Lenders like nursing. You're qualified, you're registered with the NMC, and there will always be work. The problem is how you're paid. A Band 5 nurse might have a basic salary of just over £32,000 but take home noticeably more once unsocial hours enhancements, a few bank shifts and the odd bit of overtime go through. Some lenders count all of that. Some count half. A few ignore it completely and then tell you the house is unaffordable.
That gap is the whole reason this page exists. We're Alexander Southwell Mortgage Services, a fee free mortgage broker in Romsey, near Southampton, and our team has submitted over 2,500 mortgages for NHS staff, key workers and everyone else. We know which lenders accept NHS bank income, which ones are relaxed about a preceptorship contract, and which ones will lend to a nurse on a Skilled Worker visa with two years left on it.
There's no secret nurse mortgage product with a magic rate, whatever some adverts suggest. What does exist is a handful of lenders with professional mortgage ranges, higher income multiples for key workers and a sensible attitude to variable pay. Put the right nurse with the right lender and the difference in borrowing can be £30,000 or more. Put you with the wrong one and you'll get a no that had nothing to do with you.
We're whole of market, we're fee free on over 90% of applications, and we'll tell you straight if a lender is going to get twitchy about something before we apply. Below is how lenders actually look at nursing income, a calculator you can play with, a worked example, the paperwork we'll ask for and answers to the questions nurses ask us most.
Just finished your degree and starting your first Band 5 post on preceptorship? You don't always have to wait for months of payslips. Some lenders will use the salary on a signed NHS contract as long as your start date is within a few months, and a couple are happy with your first payslip. Where a lender wants a probation period finished, we'll tell you which ones don't, so you're not waiting a year for nothing.
NHS bank shifts and agency work don't fit a standard application form, but they're far from a dead end. Lenders typically average your bank or agency earnings over 3 to 12 months of payslips, and some will count all of it with a longer track record, for example two years of P60s. Others use half, or treat it as a second job. Which lender you go to is the difference between your extra shifts counting and being ignored.
Plenty of nurses drop to 30 hours or share a post after children, and a few lenders assume that makes you a weaker applicant. It doesn't. Lenders work from your actual contracted pay, pro rata, plus any regular enhancements, and part time nursing is treated as ordinary employed income by almost everyone. If you top it up with bank shifts, that can often be added too.
Taking a Band 6 post 80 miles away? Lenders can use the new salary from your contract, and a few will lend before you've started. If you already own, we'll look at porting your current deal against paying an early repayment charge. When a fixed rate ends we search the whole market for a remortgage, and most lenders offer a free valuation and free standard legal work.
Alongside lenders that treat nursing pay properly, there are schemes that can get you moving with a smaller deposit. Nurses regularly use these, and they can be combined with the lender choice above.
Every lender asks the same two things: what do you earn, and how sure can they be it will carry on? For a nurse the honest answer is "it depends which bits you count". Here's how each part of an NHS nursing payslip is usually treated, and where applications go wrong.
Agenda for Change basic pay, Bands 5 to 8
Your basic salary is the easy bit. NHS pay scales are published, so lenders know a Band 5 in England starts at just over £32,000 and tops out around £39,000, a Band 6 runs from roughly £40,000 to £48,000, Band 7 from about £49,000 to £56,500 and a Band 8a from about £57,500 to £64,750 (April 2026 scales). That predictability is why some lenders put nurses in their professional or key worker ranges. Your latest payslip and P60 are all they need for this part.
Unsocial hours enhancements and overtime
This is the bit that trips people up. Night, weekend and bank holiday enhancements can add 15 to 30% to a ward nurse's pay, but lenders class them as variable income. Most take an average over 3 to 12 months of payslips and then use a share of it, often half, sometimes all of it if it shows up every month. A few high street lenders ignore it altogether. Same nurse, same payslips, three very different answers.
NHS bank shifts
Bank work is usually paid by your own trust through a separate line or a separate payslip, so a lender can see it. The question is how much they'll use. Some average it over a year and count a proportion, some want two years of P60s before they'll use 100% of it, and some treat it as a second job that needs a 6 to 12 month history. If you've done regular bank shifts for a while, there's almost always a lender that will count them.
Agency nursing and umbrella companies
Agency nurses paid PAYE through an agency or umbrella company are assessed on track record rather than a contract. Lenders usually want 12 months of payslips, though a couple accept 3 to 6 months if you've been nursing for two years or more. If you invoice through your own limited company you're self employed in a lender's eyes, so it's tax calculations and accounts instead. Either way, consistent earnings matter more than the label.
Part time, job share and a second job
Part time nursing is treated as normal employed income, pro rata. A second job (bank at another trust, a care home, private clinic work) can often be added if you've held both for six months or so, and a few lenders will count all of it. What lenders don't like is a second job that started last month, so timing your application matters.
NHS pension, student loan and NMC fees
Most lenders work from gross pay, so your NHS pension contribution doesn't cut the salary they use, although a lower take home figure still feeds into affordability. Student loan repayments come off your pay before you see it, so they're treated as a monthly outgoing rather than a debt with a balance. The NMC registration fee (£120 a year, rising to £143 from October 2026) is small enough that lenders don't bother with it. Car finance, childcare and credit cards are what really move the numbers.
Your own bank has one set of criteria. If you're a Band 7 ward manager with ten years in post, it'll probably be fine. If you're three months into preceptorship, doing 20 hours of bank a month or here on a Skilled Worker visa, it often won't be, and the bank won't tell you which lender would have said yes.
We know which lenders actually like NHS staff. Some lenders have professional mortgage ranges that include nurses and midwives, some have key worker criteria with higher income multiples, and some simply have underwriters who understand a trust payslip. We place nurse mortgages every week, so we know who's who this month rather than last year.
We get your extra pay counted. Enhancements, bank shifts, overtime and agency work can be worth tens of thousands in borrowing. We go through your payslips before we go near a lender, work out what each one would use, and package it so the underwriter sees a clear picture rather than a pile of shifts.
We're fee free on over 90% of applications. The lender pays us when your mortgage completes, so for most nurses our mortgage advice costs nothing. We charge £299 on mortgages under £100,000 and a fee on complex or adverse credit cases (up to £995 at most), and we'll tell you up front if that applies to you.
We work around shifts. Nights, long days, twelve and a half hour shifts: we do phone and video appointments at times that suit you, and we chase the estate agent, solicitor and lender so you're not doing it from the staff room. One adviser from first call to keys, and we'll be there again when your fixed rate ends.
Enter your pay the way a lender is likely to see it. Put your basic Agenda for Change salary in the first box and your regular unsocial hours enhancements and overtime in the second, then choose how much of that extra pay a lender might count. Add your averaged bank or agency earnings, and a partner's income if you're buying together. The results show what different income multiples mean in pounds and an illustrative monthly payment.
This calculator is for illustration only and is not financial advice or a lending decision. Lenders use their own affordability models, which look at your outgoings, credit history and the proportion of variable pay they'll accept, so the amount you could actually borrow may be lower or higher. Talk to us for a figure based on your circumstances.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Here's a simplified example of why the choice of lender matters for a nurse with a normal NHS payslip. The figures are for illustration only and aren't a real client.
The nurse: a Band 6 staff nurse on a permanent contract with a basic salary of £42,000, around £6,000 a year of night and weekend enhancements and £5,000 a year of regular NHS bank shifts, all shown on 12 months of payslips. She has a £15,000 deposit, a student loan and no other debt, and wants a £250,000 house.
A cautious lender: would only use basic salary and treated the bank work as a second job with too short a history. At 4.5 times £42,000, that's a maximum of about £189,000. Not enough, and she's told to save more or look at cheaper houses.
A middle of the road lender: used basic pay plus half of the enhancements and half of the bank income, so £47,500. At 4.5 times that's about £213,750. Closer, but still short of the £235,000 she needs.
A nurse friendly lender: counted all of the enhancements and the bank shifts because they appeared every month, giving £53,000 of assessable income, and offered up to 4.75 times income on its key worker criteria. That's around £251,750, so the £235,000 she needs is comfortably within reach, subject to affordability and a credit check.
The point: nothing about the nurse changed. Same job, same payslips, same deposit. The only difference was which lender looked at them, and that's the bit a whole of market broker controls. It's also why we'd rather see your payslips before you fall in love with a house.
A newly qualified nurse with a 5% deposit needs something different from a Band 8 matron moving the family across the country, so here's how we approach the situations we see most.
First time buyers with a 5% deposit
Most nurses we help are buying their first home, and a small deposit is normal. Plenty of lenders offer 5% deposit mortgages, and a gifted deposit from family is accepted by nearly all of them. First time buyers in England also get stamp duty relief on the first £300,000 of a home under £500,000, which is worth checking on our stamp duty calculator.
Shared ownership and First Homes
If a full mortgage doesn't stretch far enough, shared ownership lets you buy a share (often 25% to 75%) and pay rent on the rest, with a deposit based only on your share. The First Homes scheme offers a discount of at least 30% on selected new builds in England for first time buyers with a household income under £80,000 (£90,000 in London), and key workers can be prioritised by some local councils. We'll tell you honestly whether either beats a straightforward purchase.
Help from family
Parents don't have to hand over cash to help. A joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage lets a parent's income boost what you can borrow without them going on the deeds, and a guarantor mortgage can work where the deposit is the problem. Both are useful for a Band 5 whose salary is solid but whose multiples come up a little short.
Nurses on Skilled Worker and Health and Care visas
Internationally recruited nurses are a big part of the NHS, and yes, you can get a mortgage on a visa. Lenders vary a lot: some want two or three years in the UK, some want at least a year left on your visa, and deposits from 10% are common, though at least one building society now goes to 90% loan to value for Skilled Worker visa holders after two years here. Our foreign national mortgages page covers this in detail, and we handle these cases regularly.
Moving for a new post
Taking a promotion at another trust often means moving house before you've had a payslip from the new job. Several lenders will use the salary on your new contract, and if you already own we'll look at porting your existing rate. Our moving home mortgages guide covers timing, and a mortgage in principle before you view helps if you're house hunting from a distance.
Remortgaging as a nurse
When your fixed rate ends, don't just roll onto your lender's standard variable rate or accept the first product transfer. We compare the whole market for your remortgage, including lenders that will now count bank shifts you weren't doing when you first bought, which can help if you want to borrow a bit more for an extension or to clear expensive debt.
Credit blips and bad credit
A missed phone bill or an old default doesn't rule you out. Some lenders look at the story rather than the score, and a nursing salary helps. Start by checking your credit file with Checkmyfile, which shows all the main agencies in one report, then talk to us before you apply anywhere. Our bad credit mortgage page explains the options, and these are the cases where a fee may apply.
Getting documents together early is the simplest way to speed things up. Lenders want full PDF downloads or originals, not phone screenshots, and this is what we'll usually ask for depending on how you work.
Everyone: photo ID, proof of address, three months of bank statements, proof of your deposit (and a gift letter if family are helping), and details of any credit commitments, including your student loan deduction.
Employed NHS nurses: your last three payslips (six or twelve if we're using enhancements or bank shifts), your latest P60 and your NHS contract or offer letter if you're newly qualified or moving trusts. ESR payslips are fine.
Bank and agency nurses: payslips from each trust or agency for the last 6 to 12 months, your P60s, and a note of how long you've worked with each. If you're through your own limited company, two years of tax calculations and tax year overviews from HMRC.
Nurses on visas: your BRP or share code, your visa expiry date and your NMC PIN. Some lenders also want to see how long you've been in the UK, so keep tenancy agreements or old payslips handy.
A proper conversation
We talk through your band, contract, shift pattern, bank work and plans, then tell you what you could borrow and roughly what it would cost each month. Around 30 minutes, by phone or video, at a time that fits your rota.
Agreement in principle
We pick the lender whose criteria suit how you're paid and get your agreement in principle, often the same day, so estate agents take your offer seriously.
Paperwork, done once
We tell you exactly what to send, check it and package it so the underwriter sees a clear picture of your nursing income rather than a pile of shifts.
Offer, exchange, keys
We chase the lender, the valuer and the solicitor, sort your buildings insurance and income protection if you want it, and stay in touch until you've got the keys. Then we diary your rate expiry so you're never stuck on a standard variable rate.
Can agency nurses get a mortgage?
Yes. Agency nurses paid PAYE through an agency or umbrella are assessed on track record, usually 12 months of payslips, though some lenders accept 3 to 6 months if you've been nursing for two years or more. If you invoice through a limited company, you're self employed to a lender and it's accounts or tax calculations instead.
Do I need a bigger deposit as a nurse?
No. A 5% deposit is enough for many lenders, and a nursing salary is exactly the kind of income they like behind a high loan to value mortgage. A bigger deposit gets you a better rate, as it does for anyone, and nurses on visas may need 10% or more with some lenders.
Does my NHS pension affect what I can borrow?
Your pension contribution doesn't usually reduce the salary figure a lender uses, because most work from gross pay. It does lower your take home, which feeds into affordability. For nurses borrowing into their 60s, some lenders will also look at your expected NHS pension to check the mortgage stays affordable after you retire.
Can I get a mortgage with a partner who isn't a nurse?
Of course. Most nurse mortgages are joint applications. If a lender has a professional or key worker range, the higher multiple often only applies to your share of the income, with your partner's income assessed on standard criteria, so we'll check whether that lender or a plain vanilla one gives you more.
Nurses often fit more than one box, so these guides cover the situations that most often overlap with nurse mortgages. For pay scales and your registration, the Royal College of Nursing and the Nursing and Midwifery Council are the places to start.
Speak to one of our fee free mortgage advisers today. We'll work out what your nursing income supports, explain your options and get you moving, around your shifts.
