Five documents start the process

Gather these before or right after you apply and your pre-approval moves in days, not weeks. Upload them through the secure application, or bring them to our first conversation.

To start a mortgage file you need a government photo ID, your Social Security card, pay stubs for the last 30 days, your two most recent monthly bank statements, and your last two years of IRS tax returns with W-2s or 1099s. Send them as complete PDFs downloaded from the source; photos, screenshots and cropped images are often rejected by underwriting because they fail completeness and legibility checks.

  1. Government photo IDDriver's license, state-issued ID, or passport. Any one of the three.
  2. Social Security cardA clear scan of the card itself.
  3. Pay stubs for the last 30 daysEvery stub in the period, all employers. LES for active-duty service members.
  4. Two months of bank statementsThe two most recent monthly statements, all pages, even the blank ones.
  5. Two years of IRS tax returns with W-2s or 1099sComplete federal returns for the last two years plus the W-2 or 1099 forms that go with them. Self-employed borrowers on a bank-statement program: we swap this for 12 to 24 months of statements.

How to send them

  • Complete, clear PDFs. Underwriting verifies documents for completeness and legibility, so PDFs are the standard.
  • Download the original. Get the PDF straight from your bank, employer or payroll site instead of printing and re-scanning.
  • Photos, screenshots and cropped images may be rejected. They often fail underwriting's legibility and verification checks, which means we ask again and lose days.
  • Have paper documents? Turn them into a PDF with a scanner, or with a phone app such as Adobe Scan that converts scans to PDF automatically. Scan every page, including blank ones, so underwriting receives the complete document.
  • Want a hand? Bring your documents to our office and my team or I will scan them directly into your secure loan file.

Never email a Social Security card or tax return as a plain attachment. The application portal is encrypted; use it, or hand documents to me directly.

Apply and upload securely Aplicar y subir documentos

Program-specific additions

  • VA: Certificate of Eligibility (I request it), DD-214 or Statement of Service, disability award letter if funding-fee exempt.
  • Self-employed: business license or CPA letter, entity documents, 12 to 24 months of business statements on a bank-statement program.
  • Investors (DSCR): leases or a market-rent appraisal, LLC documents if closing in an entity.
  • Foreign national: passport, visa, foreign income documents with certified translation, bank reference letters.
  • Gift funds: gift letter and the donor's statement showing the funds.
Written and reviewed by Dave Bazan, NMLS #2063296 Mortgage Loan Officer with Note Mortgage · English and Spanish · Las Vegas and San Antonio

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