Commission income

Mortgages by profession

Your job shapes how a lender reads your income. These guides go trade by trade — how your earnings qualify, which write-offs help or hurt, the loan that fits, and the mistake that sinks applications in your field. Built for self-employed and 1099 workers.

1099 / corp-to-corp

Software engineers & IT contractors

High 1099 or corp-to-corp income that underwriting discounts — plus the S-corp low-salary trap and equity comp lenders won't always count.

1099 clinical income

Locum tenens physicians

High 1099 day rates, agency contracts, and gaps between assignments — why locums qualify sooner than they think, and the trap in deduction-heavy…

Business income

Franchise owners

Royalty and marketing fees, multi-unit returns, and reinvested profit — how a franchisee qualifies when the business return, not a W-2, defines…

Capital-gains income

Day traders & active investors

Capital-gains income lenders are wary of, no W-2 or 1099, and why asset-based programs often fit better than income ones.

Cash & tips

Salon owners & stylists

Booth-rent vs. salon-owner income, cash tips that go unreported, and the write-offs on product and chair rent.

Coaching income

Personal trainers & fitness coaches

Cash sessions, app and online-coaching revenue, and gym-rent write-offs — how trainers document income that arrives in a dozen small streams.

Commission + renewals

Insurance agents

First-year commissions, renewal residuals, and chargebacks — how lenders read a book of business, and the mistake that halves qualifying income.

Commission income

Real estate agents

1099 commission income, fluctuating closings, and the two-year averaging trap that catches agents in a rising market.

Contract & stipends

Travel & 1099 nurses

Contract-to-contract assignments, tax-free stipends that don't count as income, and employment gaps between placements.

Creator economy

Content creators & influencers

Multi-platform income, lender unfamiliarity with the model, short history, and volatile month-to-month payouts.

Equity & K-1

Startup founders

Below-market founder salary, illiquid equity lenders won't count, and pass-through K-1 losses that drag qualifying income underwater.

Gig & royalty income

Musicians & performers

Gig fees from a dozen payers, streaming and performance royalties, teaching income — and the touring write-offs that shrink your Schedule C net.

Gig platform

Rideshare & delivery drivers

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart income — short history, 1099-K reporting, and the mileage deduction that erases your net.

In-home Schedule C

Home daycare & childcare providers

In-home daycare income — subsidy checks, food-program reimbursements, and the time-space deduction that shrinks your Schedule C net.

Inventory business

E-commerce & online sellers

Etsy, Amazon FBA and Shopify income — inventory and COGS, 1099-K reporting, and seasonal Q4 spikes.

Owner-operator

Truck drivers & owner-operators

Owner-operator vs. company driver, per-diem deductions, and the fuel-and-depreciation write-offs that gut qualifying income.

Practice income

Practice owner

Private-practice dentists & doctors

High income through an S-corp or partnership, heavy equipment depreciation, and practice debt that complicates the file.

Project income

Freelance designers & creatives

Project-based, irregular income from contracts and platforms — feast-or-famine months and 1099-NEC reporting.

STR income

Airbnb & short-term-rental hosts

Schedule E vs. Schedule C, platform payout statements, seasonality — and which loan reads hosting income when you're buying your own home versus…

Schedule F income

Farmers & ranchers

Section 179 equipment write-offs, Schedule F cash flow, subsidy and crop-insurance income, and the land-rich, cash-poor file — buying a home on…

Seasonal income

Solo professional

Independent consultants

Clean retainer or project income, but solo and 1099 — strong earners who still trip on the two-year rule.

Thin margins

Restaurant & food-service owners

Razor-thin margins, cash handling, and aggressive write-offs that leave little taxable profit to qualify on.

Trade income

Skilled trades (electricians, plumbers, HVAC)

Service-call cash flow, equipment and truck write-offs, and mixed 1099/cash income — how licensed tradespeople qualify when the return understates…

Trades & seasonal

Construction contractors

Material costs, subcontractor 1099s, seasonal slowdowns, and equipment depreciation that buries net income.

Every profession guide above reads income against these primary rules.

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