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For professionals whose earnings include a significant commission element, securing a mortgage can feel more complex than it does for those on a straightforward fixed salary.
Commission income is variable pay earned on top of a base salary, typically tied to sales performance, revenue targets, client acquisition, or business development activity. Because it fluctuates month to month, lenders treat it differently from guaranteed salary.
Lenders focus primarily on the consistency of your commission payments over time, the proportion of commission relative to your base salary, and whether there is a reasonable expectation that commission will continue in the future.
When reviewing a commission income mortgage application, lenders will typically ask for at least two years of payslips and P60s to establish a track record of earnings.
The percentage of commission a lender will include in their affordability calculation varies widely. Some lenders will only use 50% of your average commission across the last two years, while others will accept the full amount.
We identify lenders who accept up to 100% of averaged commission income, rather than the restrictive 50% applied by many high street lenders.
The right lender can increase your borrowing by hundreds of thousands of pounds. We match your commission structure to lenders whose criteria work in your favour.
Two years of payslips, P60s and employer references presented correctly can be the difference between approval and decline. We handle this for you.
Whether switching rate, releasing equity, or investing in buy-to-let, we source solutions that fully account for your commission and variable income structure.
The difference between the most restrictive and most flexible approach in this example is £320,000. Selecting the most suitable lender is not a minor detail; for high earners with variable income, it can be the single most important decision in the mortgage process.
Lenders pay close attention to the consistency and trajectory of your commission over time. Regular monthly or quarterly payments, minimal volatility year on year, and an upward trend all work in your favour. Significant gaps in commission payments, or a pattern of highly irregular earnings, are likely to result in a smaller proportion of your commission being included in the affordability calculation.
Your industry can also play a role – sectors such as financial services, sales, and senior management are well understood by lenders, and commission in these fields is typically seen as a sustainable and expected part of total remuneration.
Selecting a suitable mortgage structure is just as important as finding the most competitive lender. Borrowers with commission income need to think carefully about repayment type, interest rate structure, and how their monthly outgoings interact with the natural variability of their earnings.
A repayment mortgage means monthly payments cover both the interest and the capital, reducing the loan balance steadily over the term. This carries less long-term risk and is the most common choice. An interest-only mortgage reduces monthly outgoings by only charging interest, but requires a credible repayment strategy to clear the capital at the end of the term — a route often favoured by higher-income borrowers with investment strategies in place.
On the rate side, a fixed-rate mortgage provides predictable monthly payments for a set period — commonly two, five, or ten years — offering certainty regardless of what happens to interest rates in the wider market. A variable or tracker rate can offer lower initial costs but introduces more uncertainty, which some commission earners may prefer to avoid given the variability already present in their income. A broker can help you weigh up these options in the context of your specific financial goals and cash flow profile.
The deposit you are able to put down will influence both the lenders available to you and the rates you are offered. As a general guide in 2026, most lenders require a minimum deposit of 5–10% of the property value. A deposit of 20–25% opens up a broader range of products and more competitive rates, while those who can put down 40% or more typically access the most competitive rates on the market. For borrowers with commission income, a larger deposit can also offset some of the lender’s concerns about income variability, improving your overall application.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Our clients value the confidence that comes from working with a broker who understands the full spectrum of high-net-worth financial, commercial, and protection needs.
Whatever your situation, our premier mortgage team can advise on suitable solutions. We specialise in complex and bespoke mortgage solutions to help you find competitive terms.
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