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Before You ApplyEducational mortgage-readiness preparation

Income · 7 min read

Starting a new job or on probation before a mortgage application

In short

There is no universal waiting period after changing jobs, and no source we cite sets a number of payslips, months of service or a probation rule. What a change of employment really changes is the evidence you can produce and whether there is a known future change to your income. Under FCA rules (MCOB 11.6) a lender must obtain evidence of the income it relies on, must not accept self-certification, and must use evidence of a type and period adequate for each element of income — what is adequate varies with employment status and the nature and length of employment. Where a lender is or should be aware of likely future changes to your income during the term, it must take them into account. So the useful work now is organising the facts you can already evidence, and asking the lender or a qualified adviser what they require.

What this guide cannot tell you

  • Whether a lender will accept an application from someone in your employment situation.
  • How any particular lender treats probation, a fixed-term contract, agency work or a future start date — that is each lender's own policy, and we do not answer it.
  • Whether you should apply now or wait until you have been in the role longer. We set no timescales.
  • What we can do is help you gather the facts and documents you already hold, so a suitably qualified FCA-authorised mortgage adviser can have a useful conversation with you.

Who this is for

  • People who have just started, or are about to start, a new role
  • Anyone on a probation period, a fixed-term contract or working through an agency
  • Anyone moving between employment types, such as employed to self-employed
  • Applicants whose pay arrangements are changing

Facts and documents worth having ready

This lists facts and paperwork you may already hold in each situation. It says nothing about acceptability, treatment or how any lender assesses any of it.

Same type of work, new employer

  • Start date with the new employer, and the date the previous role ended.
  • Your written statement of employment particulars, contract or offer letter.
  • Basic pay and how often it is paid, and hours and whether they vary.
  • A one-line factual note of any gap between roles, with dates.

Different type of work

  • What the new role is, and from what date.
  • The written terms you hold for it, and the terms of the role you left.
  • Which elements of pay are contractually guaranteed and which are not.
  • If you have moved into self-employment, the records that now exist instead — see the self-employed guide.

Future start date (not started yet)

  • The signed contract or offer letter, and the agreed start date.
  • The agreed pay and any stated terms such as hours or location.
  • The date your current role ends, and any notice period.
  • A factual note that this is an agreed future change, which MCOB 11.6 requires a lender to take into account where it is or should be aware of it.

On probation

  • GOV.UK says a written statement of employment particulars covers the length and conditions of any probation period — so copy those terms exactly as written.
  • The start date and the date any probation period is stated to end.
  • Pay during probation and any stated change afterwards.
  • Nothing here says whether probation is, or is not, an obstacle — our sources do not say.

Fixed-term or contracting

  • GOV.UK says the written statement covers the expected duration and end date of fixed-term work.
  • The contract, its rate, its dates and how you are paid.
  • Any earlier contracts or agency paperwork you already hold, as history you can show rather than a requirement.
  • For agency work, the basic written information the agency should give you before you start: type of work, pay rate, hours, start date, expected duration and location.

Variable pay in the new role

  • Each element listed separately: basic pay, commission, bonus, overtime, allowances.
  • Which are contractually guaranteed and which are not, as stated in your terms.
  • Any payslips or statements you already hold for those elements.
  • How each is evidenced and used is lender-specific — see the variable income guide for the separate preparation involved.

Facts only. No row above states a required number of payslips, a length of service, a probation rule or how any figure would be calculated. Those are questions for a lender or a qualified adviser.

Key points

The rule is about evidence, not about job moves

MCOB 11.6 requires a lender to evidence the income it takes into account, with the type and period adequate for each element relied on. It sets no waiting period, no document count and no probation rule.

Evidence needs are not uniform

MCOB 11.6 says what evidence is necessary varies with employment status, the nature of the employment and its length, and particularly where income is not contractually guaranteed. That is why the answer differs between lenders and situations.

A known future change counts

Where a lender is or should be aware of likely future changes to your income or expenditure during the mortgage term, MCOB 11.6 requires it to take them into account. Telling a lender or adviser about a change already agreed is simply accurate information.

You may already hold the facts in writing

GOV.UK says an employee's principal written statement of employment particulars covers the start date, pay and pay frequency, hours and days and whether they vary, the expected duration and end date of fixed-term work, and the length and conditions of any probation period.

Variable pay is a separate element

MoneyHelper explains that a lender works out household income, which can include basic salary and other income such as commission or bonuses. Those elements are often not contractually guaranteed, and how each is evidenced and used is lender-specific. Keep basic pay and variable pay as separate items when you organise your facts.

What if you have not had your first payslip yet?

You can still organise what exists. GOV.UK says a written statement of employment particulars sets out the start date, pay and pay frequency, hours, any fixed-term duration and the length and conditions of any probation period — so a signed contract or offer letter and that written statement already evidence the terms that have been agreed. MCOB 11.6 leaves the adequate type and period of evidence to the lender, so the remaining question — what else would be needed in your case — is one to put to the lender or a qualified adviser. We do not know the answer and we will not guess at one.

Exceptions and things that vary

  • Not everyone holds a signed contract or offer letter, and nothing here says a lender requires one.
  • Agency work sits under separate GOV.UK information rules: the agency should give you written basic information before you start, including the type of work, pay rate, hours, start date, expected duration and location. That says nothing about how a lender treats agency work.
  • Moving from employment to self-employment changes which records exist entirely — see the self-employed preparation guide.
  • MoneyHelper notes a lender looks at the security or nature of employment, such as permanent or fixed-term, but that is orientation only and not a statement of how any contract type is handled.

How to work through it

  1. Write down the factual terms you hold

    Our suggestion: from your written statement, contract or agency information, note the start date, pay and how often it is paid, hours and whether they vary, any fixed-term duration or end date, and the length and conditions of any probation period.

  2. List each element of pay separately

    Our suggestion: set out basic pay separately from commission, bonus, overtime and allowances, and note which are contractually guaranteed and which are not. Evidence and treatment differ by element and by lender.

  3. Record the dates of the change

    Our suggestion: keep a short factual note of when the old role ended, any notice period, the new start date and anything already agreed for the future, so nothing has to be recalled from memory.

  4. Ask what evidence and period are required

    Our suggestion: ask the lender or a suitably qualified FCA-authorised mortgage adviser exactly which documents, and covering what period, they need for each element of your income. Only they can tell you how your situation is assessed.

Illustrative example (not a real case)

Imagine someone who has accepted a new role that includes a probation period and a commission element. They copy the start date, pay, hours and probation terms from their written statement, list basic pay and commission separately, and note the dates of the move. They then ask what evidence and period the lender needs for each element rather than assuming. Illustrative only — it shows a method of organising facts, not an outcome.

Illustrative only. Figures and situations in examples are made up to show a method. They are not typical, not a benchmark and not a prediction of any outcome.

What not to assume

  • Do not assume any waiting period applies after a job change — MCOB 11.6 sets none, and no source here supports one.
  • Do not assume a set number of payslips or months of service is needed; the required period is set by the lender for each element of income.
  • Do not assume a probation period is, or is not, an obstacle. None of our sources says how probation is treated.
  • Do not assume commission, bonus or overtime is treated like basic pay.
  • Do not assume a move within the same employer is handled differently from a move between employers — our sources do not say either way.
  • Do not assume anything on this page predicts what a lender will decide.

Your new-job preparation note

One page of facts, copied from documents you already hold rather than remembered. This is what makes a conversation with an adviser productive.

  • Employer, job title and start date — and the end date of your previous role.
  • Basic pay and how often it is paid, exactly as written in your terms.
  • Hours, and whether they vary; any fixed-term duration or end date.
  • Probation terms: the length and conditions as stated in your written statement.
  • Each non-guaranteed element listed separately: commission, bonus, overtime, allowances.
  • Which documents you actually hold today — contract or offer letter, written statement, payslips if any, agency information.
  • One factual line about anything a reader would notice, such as a gap between roles or a change of work type.

If you have not been paid yet, this note is your evidence of the terms that have been agreed. What else is needed is a question for the lender or adviser, not something we can answer.

Questions for a qualified adviser

We cannot answer these for you, and we do not introduce or recommend advisers. Take them to a suitably qualified FCA-authorised mortgage adviser of your own choosing.

  • Which documents, and covering what period, do you need for each element of my income?
  • What would you like me to tell you about my recent or planned change of employment?
  • How would you like commission, bonus or overtime evidenced in my case?
  • Is there any information you need about my probation terms or fixed-term end date?
  • How does this lender treat someone in my employment situation, and what evidence would it want?
  • I have not received a payslip in the new role yet — what would you accept instead, and what else would you need?

Check my readiness

Eight broad preparation questions. No figures, no personal details, no eligibility result.

Check my readiness

Related reading

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Sources

No statistic, regulator citation or third-party claim is published until its source is verified. Unverified entries are shown as placeholders.

Written by

Before You Apply editorial

Written by the publisher's editorial function, not by a named individual and not by a mortgage adviser. Before You Apply is not FCA authorised.

Reviewed by

Independent reviewer — to be appointed

No independent reviewer has been appointed yet. No review, qualification, FCA status or endorsement is claimed for this content.

  • Last fact-checked 2026-08-22
  • Not yet independently reviewed
  • Next review due 2027-02-22

Disclosure: this guide is educational. Before You Apply receives no payment for mentioning any lender, product or firm, and none are named.

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