Which UK Lenders Accept Dividend Income for Ltd Company Directors?
Around 69 UK lenders accept Ltd company directors, but they assess the income differently. Many use salary plus the dividends you drew, averaged over the last 2 years of accounts. Others use salary plus your share of the company's net profit, which is often more favourable if you leave profit in the business: for HSBC, Virgin Money and Coventry BS it is the standard basis, while others limit it to majority or 100% shareholders or need a referral. Brokers often call this 'retained profit', but very few lenders count balance-sheet retained profit itself.
As of 2026-09-13, published criteria from 69 of the 75 UK lenders whose published criteria we track indicate they may consider this scenario — 11 high-street, 40 building societies and 18 specialist — with minimum deposits from 2.5%.
Data refreshed 2026-09-13. Information only — not advice.
Your situation
High Street Lenders
- Bank Of Ireland— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Barclays— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Co Operative Bank— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Halifax— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding; dividends counted at any shareholding
- HSBC— Up to 95% LTV; doesn't use dividends: salary + share of net profit after corporation tax, 2-year average (25%+ shareholding; under 25% assessed as employed)
- Metro Bank— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Nationwide— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed above 20% shareholding; dividends counted below this too
- Natwest— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Santander— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- TSB— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding; dividends counted below this too
- Virgin Money— Up to 95% LTV; doesn't use dividends: salary + share of net profit after tax, 2-year average (20%+ combined shareholding; under 20% treated as employed)
Building Societies
- Accord— Up to 95% LTV (its 99% £5k Deposit product is first-time-buyer only and excludes new builds)
- Bath BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Beverley BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Buckinghamshire BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Cambridge BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Chorley BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Coventry BS— Up to 95% LTV; under 20% shareholding: 50% of 2-year average dividends counted; 20%+: salary + share of latest year's net profit after corporation tax instead
- Cumberland BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Darlington BS— Up to 95% LTV (80% inside the M25, purchase or remortgage), treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Dudley BS— Up to 90% LTV, treated as self-employed above 25% shareholding; below that, dividends paid in lieu of salary count at 100%
- Earl Shilton BS— Up to 90% LTV
- Ecology BS— Green-gated lending only: every product requires the property to meet Ecology's ecological/EPC criteria. LTV varies by product: Eco-Home 80%, Renovation 80-90%, Self-build 65-80%, Conversion 80%, Community Living 90%, Shared Ownership 95% of the share, Affordable Local Homes (discounted market sale) 95%, First Homes (Scotland) 95%
- Family BS— Up to 80% LTV
- Furness BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Hanley BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Harpenden BS— Up to 85% LTV
- Hinckley Rugby BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Leeds BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Loughborough BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Mansfield BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Market Harborough BS— Loans from £200,000 only (property value from £250,000). Up to 80% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Marsden BS— Up to 80% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding; under 25% assessed as employed, with dividends accepted as income
- Melton BS— Up to 95% LTV (interest-only up to 75%), treated as self-employed from 33.3% shareholding
- Monmouthshire BS— Temporarily paused — not accepting new residential applications while they upgrade their systems. Previously: Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Newbury BS— Up to 90% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Newcastle BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Nottingham BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Penrith BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Principality— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 33% shareholding
- Progressive BS— Northern Ireland properties only (in England: Openwork advisers, some South-East postcodes, houses only, loans from £200,000). Up to 95% LTV
- Saffron BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Scottish BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Skipton— Up to 95% LTV (100% on its Track Record mortgage for renters with 12 months' rent paid: no missed payments in the last 6 months, otherwise Skipton's standard credit rules apply), treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Stafford BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Suffolk BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Swansea BS— Up to 80% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Teachers BS— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Tipton Coseley BS— Up to 95% LTV
- Vernon BS— Up to 95% LTV
- West Brom— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding; under 25%, 50% of dividends counted
Specialist Lenders
- Aldermore— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Bluestone— Up to 90% LTV
- Cynergy— Up to 80% LTV
- Foundation— Up to 90% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- Gatehouse— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Generation Home— Up to 95% LTV
- Hodge— Up to 95% LTV
- Kensington— Up to 95% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Lendinvest— Up to 90% LTV
- LG Home Finance— Over-55s only: retirement interest-only (RIO) mortgages, no standard repayment mortgages. Up to 60% LTV
- Norton— Up to 85% LTV
- Pepper— Up to 90% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
- Precise— Up to 95% LTV
- The Mortgage Lender— Up to 95% LTV
- Together— Up to 75% LTV, treated as self-employed from 20% shareholding
- UTB— Up to 95% LTV, assesses salary + shareholding % of the latest year's net profit (treated as dividends), not dividends drawn; retained profits not used
- Vida— Up to 97% LTV
- West One— Up to 97.5% LTV, treated as self-employed from 25% shareholding
A lender name is only half the answer — the amount each might lend varies by tens of thousands — our figures are indicative estimates, not offers.
See your figuresWhy some lenders say no
- Most lenders require 2 years of finalised accounts or SA302s.
- Minimum shareholding is often 20-25% to qualify as a director for this purpose.
- Retained profit method (salary + net profit) yields more than salary + dividends for many directors.
Related reading: Why your DIP came in lower than expected
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The check uses 57 lenders' affordability calculators, so it isn't the same list as the lenders above.
Run My Affordability CheckFrequently asked questions
What's the difference between salary+dividends and retained profit?
Salary + dividends uses what you actually drew from the business. Salary + your share of the company's net profit (after corporation tax) often gives a higher figure, because directors often leave profit in the company. HSBC (25%+ shareholding), Virgin Money and Coventry BS (20%+) use salary plus net profit as standard. Others, such as Halifax (majority shareholders only, by underwriter referral) and Kensington (50%+ shareholders, at underwriter discretion), consider it only in some cases.
Do I need a minimum shareholding?
Most lenders treat you as a director-borrower if you hold 20-25% or more of the business. Below that, you may be assessed as employed on your PAYE salary only.
How many years of accounts?
2 years is standard. Some lenders accept 1 year of accounts, often with conditions, including Halifax, Kensington (up to 85% LTV) and Precise (up to 75% LTV). See our self-employed 1-year accounts page for the full list.
Does my accountant need to be qualified?
Not always. If the lender relies on an accountant's certificate or reference, that accountant must hold a recognised qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or similar). Most lenders, including Nationwide, Accord and TSB, will instead accept your last 2 years' SA302 tax calculations with matching tax year overviews, so you can still apply if your accountant isn't qualified or you do your own return.