Getting a Mortgage on Maternity Leave
Maternity leave can halve your monthly income on paper, but most UK lenders understand it's temporary and will underwrite on your return-to-work salary. The key is picking the right lender and packaging the paperwork correctly. Last reviewed July 2026.
Quick answer
Yes — most UK lenders (Halifax, Nationwide, HSBC, Barclays and others) will underwrite a mortgage on maternity leave using your full return-to-work salary, provided you have a confirmed return date and a signed employer letter. A smaller number of lenders, mostly smaller building societies, only count your current statutory maternity pay (SMP) or occupational pay instead.
How Lenders Treat Maternity Income
There are three lender approaches:
1. Full Return-to-Work Salary
Most common approach among major lenders. They use your pre-maternity (or expected post-maternity) salary as if you were working normally, on the basis of a signed return-to-work letter from your employer.
2. Current SMP / Occupational Pay
A minority approach. The lender treats your current statutory or occupational maternity pay as your income, which is significantly less than your salary. Typically used only by lenders without manual underwriting.
3. Blended Approach
Occasionally used by specialist lenders: a weighted average of current SMP and return-to-work salary over the next 12 months. Produces a figure between the two.
Maternity leave mortgage calculator
Enter your return-to-work salary and current maternity pay to see how much difference the lender's treatment makes to your borrowing. Everything runs instantly on this page – nothing is stored, and no sign-up is needed.
Your income
Your normal full-time salary, before any part-time pro-rating.
SMP is around £842/month for most of the 39-week period, if that's all you're receiving.
Leave at 0 if you're applying alone.
Lenders by Approach
Criteria snapshot as of April 2026. Lenders update policy regularly — always check before applying.
| Lender | Maternity Income Approach |
|---|---|
| Halifax | Full return-to-work salary with employer letter |
| Nationwide | Full return salary with return date within 12 months |
| HSBC | Full return salary with employer letter |
| Barclays | Full return salary with evidence of return |
| NatWest / RBS | Full return salary, standard |
| Santander | Full return salary with employer letter |
| Virgin Money | Full return salary |
| Coventry BS | Full return salary, flexible |
| Skipton BS | Full return salary |
| Leeds BS | Full return salary |
| Yorkshire BS | Full return salary |
| Accord | Full return salary (part-time returns accepted) |
| Principality | Full return salary |
| TSB | Full return salary |
| Clydesdale | Full return salary (strong manual UW) |
| Metro Bank | Full return salary |
| Smaller BS (varies) | Often current SMP only |
The Paperwork You'll Need
- Signed employer letter confirming return date, post-maternity salary, and hours
- Latest 3 payslips (pre-maternity or SMP, depending on timing)
- 3 months of bank statements
- P60 or latest tax statement to establish baseline pre-maternity salary
- Details of childcare arrangements (some lenders factor childcare cost into outgoings when the return happens)
The return-to-work letter: what lenders need (with template)
If your lender is using the full return-to-work salary approach (the most common route — see above), the return-to-work letter is the single piece of paperwork the application hinges on. It needs to come from your employer, not you, and it needs to cover four things: your confirmed return date, your contracted hours, your full salary on return, and confirmation that your role is being held open. Lenders assessing only your current SMP or occupational pay won't need this letter at all, since they're not using your return salary.
To satisfy most underwriters, the letter should:
- Be printed on company letterhead, not a plain email
- Be dated close to your application — ideally within the last one to three months
- Be signed by HR or your line manager, with a name and job title
- State your confirmed return date
- State your contracted hours on return (full-time or part-time)
- State your full salary on return — not your current, reduced maternity pay
- Confirm your role, or an equivalent role, is being held open for you
Copy this and ask HR to put it on letterhead — fill in the bracketed fields:
[Company letterhead] Date: [Date] To Whom It May Concern, Re: [Employee name] — Confirmation of Return to Work This letter confirms that [Employee name] (employee number [Employee number]) is currently on maternity leave and is expected to return to work on [Return date]. On return, [Employee name] will resume the role of [Job title] on a [full-time / part-time] basis, working [Contracted hours] per week, at an annual salary of [Annual salary on return]. [Employee name]'s position — or an equivalent role on the same terms — is being held open, and no changes to their employment are planned as a result of their maternity leave. Please contact us on [HR contact details] if you require any further information to support this mortgage application. Yours sincerely, [HR / manager name] [Job title] [Company name]
Some lenders will accept an email from HR covering the same four points instead of a formal signed letter — but a letter on headed paper is the safer default, since it satisfies both the lenders that insist on it and those that are more relaxed about format.
Common Mistakes
Applying Before Confirming Return Date
Lenders need a date. "Probably going back in 6 months" isn't enough. Confirm the date with HR in writing first, then apply.
Forgetting to Declare Part-Time Return
If you're returning at 80% hours, the lender needs to know that — and will use the pro-rata salary. Declaring the full-time figure and being caught later is a guaranteed decline at underwriting stage.
Not Factoring Childcare Into Outgoings
Most lenders will add a childcare figure to your committed outgoings from the point of return, even if you're not paying it now. Costs vary enormously by region and by how many funded hours you qualify for — the national average full-time nursery place is nearer £560–£650/month, but London and other expensive areas run well above that. Budget realistically for your area, and factor in the 2026 expansion of funded hours, which cut typical full-time under-2 costs sharply. Historically many families budgeted £800–£1,500/month per child in nursery, which can cut your borrowing by £50k+.
Remortgaging on maternity leave
Remortgaging while on maternity leave splits into two very different situations, depending on whether you're staying with your current lender or moving to a new one.
Product Transfer (Staying with Your Lender)
Switching to a new rate with your existing lender is usually a product transfer, not a new mortgage. Most lenders don't re-run a full affordability check for a product transfer, so being on maternity leave rarely affects the rate you're offered or the amount outstanding.
Full Remortgage (Moving to a New Lender)
Moving your mortgage to a new lender is a full remortgage, and it re-runs affordability exactly as it would for a purchase. The return-to-work letter and the same lender-by-lender approaches above apply — some will use your return salary, others only your current SMP.
Timing It Right
You can either wait until you're back at work and use your actual payslips, or apply during maternity leave using the return-to-work evidence above. If your current deal ends while you're still on leave and a new lender needs more time to underwrite, you risk a short spell on your lender's standard variable rate — start the process a few months ahead to avoid it.
See Product Transfer vs Remortgage for how the two compare, and Remortgage Affordability for how lenders assess a full remortgage application.
Check Your Borrowing on Return-to-Work Salary
Run the numbers across all 60+ UK lenders using your full salary and return date — see who gives you the maximum and who won't lend at all.
Run My Affordability CheckFrequently Asked Questions
Can I get a mortgage while on maternity leave?
Yes. Many UK lenders treat maternity leave as a temporary reduction in income and will underwrite on your return-to-work salary, so long as you have a return-to-work date and a signed letter from your employer. A smaller number only count statutory maternity pay (SMP).
Which lenders use my return-to-work salary?
Halifax, Nationwide, HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Santander, Virgin Money, Coventry BS, Skipton BS, Leeds BS, Yorkshire BS will usually use your full return salary with evidence of a return date. Some require you to return within 3 months; others allow up to 12.
What counts as 'evidence of return to work'?
A signed letter from your employer confirming your post-maternity salary, expected return date, and hours (full-time or part-time). Increasingly, lenders also accept a copy of your formal maternity-return agreement. If you're returning part-time, most lenders will use the part-time pro-rata salary.
Can I remortgage while on maternity leave?
Yes. A product transfer with your existing lender usually needs no new affordability check, so maternity leave rarely matters. A full remortgage to a new lender re-runs affordability from scratch, using the same return-to-work rules as a purchase — a signed employer letter confirming your return date, hours and salary is normally enough.
What if I'm not planning to go back to work?
You'll need to apply on the earning partner's income alone, or a significantly reduced amount. A handful of specialist lenders consider part-time return salary or self-employed return — a broker familiar with the maternity-return space is usually worth the fee.
What should a return to work letter for a mortgage say?
It should be on company letterhead, dated, and signed by HR or your line manager. It needs to confirm your return date, your contracted hours (full-time or part-time), your full salary on return, and that your role — or an equivalent one — is being held open for you. Without all four, some lenders will refer the case for manual underwriting or ask for more evidence.
