How UK lenders really assess the self-employed, and the twelve-month preparation that adds tens of thousands to what you can borrow.
- £39
- 8 modules
- Updated at every Budget
- 30-day refund
Two people with the same income and the same deposit can be offered very different mortgages, because lenders do not read the self-employed the way they read employees. A sole trader is assessed on net profit, usually averaged over two years and taken at the lower figure if profit is falling. A company director is read on salary plus dividends, or, with some lenders, on salary plus a share of retained profit. The gap between those readings is the biggest number in the whole application.
The preparation that moves the outcome takes about twelve months and starts with your tax return, because every expense you claim reduces what you can borrow. This playbook lays out the trade-off, the documents lenders actually ask for, and the sequence for the year before you apply.
What’s inside
- How each structure is assessed, and why the same accounts produce very different offers
- SA302 tax calculations and tax year overviews — the exact download steps, and why lenders want both
- The expenses-versus-borrowing trade-off, with a two-year plan if buying matters more than this year’s tax bill
- Credit file preparation that actually moves the needle, across all three agencies
- Deposit: the Lifetime ISA and its exit penalty, gifted deposit paperwork, and how deposit size changes the rate band
- Broker versus direct, and timing your application around your filing date
- Declining profit, mixed PAYE and self-employed income, buying with an employed partner, remortgaging
- After the offer: the do-not list between offer and completion
The templates
A borrowing estimator covering both the sole-trader and the company-director reading, a twenty-four month readiness timeline, and the document pack index lenders ask for.
What the first evening looks like
Run the borrowing estimator both ways, sole-trader reading and director reading, so you know what each structure would do to the offer. Then work the twenty-four month timeline backwards from the month you want to buy: which tax return will be in front of the lender, what it needs to show, and when the SA302 and tax year overview have to be downloaded. The document pack index is the checklist for application week.
Buying more than one? All ten 2026/27 courses, 262 pages and 44 templates, are £119 against £328 at full price. See the full course list.
Not for you if: you need a recommendation on a specific lender or product. This is information, not mortgage advice — use an FCA-authorised broker for that.
Common questions
Is this mortgage advice?
No. It is information about how lenders assess the self-employed and how to prepare. Choosing a lender or product is regulated advice; use an FCA-authorised broker for that.
I have been trading under two years. Is it hopeless?
Not hopeless, but narrower. The playbook covers the lenders that consider one year of accounts and what they want to see instead of a second year.
What are SA302s and why do lenders want two documents?
The SA302 is your tax calculation; the tax year overview confirms what you actually paid. Lenders want both because they check one against the other. The exact download steps are in the course.
Does it cover buying with an employed partner?
Yes, along with declining profit, mixed PAYE and self-employed income, and remortgaging.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Figures checked against HMRC and other primary sources at publication — see our editorial policy.