Halifax Intermediaries has announced plans to enhance the way it assesses mortgage affordability for certain medical professionals, helping ensure their income is assessed in a way that more accurately reflects their employment arrangements and earnings.
The changes apply from 9 November 2026 to:
- Resident (Junior) Doctors
- Locum Doctors
- Associate Dentists
Under the current approach, these customers are typically assessed using contractor affordability calculations, which include a 46-week annualisation of income. Under the changes , eligible customers will instead be assessed using the same affordability treatment applied to permanently employed customers, allowing their full annual income to be considered as part of the bank’s affordability assessment.
The new approach aligns with Halifax & Lloyds’ treatment of Nursing Bank staff and is intended to better reflect the income profiles of many healthcare professionals whose earnings may not fit traditional contractor models.
The change is designed to:
- Better reflect how eligible medical professionals earn and receive income
- Simplify the affordability assessment process
- Ensure affordability assessments more accurately reflect earned income
- Support access to mortgage lending for eligible customers, subject to affordability assessments and lending criteria
Importantly, there will be no material changes to the customer or broker journey as a result of the enhancement.
Supporting Healthcare Professionals
Some healthcare professionals face additional complexity when applying for a mortgage because their employment arrangements do not always fit conventional affordability models. By reflecting their earnings more accurately, we aim to remove potential barriers within the mortgage application process and support eligible healthcare workers seeking to purchase a home.
