RSUs, K-1s, commissions, bonuses. Austin income doesn't fit in a box.
I know how every lender underwrites these sources because they all do it differently. I match you with the lender whose method fits your file.
A complex income mortgage is a home loan for borrowers whose earnings are real but hard to document, like RSUs, K-1 distributions, commissions, bonuses, self-employed cash flow, and contractor income, where the lender you choose decides how much of that income counts.
In Austin and across Texas, where tech equity, business ownership, and variable pay are common, I calculate your qualifying income under each lender's method and place the file where the documentation is strongest.
This fits salaried tech employees with stock comp, partners and business owners with K-1 income, self-employed borrowers, contractors, and anyone paid heavily on commission or bonus.
Complex Income Mortgage Overview
Austin is full of tech workers, entrepreneurs, and professionals whose income is real but doesn't fit a template. RSU vesting schedules that vary quarter to quarter. K-1 distributions from partnerships. Commission that swings significantly year over year. Bonus structures that change constantly.
Contractor income, self-employed cash flow, and 1099 work can belong in the same conversation when the documentation does not fit a clean W-2 file. Every one of these income sources may be usable, but how lenders calculate them varies enormously. One lender averages RSU income over two years. Another uses the most recent 12-month vest. One counts K-1 distributions. Another discounts them. The lender match matters more on complex income files than on any other type.
I calculate qualifying income under each methodology and place the file where the underwriting method credits the most documented income.
What I Look For
How I Handle This
Map total compensation. Base, bonus, commission, equity, K-1, self-employed cash flow, and contractor income. Calculate what each lender can count. Place the file where eligible income is strongest. The differences between lenders on the same file can be dramatic.
Questions I Get
How do lenders count RSUs?
Varies. Some average two years of vest history. Others use 12-month look-back. Some require three-year history. I know each methodology.
K-1 income?
Lenders treat it differently depending on partnership type and distribution history. I calculate under each method.
Commission swings?
Two-year average typically. Variation is fine if the trend isn't declining. I present income accurately.
Multiple variable sources?
Helps if documented correctly and placed with a lender that counts all of it. Hurts if the lender doesn't know how. Lender selection is the whole game.
What is a complex income mortgage?
It's a home loan for borrowers whose income is genuine but doesn't fit a simple W-2 template, like equity comp, K-1 distributions, commission, bonus, self-employed cash flow, or contractor income. The loan itself can be conventional or non-QM. What makes it complex is how the earnings get documented and counted, which is exactly where I focus.
How do I qualify for a mortgage with hard to document income?
You document every source completely, then place the file with a lender whose calculation method credits it. That can mean tax returns, offer letters, vesting schedules, year-to-date pay detail, 1099s, K-1s, or bank statements depending on the source. I gather the right paperwork and match you to the lender whose underwriting fits your situation.
Can I use K-1 income to qualify for a mortgage?
K-1 income from a partnership or S-corp can count toward qualifying when the file supports it, but lenders differ on whether they use distributions or taxable income, and they look at the stability of the business. I run the numbers under each method so we use the approach that reflects your earnings most accurately. For business-owner files in general, my self-employed borrower page goes deeper.
Do lenders count bonus and RSU income for a mortgage?
They can, and for many Austin tech borrowers this income is the difference maker. Lenders generally want a history showing the income is likely to continue, and they differ on whether they average bonus and RSU vesting over two years or weight the most recent period. I structure the file around the lender whose treatment is most favorable to you.
How do lenders handle complex income for a mortgage?
Every lender has its own underwriting rulebook for variable pay. On the same file, one will average RSU vesting over two years, another weights the most recent year, and a third wants a longer history before it counts anything. The same split happens with K-1 distributions, commission, and bonus. Because there is no single standard, the lender you choose largely decides how much of your income qualifies, so I map your full compensation and place the file where it credits the most.
How do lenders document hard-to-prove income?
Through paperwork that ties each source to a paper trail. Equity comp uses vesting schedules and brokerage statements, K-1 income mortgage files use tax returns and partnership or S-corp K-1s, commission and bonus use W-2s with year-to-date pay detail, and self-employed or contractor cash flow can use tax returns, 1099s, or bank statements. I gather the documents that fit your sources and present them the way the underwriter needs to see them.
Complex income? Let me calculate it across lenders.
Send me your most recent pay stub, offer letter, or return. I'll show you the comparison.