Home Financing Toolkit

Loan Documents Checklist.

The fastest way to slow down a mortgage application is to be missing a page. Lenders verify income, assets, and identity, and they ask for the same core documents on nearly every loan. This checklist splits the requests into a shared list, a column for salaried or hourly borrowers, and a column for self-employed borrowers, so you can gather the right folder before the lender asks.

A general list, as of September 2026. Every lender and loan program adds its own asks; the Lending Officer’s list is the one to follow.

The rule that trips people up

When a lender asks for “all pages,” it means exactly that: front and back, every page, no exceptions. A two-page bank statement printed as one side only is missing the back. A retirement account statement that runs twelve pages needs all twelve. Scanning everything as one continuous PDF, with no pages skipped, is the single best way to keep a file moving.

Everyone applying

  • Government-issued photo ID (driver license or passport)
  • Signed purchase contract and addenda
  • Earnest money deposit proof
  • Social Security numbers for all borrowers
  • Two most recent bank statements, all pages
  • Two most recent pay stubs, all pages
  • Two most recent federal tax returns, all pages
  • W-2s for the two most recent years
  • Current mortgage or rental history, 12 months of payments where applicable
  • VA Certificate of Eligibility, where the loan is a VA loan

Salaried or hourly

If you earn a regular wage, lenders verify it with pay stubs, W-2s, and the employer. Military pay stubs and Leave and Earnings Statements work the same way; keep the LES for every pay period requested, all pages.

  • Two most recent pay stubs, all pages (usually covering 30 days)
  • W-2s for the past two years
  • Employer name and contact, plus start date if recently hired
  • Offer letter or contract where employment is new or changing
  • Year-to-date earnings statement where a new job has not yet produced two stubs
  • Letter explaining any gaps or non-taxable income (for example, BAH, BAS, or combat pay)

Self-employed

Self-employed income is verified through tax returns and business records, so the file is bigger and the list below is additive to the shared list above, not instead of it. Plan for the two-year returns and the current profit-and-loss statement to be the foundation.

  • Two most recent years of personal federal tax returns, all pages and schedules
  • Business tax returns (corporate, partnership, or S-corp) for the same two years, all pages
  • Profit and loss statement for the current year to date
  • Business bank statements for the most recent two to three months, all pages
  • Personal bank statements for the most recent two to three months, all pages
  • CPA or tax preparer contact and letter of explanation where business income fluctuates
  • Any 1099 forms for the most recent two years
  • Business license or registration where applicable

A note for VA borrowers

For a VA loan, add the VA Certificate of Eligibility (or the lender obtains it), the DD-214 or current LES where the lender asks, and any disability rating letter where a funding fee waiver applies. The VA appraiser will also require access to the home, and the lender may ask about occupancy and the source of funds for the down payment and closing costs. Review the Funding Fee section of the VA loans guide for the fee side of that.

Understanding VA Loans
Tami Price, Broker Owner of Tami Price Properties

Tami Price is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Broker Owner of Tami Price Properties, helping military families across San Antonio and Joint Base San Antonio.

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