Articles Tagged With: Income Verification

April 30, 2021

FHA Home Loan Rules For Income: VA Benefits, Disability

Home loan approval depends on a variety of factors–your credit score, history of on-time payments on your financial obligations, and your income. Where your paycheck is concerned, FHA loan rules say the income must be verifiable and likely to continue in order to be counted for purposes of approving your FHA mortgage. FHA home loan rules in HUD 4000.1 say that certain benefits may be counted as verifiable income–the rules allow the use of disability benefits to financially qualify for the loan. But there are borrowers who worry their disability income won’t be counted for the purposes of the loan. In cases where such income meets FHA standards, the borrower likely has nothing to worry about. Those standards are found in HUD 4000.1 and start with a basic definition of | more...

July 29, 2020

HUD Announces Extended COVID-19 Guidelines For Self-Employment Income Approval

By Bruce Reichstein

The FHA and HUD have announced an extension to some of its’s temporary coronavirus measures created to help participating lenders approve FHA home loans. This announcement was made in a group message containing other guidelines with changes via a “multisubject mortgagee letter” by HUD in the last week of July 2020. “COVID-19 Multisubject: Updated Temporary Guidance for Verification of Self-Employment; Rental Income; 203(k) Rehabilitation Escrow Account” is a HUD mortgagee letter with updates that affect FHA loan rules for applicants trying to qualify for an FHA mortgage with self-employment income. There are other updates for those who want to purchase a home using rental income to qualify–we’ll explore that information in a future blog post. The measures announced in the FHA mortgagee letter are not permanent; it’s part of a | more...

February 5, 2018

FHA Loan Employment Rules

By Joe Wallace

FHA loan employment rules include a requirement that the FHA lender insure the borrower’s income is stable, reliable, and likely to continue. There are certain standards the FHA uses to determine this beginning with a minimum employment length. The rules governing this are found in HUD 4000.1, beginning on page 197 where we learn, “The Mortgagee must document the Borrower’s income and employment history, verify the accuracy of the amounts of income being reported, and determine if the income can be considered as Effective Income”. HUD 4000.1 says effective income must be legally derived and reported on the borrower’s income tax forms. But what about the borrower’s work history? HUD 4000.1 tells the lender this is important, too-not just the amount you earn or the responsibilities you carry. “For all | more...

November 27, 2017

FHA Loan Rules: Using Rental Income to Qualify for a Mortgage Loan

By Bruce Reichstein

What do FHA loan rules say about using rental income to qualify for an FHA home loan? Is it possible to use rental income according to the FHA loan handbook, HUD 4000.1? The short answer is that it depends on whether or not the rental income meets FHA loan minimum standards. When processing your home loan application, your participating FHA lender will request copies (never originals) of the relevant paperwork associated with your employment and income, including tax documents, W2 forms, pay stubs, etc. If your income is derived in whole or in part by rent payments, the lender will need to see documentation for that, too. FHA loan rules in HUD 4000.1 address this on page 202, starting with the definition of what is considered rental income under the | more...

November 3, 2017

Are There Any Employment Documentation Rules For FHA Loans?

By Bruce Reichstein

Are there any employment documentation rules for FHA loans? Borrowers are naturally curious about how the lender must verify employment, and that curiosity may turn to concern if the borrower isn’t confident that his or her job history is enough to qualify for the FHA loan minimum requirements. What do FHA loan rules tell the lender to do when it is time to confirm your employment for FHA loan purposes? How FHA Loan Employment Verification Works The lender is required to independently verify your employment, which means getting documentation that does not come from any “interested party” associated with the loan. You may give your lender the contact information for your employer, but you cannot provide the required information the loan officer needs to move forward with the loan application. | more...

FHA Home Loans And First Time Home Buyers

October 31, 2017

What Are The Income Requirements For An FHA Loan?

By Bruce Reichstein

What are the income requirements for an FHA loan? Some aren’t sure if they earn enough to qualify for an FHA mortgage, and others are worried that they might earn “too much” to qualify, mistakenly believing that FHA loans are only for people within a certain income bracket. What’s the reality? FHA Loans Are For Anyone Who Qualifies There is no minimum income requirement for an FHA mortgage, and there is no upper limit or income “ceiling”. FHA loans are not targeted for any one income bracket. It is true that FHA loans are designed with more lenient FICO score minimums in mind, but that has nothing to do with the amount of your annual income or how you earn that income. Basic FHA Loan Income Requirements There ARE FHA | more...

What Credit Score Is Needed For An FHA Mortgage?

September 29, 2017

FHA Loans, Income Verification, And Rental Income (Part Two)

By Joe Wallace

In our last blog post, we discussed some basic FHA loan rules about using rental income to qualify for an FHA mortgage loan. Some borrowers are interested in purchasing a multi-unit property that they intend to live in as their primary residence, with the goal of renting out unused living units. FHA loan rules permit this only when the borrower lives in the property; you cannot plan to be an absentee landlord and expect FHA loan approval. In our last blog post, we wrote: “It is reasonable to expect that such a borrower would want to know if she could use projected rental income from that arrangement as ‘verifiable income’ for the purposes of loan approval. Can the borrower reasonably expect a lender to approve of income from this rental | more...

September 28, 2017

FHA Loans, Income Verification, And Rental Income From Other Properties (Part One)

By Bruce Reichstein

In a previous blog post, we discussed the issue of a borrower using projected rental income from the property to be purchased with an FHA mortgage. Some borrowers are interested in purchasing property that they intend to live in as their primary residence, while planning on renting out unused living units in a multi-unit property. It is reasonable to expect that such a borrower would want to know if she could use projected rental income from that arrangement as “verifiable income” for the purposes of loan approval. Can the borrower reasonably expect a lender to approve of income from this rental situation when calculating the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio? This is possible in situations that meet FHA loan approval; some scrutiny will be given to a borrower’s rental income history or | more...

August 19, 2016

FHA Loan Rules For Overtime Income

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “Can I use my current overtime income if Ive been working at this company 20 months but my previous company I also had overtime which I worked there for 1 year and my previous before that I worked for 4 years with overtime?” FHA loan rules require the loan officer to verify income that will be used toward calculating the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio. Only verifiable income can be used, which means the lender must determine that the income is stable, reliable, and likely to continue. Income from a variety of sources may be considered. Some FHA loan applicants have seasonal jobs, some have part-time employment, some get income from disability benefits, etc. All of these sources can be used provided they meet FHA loan standards. The same | more...

August 12, 2016

FHA Loans and Social Security Income

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “I don’t understand if I have a 1099 and I have a benefits letter, and the letter that states at the end of the year what I am getting for the following year, why I am being asked or can be asked for something that states I will get social security for 3 years? There is nothing that says social security will give this to me or a name for it.” FHA loan rules governing Social Security income are found in HUD 4000.1, page 195 under “Other Sources Of Effective Income”. The rules require the lender to make a distinction between “effective income” which would continue for at least three years of the new loan, and “compensating factors” in the case where the lender cannot establish that | more...