Who qualifies
Lenders ask the same questions of everyone: can you repay, and how do they know? These guides show how the answers are checked when your income or history is not the usual kind.
By where your income comes from
How lenders verify pay that does not arrive as a regular W-2 paycheck.
-
Self-employed
How lenders read Schedule C net profit, IRS transcripts and bank statements, with a worked DTI example.
Your income, checked Oct 27, 2026
-
Gig workers
How lenders average app-based pay, what 1099-K and 1099-NEC thresholds mean now, and a worked loan.
Your income, checked Oct 27, 2026
-
New job
Offer letters, first pay stubs and probation: what lenders check after a job change, with a worked loan.
Your income, checked Oct 27, 2026
-
Retirees
Social Security letters, pension statements and your rights under Regulation B, with a worked loan.
Your income, checked Oct 27, 2026
By status and history
Service, immigration status, school and past bankruptcy: what changes and what does not.
-
Military and veterans
The MLA's 36% MAPR ceiling for active duty and families, the SCRA 6% cap on older debt, and what veterans lose.
Status and history, checked Oct 27, 2026
-
ITIN borrowers
What an ITIN proves, what lenders may and may not weigh under ECOA, and where ITIN applicants tend to find loans.
Status and history, checked Oct 27, 2026
-
College students
Age to sign, how part-time pay counts, why aid comes first, and what a cosigner owes if you miss payments.
Status and history, checked Oct 27, 2026
-
After bankruptcy
How long a filing shows, trustee approval in Chapter 13, reaffirmation, rebuilding and the scams to avoid.
Status and history, checked Oct 27, 2026