Many mortgage lenders are now requesting a copy of the official HMRC tax calculation (SA302) as confirmation of income for mortgage applicants; Previously, they would have accepted income confirmation by the borrower’s accountant. There is thus a conflict between planning to minimise income for tax purposes and declaring a higher level of income to support a mortgage application.

A further problem is that the SA302 HMRC calculation cannot be downloaded from the HMRC website when third party software has been used to submit tax returns, and copies are not routinely sent out by HMRC. To obtain a SA302 calculation you are required to phone HMRC and ask for the form to be sent out by post. This usually takes about 14 days.

The accountancy bodies are calling for HMRC to allow accountants to download and print off the SA302 for their clients to support their mortgage applications.