Which Lenders Accept Zero-Hours Contracts?
Far more UK lenders accept zero-hours income than most applicants expect — particularly NHS bank, care, supply teaching and retail workers. The usual requirement is 6–12 months of consistent earnings, averaged across your payslips. Here's the full lender list and how each treats the income. Last reviewed July 2026.
Quick answer
Most mainstream and specialist UK lenders accept zero-hours income with 6–12 months of history and a written zero-hours contract. Income is set by averaging your recent payslips, sometimes with a 60–75% weighting. NHS bank, supply teaching and locum work count, and you can usually add zero-hours earnings on top of 100% of a permanent salary.
Original data · our Lender Lottery study
As of July 2026, a Nurse, £35,000 basic plus shift enhancements could be offered £269,500 by Lloyds Bank but only £172,865 by Principality Building Society — a £96,635 (56%) swing based purely on which lender they ask, with no change to income, deposit or circumstances.
Source: the Lender Lottery study — original real-engine data across UK residential lenders.
How lenders treat zero-hours income
There's no single rule — treatment falls into three broad camps:
- Average the last 3–12 months of payslips and use 100% of that figure — the most generous approach, common for steady NHS and care work.
- Average, then apply a 60–75% weighting as a safety margin — more cautious, used where earnings are variable month-to-month.
- Require a longer track record (24–36 months) but then treat the income in full — some building societies take this view.
Because the weighting and history rules differ so much, the same applicant can see very different maximums from one lender to the next — which is exactly why it pays to compare before you apply.
Lenders that accept zero-hours contracts
57 UK lenders on our panel consider zero-hours income. Criteria as published, 2026; always indicative — check your own case.
| Lender | Type | Details | Min deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of Ireland | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Barclays | High-street | Up to 95% LTV | 5% |
| Clydesdale Bank | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Halifax | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| HSBC | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Nationwide | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| NatWest | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Santander | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| The Co-operative Bank | High-street | Up to 95% LTV | 5% |
| TSB | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Virgin Money | High-street | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Accord Mortgages | Building society | Up to 99% LTV, min 12 months history | 1% |
| Bath Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 36 months history | 5% |
| Beverley Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Buckinghamshire Building Society | Building society | Up to 90% LTV, min 12 months history | 10% |
| Chorley Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Coventry Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Cumberland Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Darlington Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV (80% for London/M25 remortgage) | 5% |
| Dudley Building Society | Building society | Up to 90% LTV | 10% |
| Earl Shilton Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Ecology Building Society | Building society | Green-gated lending only — every product requires the property to meet ecological/EPC criteria; LTV varies by product (Eco Home/Green Renovation 80%, Renovation 90%, Shared Ownership 95% of share) | 20% |
| Family Building Society | Building society | Up to 80% LTV, min 24 months history | 20% |
| Hanley Economic Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Harpenden BS | Building society | Up to 80% LTV, min 24 months history | 20% |
| Hinckley & Rugby Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Leek Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Loughborough Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 6 months history | 5% |
| Mansfield Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Market Harborough Building Society | Building society | Up to 80% LTV, min 12 months history | 20% |
| Marsden Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV | 5% |
| Monmouthshire Building Society | Building society | Temporarily paused — not accepting new residential applications while they upgrade their systems. Previously: Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Newcastle Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Nottingham Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Principality Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Saffron Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Skipton Building Society | Building society | Up to 100% LTV, min 12 months history | 0% |
| Stafford Railway Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Suffolk Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 18 months history | 5% |
| Teachers Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| The Melton Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV (interest-only 60%, London 60%) | 5% |
| Tipton & Coseley Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Vernon Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| West Bromwich Building Society | Building society | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Atom Bank | Specialist | Up to 95% LTV, min 24 months history | 5% |
| Bluestone Mortgages | Specialist | Up to 90% LTV, min 12 months history | 10% |
| Central Trust | Specialist | Remortgage and capital-raising only — does not currently lend on property purchases | 100% |
| Generation Home | Specialist | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Hodge Bank | Specialist | Up to 95% LTV | 5% |
| Kensington Mortgages | Specialist | Up to 95% LTV | 5% |
| LendInvest | Specialist | Up to 90% LTV, min 12 months history | 10% |
| Norton Home Loans | Specialist | Up to 80% LTV, min 2 months history | 20% |
| Pepper Money | Specialist | Up to 85% LTV (75% above £750k), zero-hours accepted if permanent and 2+ years with the same employer | 15% |
| Perenna | Specialist | Up to 95% LTV, min 12 months history | 5% |
| Precise Mortgages | Specialist | Up to 95% LTV, min 6 months history | 5% |
| Together | Specialist | Up to 75% LTV, zero-hours explicitly accepted | 25% |
| West One Loans | Specialist | Up to 97.5% LTV, min 12 months history | 2.5% |
History requirements shown are the lender's minimum for a standard residential mortgage; a longer, steadier history usually improves the income used.
Worked example: permanent nurse plus bank shifts
£28,000 permanent NHS salary plus £9,000 averaged bank-shift income, single applicant, 25-year term, 10% deposit.
| Bank-shift treatment | Income used | Indicative max lend |
|---|---|---|
| 100% of averaged bank income | £37,000 | £166,500 |
| 75% weighting on bank income | £34,750 | £156,000 |
| Bank income ignored | £28,000 | £126,000 |
A £40,000 swing on the same payslips, driven purely by how the lender treats bank shifts. Figures are illustrative — run yours for each lender's real number.
Tips for zero-hours applications
- Get a written zero-hours contract from your employer before applying — most lenders require it alongside payslips.
- Build the longest, steadiest run of payslips you can. A consistent 12 months beats a strong-but-erratic 6 months.
- If you hold a permanent role and pick up bank shifts, say so — lenders use 100% of the permanent salary plus the averaged extra.
- NHS bank, supply teaching and locum income is widely accepted — don't let a broker tell you it 'doesn't count'.
- Compare before you apply — the weighting a lender applies can move your maximum by tens of thousands.
See which lender counts your shifts in full
Enter your permanent and zero-hours income. We'll show each lender's real maximum side-by-side, so you pick the one that uses your earnings in full.
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