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 August 2026, a Nurse, £35,000 + shift enhancements could be offered £273,000 by Darlington Building Society but only £166,653 by Mansfield Building Society — a £106,347 (64%) 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.
History requirements also vary sharply by lender. Of the 61 lenders in our criteria dataset that publish a position on zero-hours income, Norton states no minimum history at all, Aldermore, HSBC and NatWest ask for as little as 3 months, and the majority sit at 12 months — while several building societies, including Bath BS and Harpenden BS, want 24 months or more. See the full breakdown below.
Lenders that accept zero-hours contracts
55 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% |
| 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% |
| 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. For the deposit and adverse-credit filters on each name, see our full answer on which lenders lend on zero-hours contracts.
Minimum zero-hours track record, lender by lender
Built directly from our lender criteria dataset (99 residential lenders, last verified 24 June 2026) — not a hand-picked sample. 61 of 95 lenders publish a position on zero-hours income: 53 accept it, 5 decline it outright, and 3 refer it for individual underwriter review. The remaining 34 don't publish a position on zero-hours income at all.
| Lender | Verdict | Minimum track record |
|---|---|---|
| Norton | Yes | No minimum stated |
| Aldermore | Yes | 3 months |
| HSBC | Yes | 3 months |
| NatWest | Yes | 3 months |
| Earl Shilton BS | Yes | 6 months |
| Loughborough BS | Yes | 6 months |
| Together | Yes | 6 months |
| Beverley BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Bluestone | Yes | 12 months |
| Buckinghamshire BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Cumberland BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Darlington BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Dudley BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Furness BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Generation Home | Yes | 12 months |
| Halifax | Yes | 12 months |
| Hanley BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Hinckley & Rugby BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Lendinvest | Yes | 12 months |
| Melton BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Nationwide | Yes | 12 months |
| Nottingham BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Principality | Yes | 12 months |
| Progressive BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Saffron BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Teachers BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Tipton & Coseley BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Vernon BS | Yes | 12 months |
| West Bromwich BS | Yes | 12 months |
| Atom Bank | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Bank of Ireland | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Bath BS | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Ecology BS | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Family BS | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Harpenden BS | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Mansfield BS | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Monmouthshire BS | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Pepper | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Suffolk BS | Yes | Longer than 12 months |
| Accord | Yes | Not published |
| Barclays | Yes | Not published |
| Central Trust | Yes | Not published |
| Hodge | Yes | Not published |
| Kensington | Yes | Not published |
| Marsden BS | Yes | Not published |
| Newbury BS | Yes | Not published |
| Newcastle BS | Yes | Not published |
| Perenna | Yes | Not published |
| Santander | Yes | Not published |
| Skipton | Yes | Not published |
| UTB | Yes | Not published |
| Vida | Yes | Not published |
| Virgin Money | Yes | Not published |
| Coventry BS | Refer | 12 months |
| TSB | Refer | 12 months |
| Chorley BS | Refer | Not published |
| Gatehouse | No | Longer than 12 months |
| Cambridge BS | No | Not published |
| Co-operative Bank | No | Not published |
| Foundation | No | Not published |
| Metro Bank | No | Not published |
“Refer” means the lender considers zero-hours income case-by-case rather than as standard — not a decline. “Not published” means the lender accepts zero-hours income but our dataset has no explicit minimum track record on file for them; ask a broker for the current figure. Sourced from our lender criteria dataset, generated 28 July 2026, criteria last verified 24 June 2026.
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.
Frequently asked questions
How do lenders calculate zero-hours income?
Most lenders average the last 3–12 months of payslips to set your annual income. Some apply an extra 60–75% weighting to that average as a safety margin, while others use 100% of a consistent average. The longer and steadier your earnings history, the more generous the treatment.
Does NHS bank work count as zero-hours?
Usually yes. NHS bank shifts, supply teaching and locum work are treated as zero-hours by most lenders and assessed on the same 6–12 month history rule. Public-sector bank work is often viewed favourably because the income is reliable.
Do I need a written contract for a zero-hours mortgage?
Yes — most lenders want a written zero-hours contract from your employer. Payslips alone are usually not enough; the contract confirms the arrangement is ongoing rather than a short-term gig.
Can I combine zero-hours income with a permanent job?
Yes. Most lenders will use 100% of your permanent salary plus the averaged zero-hours supplement as your gross income — a common and strong position for NHS and care workers who hold a permanent contract and pick up bank shifts.
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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