Can You Get 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 October 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. Several lenders, including HSBC, Santander and Virgin Money, also need to see how the mortgage will be paid while you're on leave: from maternity pay, a partner's income or savings. Some ask for proof of savings to cover the shortfall: Atom for leave over 6 months, Generation Home and Metro Bank if you're returning in more than 3 months.
Check your borrowing on your return-to-work salary
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Can I Get a Mortgage While I'm Pregnant?
Yes. If you're still working and being paid as normal, the lender starts from your current payslips. But if you're pregnant or plan to take leave, you need to answer the lender's questions about expected changes honestly.
Lenders must take into account income changes they know about or should reasonably expect. So once you've told a lender about planned leave, it will want to see how the mortgage stays affordable while your income drops, and its maternity rules can apply from the day you apply, not just once your leave begins. The lender treatments in the table below show how each lender assesses maternity income.
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. Used mostly by smaller building societies and specialist lenders, usually when your return isn't imminent.
3. Return-to-Work Pay With Conditions
Some lenders use your full return salary only if you go back within a set window (for example 3 months at Tipton & Coseley, 4 months at Earl Shilton, 12 months at Generation Home), or if you can show savings to cover the shortfall during your leave (Hanley). Otherwise they assess you on your current maternity pay.
What Are Keeping-In-Touch (KIT) Days, and Do They Count as Income?
Keeping-in-touch (KIT) days let you work up to 10 days during statutory maternity leave without losing your SMP for that week. They're a statutory entitlement, not a lender policy — working KIT days doesn't automatically switch a lender onto treating you as "back at work" for affordability purposes.
Whether pay for KIT days is counted as income, and how, isn't something lenders publish consistently — some may query it, others treat it as immaterial next to your salary or SMP. If KIT-day earnings make up a meaningful part of your income during the application, confirm the lender's treatment directly rather than assuming it will be added on top of the return-to-work salary or SMP figure they're already using.
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 — Every Lender We Track
Generated 2026-10-12 from our lender criteria dataset, covering the 56 of 75 lenders we track whose published criteria address maternity/parental leave income (latest criteria check 2026-10-12; each lender's date varies). Lenders update policy regularly — always check directly before applying.
| Lender | Maternity Income Position |
|---|---|
| AIB (Northern Ireland only) | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — accepted if returning within 6 months |
| Accord | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Aldermore | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Atom Bank | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — savings evidence required for leave over 6 months |
| Bank of Ireland | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Barclays | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Bath BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Cambridge BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Chorley BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Co-operative Bank | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Coventry BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Cumberland BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Darlington BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — full return salary if returning within 3 months; evidence of how payments will be met during leave |
| Dudley BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Earl Shilton BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — full income if returning within 4 months; otherwise only current maternity pay used |
| Ecology BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Family BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Foundation | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Furness BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — return salary only with savings to cover the leave; otherwise SMP/SPP only |
| Gatehouse | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Generation Home | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — return-to-work income used if returning within 12 months; savings evidence needed if returning in 3–12 months |
| HSBC | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — needs evidence of how payments will be met during leave (maternity pay, partner's income or savings) |
| Halifax | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Hanley BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — uses lowest income received during leave unless savings are evidenced |
| Harpenden BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Hinckley & Rugby BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — return-to-work income with an HR letter plus savings evidence to cover payments until return; otherwise must be affordable during leave |
| Kensington | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — needs evidence of how payments will be met during leave |
| Leeds BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Loughborough BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — asks for leave pay and any savings covering the reduced-pay period; assesses the return-to-work salary |
| Market Harborough BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Melton BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — must confirm the mortgage stays affordable for the rest of the leave |
| Metro Bank | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — if not returning within 3 months, needs savings evidence to cover payments until the return |
| Monmouthshire BS (new business temporarily paused) | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — full return salary if returning within 3 months |
| Nationwide | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — bonus, overtime and commission only counted if parental leave is under 3 months (so far, or in total) |
| NatWest | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Newcastle BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — reduced income during leave is factored into affordability; needs return date, hours and salary |
| Norton | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Nottingham BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Perenna | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — if returning in 4–12 months, needs evidence of how payments will be met until then |
| Precise | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Principality | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Saffron BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Santander | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — if the lowest pay during leave won't cover payments, needs evidence of savings or other income |
| Skipton | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Stafford BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Suffolk BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| TSB | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Teachers BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — full pay if returning within 2 months; otherwise assessed on future plans |
| Tipton & Coseley BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — statutory pay used unless returning within 3 months, or employer confirms enhanced pay |
| Together | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — uses lowest maternity pay or statutory rate unless return is imminent |
| Vernon BS | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Vida | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Virgin Money | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — return-to-work income used if return date is within 12 months; if not returning within 3 months, must show how payments will be met |
| West Brom | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income — applicant must declare they are returning; affordability includes future childcare costs and the extra dependant |
| West One | Accepts return-to-work / maternity income |
| Swansea BS | Case-by-case referral — only where another applicant meets the criteria on their own income (not for a sole applicant on leave) |
Summary: 55 lenders accept return-to-work / maternity income and 1 assesses it case-by-case (referral). Lloyds Bank, Yorkshire BS, Beverley BS, Bluestone, Buckinghamshire BS, Central Trust, Coutts, Cynergy, Hodge, Lendinvest, LG Home Finance, Livemore, Mansfield BS, Marsden BS, Newbury BS, Penrith BS, Pepper, Progressive BS (Northern Ireland only), Scottish BS, The Mortgage Lender and UTB have no published position on this in our dataset, so we can't give a sourced position for them — that's an absence of data, not a decline.
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
- Savings statements, or details of your partner's income or maternity pay, showing how payments will be covered until you return (needed by some lenders, especially for longer leave)
- 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. You must declare your actual hours and pay on return: giving the full-time figure when you're going back part-time would misstate your income.
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. Even after funded hours, a full-time nursery place can run to several hundred pounds a month, and London and other expensive areas run well above that. Budget realistically for your area. Since September 2025, eligible working parents in England can get up to 30 hours a week of funded childcare in term time from when their child is 9 months old, which has cut typical full-time costs sharply. Historically many families budgeted £800–£1,500/month per child in nursery, which can reduce your borrowing significantly.
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, and some also want evidence of how you'll meet payments until you return.
Borrowing More at the Same Time
Staying with your lender only avoids an affordability check if the balance stays the same. If you want to borrow extra while you're on leave, for an extension say, the additional amount is assessed even by your current lender, so the same return-to-work evidence applies to that part.
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 Remortgage Affordability for how the two compare and how lenders assess a full remortgage application.
Original data · our Lender Lottery study
In our 29 August 2026 run, for a Single first-time buyer, £30,000, our calculator estimated a maximum of £174,721 at Darlington Building Society but only £103,422 at Family Building Society, a £71,299 (69%) difference based purely on each lender's published criteria, with no change to income, deposit or circumstances. These are estimates, not offers. Lenders have raised rates since, so today's figures may be lower.
Source: original data from our affordability engine across UK residential lenders.
Check Your Borrowing on Return-to-Work Salary
Run the numbers across all 57 lenders we check using your full return-to-work salary — see an estimate of what each lender could lend, and which lenders' criteria may not fit.
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. Several, including HSBC, Santander and Virgin Money, also need to see how the mortgage will be paid while you're on leave: from maternity pay, a partner's income or savings. If you can't show this, some lenders use only your maternity pay or decline. A smaller number only count statutory maternity pay (SMP).
Which lenders use my return-to-work salary?
Of the 56 lenders we track whose published criteria cover maternity/parental leave income, 55 treat it as usable income — including Halifax, Nationwide, HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Santander, Virgin Money, Coventry BS, Skipton, Leeds BS, Accord, Principality, TSB and Metro Bank. Most use your full return-to-work salary with a signed employer letter; a handful only count it if you're returning within a set window (for example, Generation Home and Virgin Money require return within 12 months, Darlington BS within 3 months, Teachers BS within 2 months), and a few default to your current statutory or lowest maternity pay unless your return is imminent. See the table below for every lender we track and any lender-specific conditions.
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). If you're going back on the same hours and pay, some lenders (NatWest, Santander, Coventry and Halifax, for example) need only your last payslip from before your leave, and ask for an employer letter only if your hours or pay are changing. HSBC also asks your broker to fill in its own parental-leave form, covering your return date, your hours, childcare costs and how you'll pay the mortgage during your leave. 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, plus, at some lenders, evidence of how payments will be met during the leave.
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.
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.
Can I get a mortgage while I'm pregnant?
Yes. If you're still working and being paid as normal, the lender starts from your current payslips. But if you're pregnant or plan to take leave, you need to answer the lender's questions about expected changes honestly. Lenders must take into account income changes they know about or should reasonably expect, so their maternity rules can apply from the day you apply, not just once your leave starts.
What are keeping-in-touch (KIT) days, and do they count as income?
KIT days let you work up to 10 days during statutory maternity leave without losing SMP for that week. They're a statutory entitlement, not a lender policy — working KIT days doesn't automatically switch a lender onto treating you as back at work. Whether KIT-day pay counts toward your income assessment varies by lender, so check directly if it's a meaningful amount.