You’re generally considered self-employed if:
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You are a sole trader,
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You are a partner in a business on a self-employed basis,
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You own 20%–25% or more of a limited company that pays you (for example via salary and dividends),
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You are a partner in a limited liability partnership (LLP).
Most lenders will treat you as self-employed if your income mainly comes from your business rather than from PAYE with a traditional employer.
If you’re a limited company director, see: Securing a Mortgage as a Limited Company Director.
Not automatically. If you can evidence your income and show that the mortgage is affordable, you should have access to the same rates as someone in full-time PAYE employment.
Your rate is more likely to be driven by:
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Deposit size / loan-to-value,
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Credit profile and conduct (including recent bank statements),
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How strong your accounts look to an underwriter.
To understand how lenders judge risk, read: The Mortgage Process: What Lenders Look For and What Underwriters Do and What Do Mortgage Lenders Look for on Bank Statements?
You’ll need to prove your income. Typical documents include:
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SA302s / tax calculations and corresponding tax year overviews from HMRC,
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Full business accounts (often 2 years+ signed by a qualified accountant),
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Business bank statements,
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For company directors: salary and dividend breakdown, or retained profit if the lender uses that.
Some lenders will work from one year of figures, but they usually want extra background and evidence.
For a full checklist, see:
It depends how you trade:
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Sole traders / partnerships: Lenders usually look at your net profit (total taxable income) and average this over the last 2–3 years.
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Limited company directors: Lenders may use salary + dividends, or sometimes your share of the company’s net profit. That choice can make a big difference in how much you can borrow. See Can You Get a Mortgage Using Dividends?
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Contractors: Some lenders work off a “day rate × number of days per week × 46/48 weeks” rather than just last year’s tax return, especially if you have a strong contract history. More on this in Contractor Mortgages.
If your income dipped recently, some lenders will base affordability on the lowest year, not the average.
Most self-employed applicants fall into the same broad range you’ll see quoted online: roughly 4.5× annual income.
However:
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Strong, stable income and low personal debt can sometimes push affordability higher with certain lenders.
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Irregular or recently increased income can pull it lower.
You can use our Mortgage Calculator for an indication, but the lender’s affordability assessment is what really matters.
For detail on how this assessment works, read: What is an Affordability Assessment?
It can be possible with certain lenders.
Typical expectations are:
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At least 12 months of trading,
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Proof that you’ve worked in that same line of work before going self-employed (for example, you went from PAYE electrician to self-employed electrician),
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Strong projected sustainability.
Be prepared to provide more context on your background and current pipeline of work.
If you’re newly self-employed on contracts, see: Contractor Mortgages.
In many cases, the minimum deposit is still around 5% (95% loan-to-value), just like an employed applicant.
However, if you have:
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Only one year of accounts,
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Recent income volatility,
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Adverse credit,
…then a larger deposit can help.
If you’re struggling to save a deposit at all, you may find some options in No-Deposit Mortgage.
Yes. As a sole trader, the lender will usually assess you based on your taxable income (net profit) shown on your SA302s / tax calculations, plus your recent business bank activity for consistency.
You’ll normally be asked to show at least two years of figures, but some specialist lenders will consider one.
If you’re applying with someone else who’s PAYE, read: Joint Mortgage When One Applicant Is Self-Employed.
Yes, irregular or seasonal income does not automatically mean “no”.
Mortgage underwriters mainly want to answer two questions:
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Is this income real and provable?
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Is it likely to continue?
They’ll check business trends, contracts, bank statements, and personal spending.
For how underwriters think, see: The Mortgage Process: What Lenders Look For and What Underwriters Do and What Do Mortgage Lenders Look for on Bank Statements?
This is particularly relevant for people like influencers, content creators, performers and celebrities.
Yes, contractors can absolutely get mortgages, but it’s more specialist.
Key factors lenders look at:
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How long you’ve been contracting,
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Length of your current contract and likelihood of renewal,
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Your day rate or agreed fixed term,
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Gaps between contracts.
Some will lend after as little as 6 months’ continuous contracting; others want 12+ months.
Agency workers can be approved, including temps, supply workers and locum-style roles.
Many lenders like to see a 12-month work history in the same line of work, or evidence of continuous/repeat placements. Some will allow shorter histories or brief gaps if the overall income pattern is strong.
This comes up a lot for supply teachers and similar roles such as CIS workers.
Yes. Lenders will look at:
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The length of your current contract,
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Whether you’ve had previous renewals,
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Your profession (some sectors, like education and healthcare, are seen as lower risk),
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Your deposit size.
In the right circumstances you can still reach 95% loan-to-value (5% deposit).
Full detail here: Can I Get a Mortgage on a Fixed Term Contract?
In many cases, yes.
Some lenders will assess company directors on salary + dividends only. Others will consider retained profit / net profit within the business, which can increase how much you can borrow if you keep income inside the company for tax efficiency.
For strategy on presenting your accounts, read:
Potentially, yes. Children (or any financial dependants) increase your monthly outgoings. Lenders build those costs into affordability, which can reduce the maximum loan size even if your turnover is strong.
This is especially relevant for self-employed applicants whose income looks high “on paper” but whose disposable income is tighter in reality.
More on this here: Does Having Children Affect a Mortgage?
Yes. Two key steps:
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Decision in Principle (also called Agreement in Principle / Mortgage in Principle):
This is what most estate agents will ask for before accepting an offer. It shows that a lender has reviewed your basic info and is willing, in principle, to lend.
See: Do I Need a Decision in Principle to Make an Offer?
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Supporting documents ready to go:
Having your accounts, tax calculations, bank statements and ID prepared can speed up full application and reduce stress.
See: When Will Your Mortgage Be Pre-Approved? and Documents Needed for a Self-Employed Mortgage.
Timeframes vary, but the things that slow self-employed cases down are usually documentation and underwriting queries.
Expect:
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Extra questions about your income trend (is it rising, stable, falling?),
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Requests for explanations on business expenses,
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Closer review of recent bank statements.
You can speed this up by being fully packaged from day one.
Read: How Long Does Mortgage Application Approval Take?
Lenders all treat self-employed income differently. The “wrong” lender might only use part of your income (e.g. just salary, not dividends), which can slash how much you’re allowed to borrow.
A specialist self-employed mortgage adviser like Kerr & Watson:
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Matches your profile to lenders who understand it,
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Prepares your documents so underwriting goes more smoothly,
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Shields you from unnecessary declines that could leave a mark.
For more on why tailored advice matters, see:
