and will take around a week from when the loan is submitted. Once the loan is approved you will have 90 days to make your purchase and draw down on the loan.

5. OUTCOME

You will be notified of the outcome of your application and the next steps. 

The NILS4Cars application form will only be available when we are accepting enquiries.
If it is unavailable, please check back another time to see if new enquiries are being accepted.
Please do not call as we are unable to predict when we will be able to accept new enquiries.