What Income is Needed for a Mortgage?

How much do you need to earn to get the mortgage you’re looking for?

We are constantly asked, “how much do I need to earn to get the amount of mortgage I’m looking for?” The answer to this is not that straightforward, hence why it can be difficult for people to establish exactly how much they can borrow. The reason for this is that all lenders use their own criteria to assess income and affordability.

The advisors we work with are experts and are whole of market, so even if you’ve been declined or have bad credit, they will be able to give you the right advice for your circumstances.

How do you work out how much income you’ll need for a mortgage?

Traditionally all lenders have used a basic income multiple as a rule of thumb to determine the maximum amount you can borrow for a mortgage. However, because lenders don’t all use the same income multiple equation this means some can be more generous than others.

Most lenders will use an income multiple of 4 times your salary, some will use 5 times your salary but there are a select few who will use 6 times your salary. But, how does this work out for you and your income? Try our mortgage affordability calculator to find out:

Example calculations

Let’s take a further look at how varying income multiples, across a range of illustrative annual earnings, can affect the amount you can borrow for a mortgage.

The above table is for demonstrative purposes only and you should always consult your lender or broker for the most up-to-date information.

As you can see from the table above, the income multiple used by your lender can make quite an impact upon the amount you can borrow. A lender using 6 times your income can offer you a mortgage 50% higher than a lender using 4 times your income.

If you are in a relationship as a dual-income household it may make more sense to apply for a joint mortgage as you can use your combined earnings to increase the size of your mortgage.

Rather than taking the time to conduct your own research on what every lender’s income multiple policies are, why not let us help? If you get in touch we can arrange for an expert who has an in-depth understanding in this area to speak with you.

Now let’s look more closely at some examples of what you would need to earn for a specific mortgage amount:

What income is needed for a 120k mortgage?

The table below shows how much you need to earn, depending on the income multiple used by a lender, for a £120k mortgage.

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What income is needed for a 160k mortgage?

The table below shows how much you need to earn, depending on the income multiple used by a lender, for a £160k mortgage.

What income is needed for a 400k mortgage?

The table below shows how much you need to earn, depending on the income multiple used by a lender, for a £400k mortgage.

What income is needed for a 500k mortgage?

The table below shows how much you need to earn, depending on the income multiple used by a lender, for a £500k mortgage.

What income is needed for a 600k mortgage?

The table below shows how much you need to earn, depending on the income multiple used by a lender, for a £600k mortgage.

What income is needed for an 800k mortgage?

The table below shows how much you need to earn, depending on the income multiple used by a lender, for an £800k mortgage.

What income is needed for a £1 million mortgage?

The table below shows how much you need to earn, depending on the income multiple used by a lender, for a £1 million mortgage.

What other factors could impact the amount you need to borrow for a mortgage?

Additional income

When calculating your total earnings for the basis of an income multiple exercise it’s important that you include any additional income you earn on top of your basic salary such as bonuses, overtime or any allowances you receive as part of your contract.

Not all lenders will necessarily accept the total amount of these additional forms of income. For example, earnings from bonuses and overtime may be capped. Most lenders will usually accept 50%, some will accept 75% and a few will accept 100%.

By including any additional income you get, in turn, you will increase your chances of achieving the mortgage amount you need to buy your property.

For more information on different types of additional income and how they are viewed by lenders have a look at this article here(affordability article on additional income).

Outgoings

Using your total earnings to work out the maximum mortgage you can get only really tells half the story. A lender also needs to understand how much of those earnings are being spent each month in order to accurately assess whether you can afford your mortgage repayments.

Looking at one of the income examples from the table above, if you earn £100,000 per annum but you’re outgoings total £99,000 can you really afford a mortgage of £400,000?

Since the 2014 Mortgage Market Review (MMR) all UK lenders are now expected to undertake a thorough affordability assessment of your current outgoings and conduct a ‘stress-test’ of any future expenditure.

The outcome of this assessment will determine the mortgage a lender is prepared to offer you.

If you get in touch with us we can ask an advisor we work with to discuss this area with you in more detail.

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