Free preparation pack

New Job & Probation Mortgage Preparation Pack

A working pack for anyone applying around a job change: what evidence a new role usually needs, how to record the facts of your contract accurately, and how to describe a probation period plainly rather than guessing at it.

Time needed: About 30 minutes, plus whatever time your employer needs to send documents.

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Who this is for

People who have started, or are about to start, a new job, a promotion, a contract role or a return to work, and want their employment evidence organised before they speak to anyone.

What this pack cannot do

This pack cannot tell you whether a lender will accept your new job, how much you could borrow, or whether to wait until probation ends. Lender approaches to employment changes genuinely differ, and only a qualified adviser can weigh yours.

Employment evidence checklist

Work down the list and tick only what you physically have. A gap you can see is a gap you can fix; a gap you assume is fine is the one that stalls an application.

Signed contract or written offer for the new roleIt is the primary record of your start date, pay and any probation terms.
Your stated start date, written down exactly as the contract states itA date remembered wrongly is one of the most common corrections people have to make later.
Payslips from the new role, if any have been issued yetWhere none exists yet, that fact is what matters — not an estimate.
Payslips or a P45 from the previous roleContinuity of employment is usually looked at, not just the current job.
P60 for the most recent tax year availableIt corroborates annual pay independently of any single payslip.
Written detail of any probation period, including its lengthProbation terms vary, and paraphrasing them creates avoidable questions.
Written detail of variable pay: bonus, commission, overtime, shift premiumsVariable elements are treated differently from basic pay and are often evidenced separately.
Employer contact details for verification, as your employer would give themVerification steps are easier when the details already match your employer's records.
Bank statements covering the transition between rolesThey show how income actually landed, including any gap or partial month.

Contract facts tracker

Copy these from the document in front of you, word for word. Nothing here is sent to us; keep it with your own paperwork.

Employer name as written on the contract: Use the legal employer name, not the brand or team name.
Job title: As stated in the contract.
Employment type: Permanent, fixed term, contract, agency, part time.
Start date: Exactly as the contract states.
Basic pay and how it is expressed: Annual, hourly, daily. Do not convert it yourself.
Probation period: Length, and the notice terms during it, if stated.
Variable pay terms: Bonus or commission wording, quoted rather than summarised.
Previous role: employer, end date, and pay: Needed for continuity.

Plain-explanation worksheet

Write one calm, factual sentence for each prompt that applies. Short and accurate beats long and defensive.

Why you changed role, in one sentence.
Whether the change increased, reduced or kept your pay the same, and how you know.
Whether there was any gap between roles, and how long it was.
Whether you are within a probation period, and the length stated in your contract.
How your pay is made up now: what is guaranteed and what varies.
Anything about the last three months of your bank statements you would want to explain first.

Things you may not know yet

These are the points where people usually assume, and where the honest answer is that it depends on the lender and on advice. Flag any that apply to you and take them to an adviser.

How the specific probation wording in your contract would be treated.
Whether variable pay elements would be considered at all in your case, and over what period.
How a short gap between roles would be viewed.
Whether a role in the same field is treated differently from a change of sector.
How a fixed-term or agency contract history is usually evidenced.

Questions for a qualified adviser

Take these written down. An FCA-authorised mortgage adviser can answer them for your circumstances; we cannot.

How do lenders differ on new jobs and probation periods, and does that affect who I should approach?
Which of my income elements would you expect to be usable, and which not?
Given everything above about a recent job change, what would you want to see before you would consider an application ready to submit?
Which of my documents would you expect a lender to question, and how would you present it?
Is there anything in my situation where lenders differ enough that it changes who I should apply to?
What would you advise me to do first, and what can safely wait?
How long would you expect my preparation to take from here?
What should I avoid doing in the meantime, and why?

One-page adviser handover summary

Fill this in last, print it, and take it with you. It is the page that turns an hour of preparation into a short, useful conversation.

What I am trying to do: One sentence: buy, move, remortgage, or find out whether now is realistic.
Where I am in preparation: Just started / gathering documents / documents ready / ready to talk to an adviser.
The three facts an adviser needs first: Write the three things you would want them to know before anything else.
Documents I already have: List by name only. Do not attach anything to this page.
Documents I still need: Include who you have to ask, and how long they usually take.
Things I cannot explain yet: Anything you know will be asked about but cannot yet answer confidently.
My questions, in priority order: Take these to the appointment written down.

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