SA302 and tax year overview
Your SA302 and tax year overview, ready for the mortgage
Building a mortgage document pack as a sole trader or a limited company director? Get the SA302 and tax year overview HMRC hold for you, plus what a lender typically wants on top.
What is an SA302, and how do I get one for a mortgage?
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The basics
What an SA302 is, and what a tax year overview is
An SA302 is HMRC's summary of your tax calculation for a tax year: your total income, the tax due, and how it was worked out. It comes straight from your Self Assessment return.
A tax year overview is a shorter HMRC document confirming the tax you owed, or paid, for that year. It matches the return you filed. Mortgage lenders usually ask for both together: the SA302 for the detail, the tax year overview to confirm HMRC actually has those figures on record.
How to get them
How to download them, step by step
- 1Log in to your HMRC online account.
- 2Go to Self Assessment, then "More details about your Self Assessment returns and payments".
- 3Print or save your SA302 tax calculation and your tax year overview for each tax year your lender wants.
If you used commercial software to file your return, use that software to print your tax calculation. You can still print a tax year overview from your HMRC online account either way.
You cannot print your documents until 72 hours after you sent your tax return, so build in that wait if a mortgage application is close.
Before you send anything to your lender, check that your mortgage provider accepts documents you have printed yourself. GOV.UK links a list of lenders that do, and not every lender is on it. If you run into a problem getting your documents, contact HMRC directly.
Directors
Why lenders look beyond your salary
If you pay yourself a low salary and take dividends on top, a lender looking only at your PAYE salary would see a small fraction of your real income. That is why lenders typically look at salary plus dividends together, both of which appear on your SA302, and sometimes at the company's profits as well.
On top of your SA302 and tax year overview, a lender assessing a limited company director may also want the company's filed accounts from Companies House, and occasionally an accountant's certificate or reference. Not every lender asks for the certificate: check with yours before you chase one down.
Timing
File early, get your SA302 sooner
You need your return filed before you can get an SA302 for that year, so when you file changes when your document is ready. A director who files in May has an SA302 for that tax year months before one who waits until the 31 January deadline.
If you know a mortgage application is coming, that is worth planning around. Filing early in the tax year, as soon as your accounts and return are ready, means you are not stuck waiting on HMRC and the 72-hour print delay right when a lender wants your documents.
Only one year?
What if you only have one year of returns?
If you have only recently started trading or become a director, you may only have one year of Self Assessment returns behind you. Some lenders accept one year of accounts and one SA302, though many ask for two or three years. Check with your lender or a broker about what they will accept before you apply, rather than assuming either way.
Questions
SA302s and mortgages, answered
What is an SA302?
An SA302 is HMRC's summary of your tax calculation for a tax year: your total income, the tax due, and how it was worked out, generated from your Self Assessment return.
What is a tax year overview, and why do I need it as well as my SA302?
A tax year overview is HMRC's confirmation of the tax you owed or paid for that year. Lenders usually ask for both because the tax year overview confirms HMRC actually has your figures on record, alongside the detail in your SA302.
How do I get my SA302 and tax year overview?
Log in to your HMRC online account, go to Self Assessment, then "More details about your Self Assessment returns and payments". If you used commercial software to file, print your tax calculation from that software, but you can still print your tax year overview from your HMRC online account.
Why won't my lender accept a self-printed SA302?
Not every lender does. GOV.UK links a list of lenders that accept documents you've printed yourself. Check your specific lender's position before you rely on a self-printed copy.
Can I get a mortgage for a limited company as a director with only one year of accounts?
Some lenders accept one year of accounts and one SA302, though many ask for two or three years. Check with your lender or broker about what they will accept before you apply.
What is an accountant's certificate for a mortgage, and do I need one?
It's a reference from your accountant confirming your income, which some lenders ask for on top of your SA302 and accounts. Not every lender asks for one, so check with yours first.
I just filed my return. Why can't I print my SA302 yet?
You cannot print your SA302 or tax year overview until 72 hours after you send your tax return. If a mortgage application is close, factor that wait in.
Why do mortgage lenders look at more than my salary as a director?
A director's PAYE salary alone often understates real income, so lenders typically look at salary plus dividends together, and sometimes at the company's profits, which is why the SA302 (covering both salary and dividends) and the filed company accounts both matter.
Sources, checked on
- SA302 tax calculation
- Log in and file your Self Assessment tax return
- Self Assessment tax returns: deadlines
General guidance, not advice for your situation. Rules change: always check the GOV.UK page before you act.
Keep your figures ready for the next mortgage application
Finn keeps your books up to date all year, so your SA302 and accounts are ready whenever you need them.
Already filed and need the mortgage guide? See mortgages for limited company directors.