A mortgage that makes sense of how you're actually paid.
Zero-hours, fixed-term, day rates, CIS, bonuses, more than one income — lenders read these very differently. We know which ones read them well.
Your income isn't the problem. The tick-boxes are.
Plenty of people earn well without a single monthly payslip. The trick is putting that income in front of a lender who knows how to read it.
Many high-street lenders have strict criteria built around one pattern: a permanent job and a fixed salary. If you're on a zero-hours or fixed-term contract, work day rates, or draw income from several places at once, an application can struggle — not because you can't afford the mortgage, but because the income doesn't fit the form.
Flexible lenders assess the reality instead. For contract workers they look at your employment history, the length of your current contract, and how consistent your income has been over the past 12 months or more — with sectors in steady demand, like healthcare, IT and education, viewed as lower risk. Day-rate contractors can often have annual income calculated from the day rate itself, and CIS construction workers can be treated as employed and assessed on gross earnings.
Other income can strengthen the case too. Some lenders will count a percentage of bonuses, commission and overtime, and some consider benefit income, maintenance payments or a stipend. Our job is to understand how your income is genuinely structured, present it in the best possible light, and match it to the lenders who take that flexible approach.
Your first conversation is free, and there's no obligation. See how it works
How lenders read a salary — and everything else.
Neither kind of income is "worse". Variable income simply takes more evidence, and more care over which lender sees it.
| Standard salary | Variable or contract income | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's evidenced | Recent payslips — quick and familiar | Contracts, 12 months or more of income history, day-rate calculations or CIS statements |
| How much of it counts | Usually the full basic salary, with bonus or overtime partly counted by some lenders | Varies — a percentage of bonus or commission, an annualised day rate, or gross CIS earnings, depending on the lender |
| What strengthens the case | Time in the job and a stable employer | A solid history in your field, a longer current contract, consistent income — and a sector in demand |
| Lender choice | Most of the market | A smaller, flexible pool — presenting the income well to the right lender is most of the battle |
How it goes from here.
How you're paid
A relaxed conversation about every strand of your income — contracts, rates, extras, all of it.
Research
We search the whole market for lenders who'll count the most of what you actually earn.
A clear recommendation
A written recommendation in plain English — what we'd do, and why.
Questions we hear about complex incomes.
Can I get a mortgage on a zero-hours contract?
It's possible — a number of lenders will consider zero-hours workers, they just assess the income differently from a standard salary. Most want to see a consistent picture over the past 12 months or more, and a solid employment history in your field helps.
What about a fixed-term contract?
Fixed-term contracts can absolutely be considered. The longer your current contract the better, but even short-term contracts aren't a dead end if you have a strong track record of staying in work. Sectors in steady demand — healthcare, IT, education — tend to be viewed as lower risk.
How do lenders treat a day rate?
Many lenders will calculate your annual income from your day rate rather than asking for traditional payslips or accounts. For contractors and consultants, that can support noticeably more borrowing than an assessment based only on net profit or dividends.
I'm paid through CIS — am I employed or self-employed?
For tax purposes you're self-employed, but some lenders will treat CIS contractors as employed applicants — assessing income on gross earnings before tax rather than net profit. That distinction can make a real difference to what you're able to borrow.
Can benefit income count towards a mortgage?
Some lenders will consider benefits such as Child Benefit, Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Carer's Allowance alongside your other income. Not every lender does, so knowing which ones do is half the job.
Do bonuses, commission and overtime count?
Often, yes — some lenders will count a percentage of regular bonus, commission or overtime towards your total income. How much they accept varies from lender to lender, and we know which ones are most generous with it.
What about maintenance payments or a stipend?
Child or spousal maintenance can be included by some lenders where it comes from a legal agreement or a consistent private arrangement. Stipend income — for postgraduate research or medical training, say — is also accepted by certain lenders, and we can point you to them.
However complicated it looks, the first conversation is simple — and free.
Tell us roughly how you're paid and we'll come back to you within one working day. No hard sell, no obligation, no jargon.