What documents will I need? The complete mortgage application checklist
Everything underwriting will ask for, gathered in one place, so you can send it in a single batch instead of trickling it in over two weeks.
The single biggest cause of a slow pre-approval is documents arriving one at a time. Gather all of it first, send it once, and you will have a letter in about 24 hours.
Everyone
- Photo ID for every borrower.
- Two months of statements for every account you will draw funds from — all pages, including the blank ones, because the page count is printed on them.
- Your current address history for the past two years.
- The name and contact details of your homeowners insurance agent, once you have one.
If you are a W-2 employee
- Pay stubs covering the most recent 30 days.
- W-2 forms for the past two years.
- If you receive bonus, commission or overtime income, be ready to document a two-year history — that is what allows it to be counted.
If you are self-employed or own a business
- Personal federal tax returns for two years, all schedules.
- Business returns for two years if the business files separately.
- A year-to-date profit and loss statement.
- A business license or CPA letter confirming the business is active.
- If write-offs make your returns unrepresentative, ask about a bank-statement program before you assume the answer is no.
If you are a veteran or service member
- Certificate of Eligibility — I can usually pull this for you.
- DD-214 if separated, or a statement of service if active duty.
- Your VA award letter if you receive compensation for a service-connected disability, which is what waives the funding fee.
Situational, but common
- Gift funds: a signed gift letter plus proof of the transfer from the donor’s account to yours.
- Retirement funds: the terms of withdrawal or loan, plus evidence of receipt.
- Divorce decree or separation agreement, if there is support paid or received.
- Bankruptcy discharge paperwork, showing the discharge date rather than the filing date.
- Lease agreements for any rental property you own.
- If you are selling a current home, the contract and eventually the settlement statement.
What will be asked for again later
Expect updated pay stubs and bank statements once you are under contract, because underwriting works from current documents rather than the ones that got you pre-approved. Employment is also verified again shortly before closing. None of that is a sign something is wrong.
Written by
Travis Nicolaysen
Loan Officer, Fairway Home Mortgage · NMLS #1782820
Questions about how this applies to your file? Call or text 704-728-4548.
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