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Self Employed Mortgages

Self-employed people work across all industries and markets with a variety of working and contractual structures. The mortgage team at Revolution Finance Brokers specialise in helping self-employed applicants source the best mortgage deals, access the most competitive rates, and achieve the ideal mortgage financing to fit their circumstances.

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AboutAbout your mortgage

Single or joint mortgage?
What’s your yearly income?

Error: Yearly income income must be between £1 and £10,000,000.

Do you receive a regular bonus?

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about your mortgage

Based on your yearly income,
you may be able to borrow

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Most lenders will let you borrow 4.5 times your annual salary so, as long as you have a standard 10% deposit, you should be able to borrow this much.

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Depending on your personal circumstances, some lenders may let you borrow 5 times your salary.

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Lenders usually cap the amount they lend at 5.5 times your salary, so it’s unlikely you’ll be able to borrow more than this.

Almas Uddin
Almas Uddin

Founder and Mortgage Advisor

Almas Uddin2023-05-09
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Self Employed Mortgages

Self-employed people work across all industries and markets with a variety of working and contractual structures.

The mortgage team at Revolution Finance Brokers specialise in helping self-employed applicants source the best mortgage deals, access the most competitive rates, and achieve the ideal mortgage financing to fit their circumstances.

Finding a self-employed mortgage can seem more difficult than if you were in PAYE employment - lenders need to be confident that they understand how much you earn on average because you won't have a fixed salary to prove your affordability.

However, with expert broker support, you have the best chances of finding a highly competitive self-employed mortgage without stress or delays.

Options for Getting a Mortgage When Self-Employed

There aren’t any specific mortgage products developed for self-employed home buyers. This system means that the affordability criteria are consistent whether you are employed or self-employed.

You do not have to consider different interest rates or types of mortgage depending on your employment status.

The significant difference for self-employed homebuyers is the assessment process to consider whether your borrowing is affordable.

This process is much more straightforward for an employed person since their income tends to be stable and can be easily demonstrated through payslips and P60s. But, for self-employed mortgage applicants, demonstrating affordability can be more complex, and the requirements vary significantly between lenders.

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The Process of Securing a Self-Employed Mortgage

All lenders have assessment criteria they need to comply with, and one of the most crucial is affordability.

A lender cannot make a mortgage offer to an applicant that they do not think will keep up with the repayments.

The challenge for self-employed people is that their income may be variable, and it can be harder to predict their anticipated income over the coming years.

This same scenario applies to company Directors, whose income may fluctuate depending on dividends declared and bonuses achieved.

Revolution Finance Brokers specialise in just these scenarios and work with an established network of lenders to offer competitive mortgage terms and cost-effective rates alongside a streamlined application process.

Demonstrating affordability for a self-employed mortgage

To pass an affordability assessment, a self-employed applicant must be able to demonstrate their income.

In some cases, you can complete this verification through HMRC records, which will likely become more mainstream in the future.

One of the processes to assist is an SA302 form, which is the self-assessment tax form submitted to HMRC to evidence your self-employed income.

Most lenders will request a copy of accounts for your self-employed business for up to the last three years. However, some lenders will simply require a copy of your SA302 forms.

Please note that self-certification mortgages are no longer available.

This product required applicants to self-certify their income as the basis for an affordability assessment alongside a mortgage lending application.

Due to the inability of lenders to responsibly verify self-certified information, this option no longer exists.

Obtaining copies of your SA302 forms

If you do not have copies of your SA302 forms to show your declared income, you can download documents from the HMRC online portal for up to the last four years.

You can also request hard copies from HMRC if you submit your returns by post.

Contact HMRC and request copies of previous SA302 submissions via their helpline on 0300 330 3310 and have your NI number and UTR number to hand.

Your SA302 will show:

  1. Your declared annual income per tax year 
  2. How much income tax you paid 
  3. Your National Insurance contributions for the tax year
  4. All income received including your salary, dividends and interest payments

What Self-Employed Income for Mortgage Approval Do I Need?

The amount you can borrow will vary between lenders and how they calculate the maximum lending value against your self-employed income.

For example, some lenders consider your income for the previous year, and others will work based on the average over the past three years.

There are also variances between how lenders categorise relevant income for this calculation.

If you are unsure whether your self-employed income will be considered eligible for the mortgage lending you are looking for or need support in navigating the application process and finding the right lending for you, give us a call on 0300 304 3040.

Our team will be delighted to help you understand how to access a self-employed mortgage!

What Income Do Lenders Include When Self-Employed Applying for Mortgage?

As a self-employed person or a business owner, you may have retained profits within your business. This scenario is where your company has made profits over and above the amount you have drawn from it.

Whether or not retained profits are taken into account in the affordability assessment depends on the lender.

Specialist lenders familiar with mortgages for self-employed people or business owners do take this income source into account. In contrast, more mainstream lenders will often only look at personal income to decide whether they can offer to lend.

Likewise, dividend income is generally considered eligible income. However, some lenders will not include this in their affordability or maximum lending calculations.

Issues can arise if your total income from your business exceeds the net profit declared. In this case, it is essential to seek expert advice before submitting a mortgage application or choosing a lender to ensure that you are submitting your application correctly.

How many years of self-employed accounts are needed to obtain a self-employed mortgage?

If your business has been trading for a short while and you have a set of accounts for only one year, you can seek a specialist lender willing to consider applications with shorter trading histories.

Revolution Finance Brokers can advise on which lenders are open to these applications and which are not! Should you have two years of accounts, more lenders will be available for you to consider.

Usually, these lenders will consider the average profits of the last two years in deciding what mortgage they can offer.

The value of the deposit you have available will also impact the application process. For self-employed people with three years worth of accounts, more lending options are available.

Although it has traditionally been necessary to have three years worth of accounts, this is no longer mandatory. Some lenders are happy to consider applications with shorter trading history.

There are also options to apply for funding based on only last year's trading. For example, if your business or industry has seen a sharp increase in profitability or turnover in the previous 12 months and can demonstrate that this profit level is likely to be sustainable for the future.

Getting a Mortgage When Self-Employed With Bad Credit

Typically, it is much more challenging to secure a mortgage if you have experienced credit issues in the past.

However, mortgage options are available, and our property team can help advise on the best products and lenders for your circumstances.

If you have had an application declined by your bank, you also have other options available.

Being declined by one bank is not an indication that other lenders will not approve your application.

In these circumstances, the power of using an expert mortgage broker comes into play.

The team at Revolution Finance Brokers have years of experience and a strong network of lenders who can consider specialist lending and niche applications to help every applicant secure the mortgage funding they need.

Get in touch at [email protected] and let us know a little more about your circumstances and the type of mortgage you are looking for. We will work with you to find the best deals on the market and secure your mortgage lending.

Do my retained profits count as income for mortgage purposes?

This answer varies considerably between lenders.

Some will undoubtedly include your retained profits as part of the assets you have achieved through your self-employed business.

However, others will not include this figure and only consider the income you have drawn from the business.

If you need to find a specialist lender who will assess your income and assets as a whole, get in touch with the Revolution Finance Brokers mortgage team, and we will match you up with the best lender.

Do Dividends Count Towards a Self-Employed Income for Mortgage Assessment?

As with retained profits, dividends are also treated differently by different lenders. Some will consider dividend income as part of your overall income stream, however some will not. Some lenders will consider the net profit of your business rather than considering your personal income and dividends. Give us a call if you are in any doubt as to which figures to declare as income for your mortgage application and we will be happy to help!

Almas Uddin
Almas Uddin

Founder and Mortgage Advisor

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Frequently Asked
Questions

The quick answer is - they aren’t! There are not special mortgages available for self-employed people, although the affordability criteria is important to understand since this will vary between applicants with different employment statuses.

An essential task for a self-employed person looking for a mortgage lender is to make sure you are only approaching lenders who accept applications from self-employed people. Different lenders have different requirements and policies about what parts of your income they consider when determining affordability. Give the Revolution Finance Brokers team a call, and we will make sure you find the best lenders who will be happy to consider your application.

The biggest challenge for a self-employed person looking to purchase a home is proving your income and thus demonstrating affordability.

Our team can help you work out the best way to demonstrate your financial stability and build up a history of income from your self-employed business to satisfy the requirements of your mortgage lender.

This process can be achieved through HMRC documentation or through submitting copies of your filed accounts.

Self cert mortgages no longer exist. They were created to help self-employed people self certify their ability to keep up with repayments on mortgage lending. However, the system was subject to abuse and the responsibility placed on lenders to check affordability before offering mortgage lending has since been increased.

Yes, a SA302 from HMRC shows a record of your taxes filed for each year of trading, and is often accepted by mortgage lenders as an alternative to filed accounts. Please note that not all lenders will accept an SA302, so get in touch with our mortgage team for support in finding the right lenders who will be happy with your proof of income.

As with any mortgage, how much a lender offers will depend heavily on their lending criteria and what parts of your income they will consider in making those calculations. Some lenders look at your income for the previous year, and others will require an average over the last two or three years. They will use this figure to determine the maximum they are willing to lend.

The best option is to speak with a specialist mortgage broker. Our job is to find the right mortgage and the best deal available to meet your mortgage requirements. Lenders do not offer different interest rates for employed or self-employed people, so finding the best deal is about choosing a lender who understands self-employment income streams and will be happy to consider your application.

Yes, you can - being turned down for finance can be disheartening, but it does not mean that another lender will not find a deal that suits you. Give us a ring if you are concerned about securing finance or have been rejected before, and we will run through your options.

Further Reading

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As specialist mortgage brokers for a huge variety of applicants, the whole-of-market consultants at Revolution provide access to an exceptional range of lenders, products and mortgage deals. That means you get the advantage of professional negotiation and broker-exclusives through an established lending network to ensure we always find you the most competitive mortgage available.

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FCA disclaimer

The content included in our articles, blogs, web pages and news publications is based on information accurate at the time of writing. Note that policies and criteria can change regularly throughout the UK mortgage lending market, and it remains essential to contact the consultation team to receive up to date guidance. The information included on the Revolution Brokers site is not bespoke to any circumstances or individual application scenarios and therefore is not intended to be used as financial advice. The content we share is designed to be informative and helpful but cannot be relied upon to provide individual advice relevant to your mortgage requirements. All Revolution team members are fully qualified, trained and experienced to provide mortgage advice of an independent nature.

We collaborate with lenders and providers who are regulated, authorised and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Should you require specific mortgage borrowing types, some products such as buy to let mortgages may not be FCA regulated. The Revolution team can provide further information about regulated and unregulated lending as required. Please remember that a mortgage is a debt which is secured against your home or property. Your home can be at risk of repossession if you do not keep up with the repayments or encounter any other difficulties in managing your mortgage borrowing responsibly. This also applies to any remortgage or home loan secured against your property, including equity release products.

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