Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) Mortgage Broker

It is possible to obtain a mortgage using income from Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), including vested or vesting shares. However, only a very limited number of lenders will take this type of income into account when assessing affordability.

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Buy A Home Remortgage

The UKs Leading RSU
Mortgage Broker

Lansdown Financial Services was founded with a clear purpose: to provide expert Mortgage and Protection advice to clients across the UK, while delivering an exceptional level of customer service that our clients truly deserve.

Our two co-founders and directors, Doug Miller and Aaron Taghdiri, have over 30 years combined experienced in the mortgage industry. They’ve supported a wide range of clients, from first-time buyers to high-net-worth individuals, including those seeking multi-million pound mortgages or with large property portfolios.

We regularly advise clients employed by global firms such as Amazon, Anthropic, Costco UK, Google, and OpenAI, as well as investment banks and private equity firms. Many of these professionals receive a significant portion of their compensation through Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) or vested shares.

For The Lenders Who Do Consider RSU Income, Several Key Factors Come Into Play

With access to the whole market, private banks and boutique lenders, we will research your enquiry and provide tailored advice personal to you.

Lenders will look at:

Whether the RSUs are vested or unvested, when they vest and your track record of receiving your shares

Your length of employment, the percentage of your total income that comes from RSUs, and your vesting schedule history

The currency in which your RSUs are granted and also held in, and the amount of cash reserves you retain after vesting

The overall strength and financial performance of your employer

Case Studies

The Story

A senior employee at CostCo UK approached Lansdown Financial looking to secure a £720,000 mortgage to purchase a new family home valued at £925,000, representing approximately 78% loan-to-value (LTV).

Although the client received a strong overall remuneration package, a significant proportion of their earnings came from Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) awarded as part of their employment. With mortgage affordability heavily dependent on this additional income, they needed a lender willing to consider their RSU earnings alongside their basic salary.

The Challenge

Securing a mortgage using Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) income can be challenging, as many high street lenders either exclude share-based remuneration entirely or apply significant restrictions when assessing affordability.

Despite the client’s substantial overall earnings, relying solely on their basic salary would not support the required £720,000 mortgage. We needed to identify a lender willing to recognise the value of their RSU income, taking into account their historical vesting patterns and ongoing share awards.

Our challenge was to secure a competitive mortgage at approximately 78% loan-to-value while ensuring the client’s share-based remuneration was appropriately reflected in the affordability assessment.

The Solution

Lansdown Financial took a tailored approach, reviewing the client’s remuneration package, RSU vesting history and supporting financial documentation to identify lenders whose criteria were best suited to their circumstances.

By liaising directly with specialist mortgage underwriters, we identified a lender willing to consider the client’s Restricted Stock Unit income alongside their basic salary, allowing their overall earnings to be appropriately assessed for mortgage affordability.

Through our understanding of complex income structures and specialist lending criteria, we successfully secured the required £720,000 mortgage at approximately 78% LTV on competitive terms, enabling the client to purchase their £925,000 family home without their reliance on RSU income restricting their borrowing options.

FAQ

Using RSU Income For A Mortgage

Receiving part of your income through Restricted Stock Units can make finding the right mortgage more complex. We’ll explain how lenders may assess RSU income, the evidence and vesting history they may consider and how your RSUs could affect how much you can borrow.

Is it possible to use RSUs, vesting stock or vested stock as income for a mortgage?

Yes, absolutely, however it does depend on a lot of factors and very few high street banks accept RSUs for affordability.

The lenders which will accept RSUs will often accept both vested and unvested stocks. Mortgage lenders will look at your history of receiving RSU income over the past 2 – 3 years (or longer), specifically when you pay tax on these stocks (when they are granted or when they vest), and they will always ask you to provide a vesting schedule as part of your mortgage application.

Lenders will also consider the percentage of your total income that derives from RSUs. The more heavily weighted this is towards your RSUs compensation, the more thorough lenders will be when assessing your application.

Typically banks will take into account 50% of your total RSUs income for mortgage affordability, however subject to how these paid and how long they vest for, there are lenders in the market who can use up to 100% of this income for a mortgage application.

What are the challenges of using RSU income or vested stock for a mortgage?

Very few lenders in the market will consider RSU income for a mortgage. This means that this will limit the choice products available to you and may mean you do not qualify for some of the most competitive interest rates available.

With the lenders that will consider this income, they will carefully consider the company you work for (and financial strength of your employer), how long the vesting period is, as well as the currency your stocks are granted and held in and consider any currency volatility that may affect the value of your stocks. They will look at your track record and history of receiving RSUs and the trend of the amount you have received over the past 2 – 3 years.

Speaking with a broker that fully understands how RSU income works, and how lenders will view and calculate this income, is absolutely vital given the complex nature of how RSUs work.

How do lenders calculate and assess RSU income and vesting or vested shares?

Lenders can consider both the vested and unvested value of your RSUs. They will carefully look at your track record of receiving this income over the past 2 – 3 years, and will often base affordability on the average amount you have received during this period (or the most recent year if lower).

Banks will look at a wide variety of factors, and based on these factors will use between 50% – 100% of your RSU income for affordability. Approaching the right lender, and carefully explaining your income with the correct supporting documents can really help maximise the amount you can borrow to purchase your new home or remortgage your existing property.

What documents will I need to provide?

Alongside the usual documents lenders request, such as your latest three months (or 13 weekly) payslips and latest three months bank statements, banks will typically ask you to provide your latest two years P60s and most importantly, a copy of your vesting schedule.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.