Does Overtime Count for a Mortgage? Prison Officers 2026

In shortNo published rule says how every lender counts overtime; the regulator requires adequate evidence and lenders set their own policy.

Prison officers apply for ordinary residential mortgages. Each lender decides which income it accepts, what share of variable income it uses and how many payslips it wants to see. That is why one lender may count your Payment Plus and the next may ignore it.

What all regulated lenders share is the FCA's responsible lending rulebook, MCOB 11.6. It does not set a percentage for overtime. It sets the process: assess affordability, use net income, and evidence every element of income from a source independent of you.

MCOB 11.6.5R

A lender must take full account of your income net of income tax and National Insurance, plus your committed expenditure and basic essential spending.

MCOB 11.6.8R

Evidence of income must be of a type and for a period adequate to support each element of income. Self-certification is not allowed.

MCOB 11.6.9G

Guidance that income from overtime may be evidenced by payslips over a period of time, or by checking the income regularly paid into a bank account.

In shortOnly Payment Plus, OSG overtime and similar one-off payments are variable; the allowance and committed hours are contracted.

Underwriters see unfamiliar payslip lines. If an underwriter files your unsocial hours allowance as a variable extra, your counted income falls sharply. In the free calculator the 'Basic pay only' scenario shows that risk: it counts only the base figure and leaves out the allowance.

The table sets out each element of England and Wales pay as published in the PSPRB 2026 report and on the HMPPS pay page, and whether it is contracted or variable.

In shortLenders broadly either average your recent variable pay or count a set share of it, and each wants a different number of payslips.

Lenders publish detailed criteria for mortgage brokers. We read three on 10 October 2026. They are examples of how practice differs, not rules for every lender, and criteria pages change often. A broker can tell you how the lenders it uses treat Payment Plus today.

Nationwide (broker criteria)

Averages bonus, overtime and commission. For monthly pay it asks for 3 consecutive payslips from the same employer, and months showing £0 are included in the average. It does not state a percentage on that page.

Family Building Society (broker criteria)

States it can take 50% of regular overtime where it is a regular feature of the job, and may take more where consistently high overtime is shown, recommending referral with two years' P60s and three months' payslips.

Halifax (broker keying guide)

Asks brokers to enter monthly overtime from the last 3 consecutive payslips, entering £0 for months with none. Some other income types, such as shift allowance, need more payslips.

In shortDepending on what a lender counts, illustrative borrowing for the same officer runs from £130,982 to £172,080.

• Contracted pay£34,928Band 3 pay point 1, National, 37h
• Payment Plus£3,31212 hours x £23 x 12 months
• Payment Plus after tax and NI£2,385Modelled with 2026/27 rUK rates
• Gap between none and all counted£14,904Borrowing at 4.5 times income

The table uses the free calculator's four scenarios at an illustrative 4.5 times income. These are not offers. The monthly payment uses an assumed 5% over 25 years on a repayment mortgage, against modelled take-home of about £2,481 a month including the Payment Plus.

In shortOSGs are paid overtime at multiplied hourly rates; officers in Bands 3 to 5 get Payment Plus at a flat hourly rate; both are variable and non-pensionable.

To a lender both look like overtime, so the same evidence approach applies: consecutive payslips, a steady pattern and a clear note of what each line is. Our OSG pay guide sets out Band 2 pay, and Payment Plus explained covers the officer scheme.

In shortA 12-month record of your variable pay, plus documents that explain each payslip line, is what lets a lender count it.

Most lenders in our examples ask for three months of payslips for overtime, but a longer record helps an underwriter see that Payment Plus is a regular feature rather than a one-off. It also lets you show the gaps honestly, for example during leave or a rota change.

In shortPayment Plus depends on qualifying duties being offered, it is under review, and spend on it has fallen, so budget from contracted pay.

• Payment Plus spend 2022/23£62.6mPSPRB, excluding bedwatch and constant watch
• Payment Plus spend 2024/25£30.8mSame basis
• ReviewsHMPPS and PSPRBHMPPS review due in 2026; full PSPRB review in its 2027 report

A lender's stress test asks whether you could still pay if rates rose. Ask yourself the same about your income: could you pay if Payment Plus stopped? If the answer is no, the safe budget is lower than the maximum loan.

Many officers use Payment Plus for the deposit instead. The overtime to deposit calculator shows how many months your hours take to reach a target, and overtime planning and savings explains how to avoid relying on it.

In shortA market supplement is a fixed monthly payment at named prisons, but it is non-pensionable, reviewed each year and can be reduced.

Check your prison's current rate on our market supplements guide before you quote it, and tell the lender if your prison's supplement is on a reduction path.

• £1,500 to £3,500 a year for Band 3 officers at 18 named prisons, paid in 12 monthly instalments.
• HMPPS says prisons qualifying now keep that status until at least March 2027.
• Some supplements are being gradually reduced as pay awards rise.
• Nationwide's broker criteria say a market supplement that is the same on each of the last 3 months' payslips can be used as basic pay, but if it varies it is treated as overtime; it also wants a contract or letter confirming the payment is permanent.

In shortMost problems come from mislabelled pay lines, short payslip records and budgets that rely on overtime.

For a wider view of borrowing, our prison officer mortgage guide covers affordability and stamp duty, and how much a prison officer can borrow shows every band and zone.