Chapter 1 of 10 · Before you start · 7 of 10
Mortgage documents checklist: what a lender asks for
Checked 21 Oct 2026the Central Bank's mortgage measures, Revenue's rules and the scheme operators' published terms.
Every document an Irish lender asks for: payslips, salary certificate, bank statements, ID, proof of deposit, gift letter and tax records.
Check before you hire: a mortgage advisor should be on the register kept by the Central Bank of Ireland. Central Bank register
Written in plain English for the person buying, selling or switching. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.
A lender wants to see three things: who you are, what you earn, and how you handle money. Every document on the list proves one of them. This guide sets out the full list in a table, says where to get each item, and flags the extras for self-employed people and gifts.
The checklist
| Document | Where to get it | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| Passport or driving licence | Your own | Who you are |
| Proof of address, under 3 months old | A utility bill or bank statement | Where you live |
| Three recent payslips | Your employer or payroll portal | Your current pay |
| Salary certificate | The lender's form, filled in by your employer | Your job, pay and whether it is permanent |
| Employment detail summary | Revenue's myAccount | Last year's pay and tax |
| Six months of current account statements | Your bank | How you manage money |
| Six to twelve months of savings statements | Your bank or credit union | Your deposit building up |
| Statements for every loan and credit card | Each lender | What you owe |
| Gift letter | Written by the giver | A family gift is not a loan |
| Proof of rent paid | Your bank statements or a landlord's letter | You can pay a set sum each month |
| Proof of Help to Buy approval | Revenue's online services | The refund coming towards the deposit |
Each lender has its own form of the list. Most want everything above. The lender starts your application when the file is complete, so send it all at once.
Who you are
A passport or driving licence, in date. A proof of address less than three months old: a utility bill, a bank statement or a letter from Revenue. If you have lived abroad in the last few years, some lenders ask for proof of your address there too.
Most lenders also check your PPS number against your Revenue records. Have it ready.
What you earn
For an employee, three things:
- Three recent payslips. Monthly or weekly, the last three. If you are paid every two weeks, the last six.
- A salary certificate. This is the lender's own one-page form. Your employer fills it in and signs it. It states your job, your start date, your basic pay, any overtime or bonus, and whether you are permanent or on probation. Ask your HR department early. It is the item that most often holds things up.
- Your employment detail summary. This replaced the P60 in 2019. Log in to Revenue's myAccount, go to the PAYE services section and download it for last year.
If you have been in your job under a year, the lender may ask for your contract and last year's summary from the old job. If you are on probation, say so. Some lenders wait until probation ends. Others accept a letter from your employer.
How you handle money
Six months of statements for every current account, in your name or joint. The statements must show your name, the account number and every line. A download from your bank's app is fine. A screenshot of a balance is not.
The lender reads every line. It looks for:
- Rent paid on time, every month.
- Savings going in every month.
- No missed direct debits or returned payments.
- No new loans.
- Little or no gambling.
- No overdraft use near the limit.
Six clean months is the usual test. If the last six months are not clean, wait until they are. Check your credit record at the same time, because the lender does.
The deposit
Savings statements showing the money going in, for six to twelve months. The lender wants to see a steady pattern. A lump sum that appears from nowhere raises a question. Be ready to explain any large deposit: a bonus, a sale, a gift.
What counts towards the deposit:
- Your savings.
- A gift from family, with a gift letter.
- Help to Buy on a new build, with Revenue's approval printout.
- Money from the sale of your current home, with the sale agreed letter.
A loan does not count, and most lenders refuse an application where the deposit is borrowed. How much deposit you need explains what the 10% works out to by price.
The gift letter
If a parent or relative is giving you money, the lender wants a short signed letter from them. It says the money is a gift, not a loan, and that they expect nothing back and no share of the home. It also says they will not live there. The gift letter guide has a plain template and explains the gift tax rules.
Self-employed extras
A self-employed person or a company director sends these instead of payslips and a salary cert:
| Document | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Two to three years of accounts, signed by an accountant | Your business income over time |
| Your Form 11 tax returns for those years | What you told Revenue |
| A tax clearance certificate | Your tax is paid up |
| Six months of business bank statements | The business is trading as the accounts say |
| An accountant's letter | Your income, in the lender's words |
| Notices of assessment from Revenue | Revenue's figure for your income |
Most lenders average the last two or three years. A rising trend helps. A single strong year after two weak ones does not help much. Mortgages for the self-employed goes through it.
Other papers a lender may ask for
- Separation agreement or court order, if you are separated or divorced. This matters for the Fresh Start rules.
- Proof of maintenance paid or received.
- Residence permit, for a non-EU citizen.
- Proof that a loan has been cleared.
- Your solicitor's name and address, at the loan offer stage.
Keeping the file in order
Three habits save weeks:
- Scan everything to PDF, one file per document, named clearly.
- Date-check before sending. A proof of address over three months old gets sent back.
- Keep saving and keep paying rent on time while the lender reads the file. The lender looks again at the loan offer stage.
A broker, also called a mortgage advisor (on the Central Bank's register), checks the file before it goes in and knows what each lender wants. Most are paid by the lender; some charge a fee, which must be in writing first. See the mortgage advisor page for what to ask.
Where this leaves you
Before you gather the papers, put your income and the price into the mortgage calculator to see the loan the rules allow and the monthly repayment. Then collect every document on the list and send it in one go. Approval in principle explains what comes back. The first-time buyer journey shows the steps after that, and get quotes finds a solicitor.
Questions people ask
What documents do I need for mortgage approval in principle?
Photo ID, proof of address, three payslips, a salary certificate, your employment detail summary from Revenue, six months of bank and savings statements, and statements for any loans or credit cards. A gift letter if family are helping.
How many months of bank statements do I need for a mortgage in Ireland?
Six months is the usual ask. Some lenders ask for twelve months of savings statements. Statements must show the account name and number. Screenshots are often refused.
What is a salary certificate for a mortgage?
A one-page form on the lender's template that your employer fills in. It confirms your job title, start date, basic pay, overtime or bonus, and whether you are permanent or on probation.
What documents do self-employed people need for a mortgage?
Two to three years of accounts signed by an accountant, your Form 11 returns, a tax clearance certificate, six months of business bank statements, and often an accountant's letter about your income.
Do I need a P60 for a mortgage?
The P60 was replaced in 2019. Lenders now ask for your employment detail summary, which you download from Revenue's myAccount. It shows your pay and tax for the year.