How Mortgage Lenders Assess Self-Employed Income

One of the most common questions we get asked is – if I’m self-employed, how will lenders assess my income and affordability? In this blog, we give an overview of the different ways that lenders assess the income of the self-employed for the purpose of mortgage lending.

If you are self-employed than mortgage lenders will assess your income based on their criteria for self-employed applicants. This includes sole traders, contractors, and company directors of a limited company or partnership. A special mention should also go to the Construction Industry Scheme ( CIS ) as lender asses the income from this scheme in a different way.

There’s a wide variety of mortgages which are suitable for self-employed people. It’s always worth speaking to a whole-of-market mortgage broker, such as the broker Hey Mortgages, regarding your needs. This is because here are some lenders out there that specialise in these products. The general public would not have access to some of their deals.

How mortgage lenders assess self employed income and affordability

Different lenders assess self employed income in different ways. Importantly, each method can result in a large difference in the amount they the self employed applicant can borrow. Here are the main ways lenders assess self employed income:

  • An average of income over recent years, using figures from HMRC tax calculations. This is how the majority of lenders assess self employed applicants. They will take the last 2 or 3 years’ of income as accepted by HMRC through the Self Assessment tax process. The figure they use as a baseline is the figures on the HMRC SA302 or Tax Calculation form. This applies whether you’re a sole trader or a director in a limited company.
  • The income from your most recent complete year of trading. Some lenders will use the figures from your most recent SA302 on its own. But if there is a big jump in income in this most recent year, these lenders will still prefer to revert to an average.
  • For limited company directors only: some lenders will look at a director’s salary, plus the net profit (after corporation tax) in the company accounts. Some lenders will use an average of these figures over recent years, and some may use the most recent year’s figures. Again, if there is a big jump in salary or profit, they may revert to using an average. Of course, the amount of shares you hold in the company affects this calculation. N.B – there are a very small number of lenders that will use salary, plus net company profit before corporation tax.
  • For Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contractors only: CIS contractors are self-employed sole traders. With this in mind, most lenders will use an average of income over recent years from the SA302 / Tax Calculation forms. However, a small number of lenders will use the gross income from the last 3 to 6 months of CIS statements.
  • For other contractors, working on a day rate only: some lenders will assess income based on a day rate and a contract. For example, a day rate of £500, multiplied by 5 (to make a week’s income), multiplied by 46 working weeks.

Bear in mind that with regards to all of the above, the same basic affordability rule still applies: the larger your income, the more you can borrow.

It isn’t difficult to get a mortgage if you’re self employed, but it is difficult to calculate exactly how much borrowing is available to you, based on your circumstances.

Get in touch with us today and we can fill you in so you have accurate information to hand.

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    Really pleased with Thomas’s help. I was struggling with finding the right deal to suit my needs when renewing and the advice he gave was really helpful. I now have a deal which suits me for the current period and is flexible enough to … More change. I have saved money each month and have a much clearer picture of my options once my current offer expires. Would 100% recommend and will be using him again.
  • Avatar Joey Crone ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    Genuinley can't speak highly enough about Thomas. To say he went over and above for us is an understatement.
    He was proactive, knowledgable and diligent throughout our house move and helped us enormously with his experience and
    … More his good humour.
    Honestly, let him sort your mortgage. There won't be a better option.
  • Avatar Anthony Chiu ★★★★★ 3 years ago
    We found Thomas through a recommendation and he has been professional and friendly throughout our remortgaging process, offering us sound financial advice along the way. We also didn't give him much time before our existing mortgage's … More fixed rate period was due to end, but he's managed to speed things up - we really appreciate this!
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    Great service and support. We had a complicated set of needs and our advisor couldn't have been more helpful. Great attention to detail. Would highly recommended
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    We have used Thomas for a number of private and business mortgages. Thomas is a personable and knowledgeable advisor. There is no hard sell just a clear overview of the options. Once you choose a mortgage Thomas drives things personally … More ensuring minimum hassle and on time completion!
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    Couldn't have asked for better advice and support to buy my first house and negotiate my recent remortgage. Trustworthy, honest and clear explanations through the whole process. Thank you Cai!
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    Thomas at Hey Mortgages has now successfully brokered two mortgages for me and they were both arranged with a minimum of hassle.