Self-Employed Mortgage Advice

Sole trader, director or contractor — we’ll help you get the right mortgage first time.

Being self-employed doesn’t mean getting a mortgage should be harder – it just means lenders need to understand your income properly. We’ll help you present your accounts, SA302s, tax calculations and bank statements in the best light, explain how different lenders view your earnings, and give you a clear view of what’s realistic before you fall in love with a property.

Book Intro Call Book Mortgage Strategy Call

Not sure which call you need? See the difference between Intro & Strategy Calls

Self-employed mortgage advice across Broadstairs, Thanet & the wider Kent coast

Worried your self-employed income will hold you back?

Many self-employed clients come to us after being told “it’s too complicated” or “you’ll need to wait a few more years”. In reality, it’s often about matching you with the right lender and presenting your income clearly – not about having a “perfect” set of accounts.

We work with sole traders, company directors and contractors across all sorts of industries. We’ll help you understand how lenders view your income today, what’s possible now, and what might improve if you tweak things ahead of your next application.

How will lenders look at my income?

We’ll explain how different lenders use accounts, SA302s, tax calculations, day rates and salary-plus-dividends – and which approach is likely to suit you best.

Is one year’s accounts or uneven income a problem?

We’ll look at how long you’ve been trading, how your income has changed year-on-year and which lenders are more flexible with newer businesses or variable earnings.

What about retained profits or my company structure?

If you’re a director, some lenders may consider retained profits or use net profit instead of just salary and dividends. We’ll help you understand where that could work in your favour.

What do I actually need to provide?

From SA302s and tax overviews to full accounts and bank statements, we’ll give you a clear, simple checklist so you know exactly what to gather and why it matters.

Your self-employed mortgage roadmap

Whether you’re a sole trader, company director or contractor, here’s how we’ll guide you from first questions to getting the keys – with a clear plan at each stage.

Step 1 (optional)

Intro Call

A quick, no-pressure chat about your goals, how your business is set up and roughly where you are with income, deposit and timescales. Ideal if you’re not ready to dive into the detail just yet.

Great if you’re still “fact-finding” and want to sense-check things.

Step 2

Strategy Call & Document Review

Before the call, you’ll complete a fact-find and share key documents such as SA302s, tax calculations, accounts, payslips (if you’re a director on PAYE) and recent bank statements. We’ll then walk through everything together and talk through realistic options.

Step 3

Lender Research & Recommendation

We research the market with your specific income pattern in mind – whether that’s averaged profits, latest year, day-rate calculations or salary-plus-dividends. We’ll recommend a lender and product that fits both your figures and your comfort level.

Step 4

Application & Underwriting Prep

Once you’re happy to go ahead, we prepare your application in line with the lender’s criteria, making sure your income story is presented clearly. We’ll handle the paperwork and pre-empt the typical questions underwriters might ask.

Step 5

Lender & Legal Processing

The lender carries out valuations and final checks while your solicitor deals with the legal side. We stay close to both, update you regularly and help resolve any queries about your business or income along the way.

Step 6

Completion & Future Review

When your mortgage completes and you get the keys, our support doesn’t end. We’ll be here to review things ahead of future remortgages, especially as your income, accounts and business plans evolve.

Advice that keeps pace with your business, not just this one application.

Helpful tools while you’re planning

These tools won’t replace tailored advice, but they can give you a useful starting point – especially when you’re trying to juggle business cashflow, tax and homebuying plans at the same time.

Monthly Mortgage Payment Calculator See how different loan amounts, terms and rates might look each month.

Mortgage Overpayment Calculator Check how overpaying when business is strong could save interest and shorten your term.

Stamp Duty Calculator Work out what you might owe on different purchase prices, so there are no surprises.

Mortgage Jargon Buster Plain-English explanations of common terms – including the ones that often trip up the self-employed.

Intro Call vs Strategy Call – What’s the Difference?

Not sure which appointment to choose? These FAQs explain how each call works and what to expect.

Which call is right for me?

In short: if you’re just starting out and want a friendly chat about your options, an Intro Call is perfect. If you’re ready to look at detailed numbers and specific recommendations, a Strategy Call is the better fit.

Intro Call: informal, around 15 minutes, ideal for early questions and next steps.
Strategy Call: detailed, up to 60 minutes, includes research, figures and tailored advice.

If you’re unsure, don’t worry – book whatever feels closest, and we’ll make sure the conversation focuses on what matters most to you.

The Intro Call is a short, informal chat designed for those who want to explore their options before diving into the full mortgage process. It’s a great way to ask initial questions, understand how we can help, and decide on the best next steps.

The Strategy Call is a more in-depth conversation where we take a closer look at your mortgage goals, financial situation and eligibility. This call helps us outline potential options tailored to you, including indicative affordability and monthly payments.

If you're unsure which to choose, start with the Intro Call – we can always book a Strategy Call when you're ready for more detail.

Intro Calls take place either over the phone or via Microsoft Teams.

Strategy Calls are typically held via Microsoft Teams, but if you’d prefer to meet in person at our Broadstairs office, just reply to your confirmation email to let your adviser know.

No, there’s absolutely no cost for any of the mortgage calls. We believe in offering support and guidance upfront, so you can ask all the questions you need – completely obligation-free.

That’s completely fine. If you’re unsure, just pick the one that feels closest to your situation. During the call we’ll focus on the goals that matter most to you – and if you’d benefit from a more detailed Strategy Call afterwards, we can arrange that together.

The Intro Call is a quick, informal chat usually lasting around 15 minutes.

The Strategy Call is more detailed and typically lasts around 45–60 minutes, although we block out 90 minutes to ensure we have plenty of time to explore your situation, assess your options and answer all of your questions.

After the call, we’ll email you with a summary of what we discussed, along with any next steps. There’s no obligation to proceed, but if you’re ready, we’ll guide you through the mortgage process from start to finish.

Of course – life happens. You’ll find a reschedule button in your confirmation email so you can choose a new time that works better for you.

It’s not essential, but providing documents such as proof of income, your credit report and recent bank statements before a Strategy Call can be really helpful. It gives your adviser a chance to review your information and identify any potential hurdles ahead of time, so you can get the most out of the session.

Meet the team who’ll handle your self-employed mortgage

You’ll always know who you’re dealing with. Your self-employed mortgage advice will be handled by James or Rob, with Lucy and Chrissie keeping everything on track behind the scenes.

James Brown, Director and Financial Adviser at Need Financial Planning

James Brown – DipFA CeMAP CeRER Director & Financial Adviser

Financial & Mortgage Advice

James specialises in helping clients see the bigger picture – including how your mortgage, business, pensions and investments all fit together over the long term.

Robert Brown, Director and Mortgage & Protection Adviser at Need Financial Planning

Robert Brown – CeMAP ACA Director & Mortgage & Protection Adviser

Mortgages & Protection

Rob is calm, clear and detail-focused. He’ll help you understand how lenders view your business, talk through your options and make sure your mortgage and protection are set up properly.

Lucy Baron Office Manager

Case Management

Lucy keeps your application moving – chasing updates, coordinating paperwork and making sure you always know what’s happening next.

Chrissie Swain Admin & Marketing

Client Comms & Resources

Chrissie looks after the guides, updates and little touches that make the process feel clearer and more organised from day one.

What our clients say about us

We’re proud to have helped first-time buyers, home movers, remortgagers and self-employed clients across Broadstairs, Thanet and beyond. Here’s what some of them had to say:

THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE SECURING OTHER DEBTS AGAINST YOUR HOME.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER DEBT SECURED ON IT.

IMPORTANT: With investments, your capital is at risk. Pensions and investments can go down in value as well as up, so you could get back less than you invest.

Need Financial Planning Ltd is registered in England and Wales no. 10901658. Registered office, 123 High Street, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 1NQ. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Need Financial Planning Ltd is entered on the Financial Services Register https://register.fca.org.uk/ under reference 977136. If you wish to register a complaint, please write to [email protected] or telephone 01843 228800. A summary of our internal complaints handling procedures for the reasonable and prompt handling of complaints is available on request and if you cannot settle your complaint with us, you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk or by contacting them on 0800 0234 567.