Mortgages for dentists

Most NHS dental associates are self-employed, so the usual question is not what you earn but how a lender reads your tax returns.

Last checked 13 September 2026. Editor: Kris · editorial standards

Sources checked 15 October 2026.

1. Most associates are self-employed

The Department of Health and Social Care describes most dental associates as "self-employed and are sub-contracted to provide NHS dental care", paid "only … for the UDAs they deliver" (DHSC, NHS dentistry contract consultation, updated 16 December 2025). A unit of dental activity (UDA) is allocated to each course of treatment in proportion to how much work it involves, in three bands. To a lender that makes you self-employed, even if you work in one practice full time.

2. Proving your income

Expect to provide SA302 tax calculations and tax year overviews for the last one or two years. HMRC says you may be asked for them "if you're applying for a mortgage and you're self-employed", that you can download them 72 hours after filing, and that you should check your lender accepts printed copies (GOV.UK, SA302). Lenders normally use your taxable profit, not your gross UDA earnings before lab and practice costs. A rising profit helps: some lenders use the latest year, others the average of two.

If you are newly qualified or recently moved from a salaried post, you may not have two years of returns yet. Some lenders accept the current UDA contract instead: Hinckley & Rugby Building Society's criteria accept the "value of current annual contract" for UDA income, up to 95% loan-to-value (Hinckley & Rugby, Income Flex criteria).

A hand holding a set of house keys at the foot of a staircase — Photo: Jakub Żerdzicki / Unsplash

3. Watch the self-employed cap

Being self-employed can lower the multiple at some mainstream lenders. Virgin Money, for example, lends up to 5 or 5.5 times income to higher earners but caps it at 4.49 times "at all income levels" if any applicant is self-employed (Virgin Money income multiples). On £70,000 of profit that's £314,300, against £420,000 at a lender offering 6 times to dentists.

Professional mortgages: what lenders actually publish

A handful of lenders have a "professional" range that lends more than the usual 4 to 4.5 times income to people in named professions. Criteria as published on 15 October 2026:

Lender	Up to	Main conditions
Metro Bank, professional range	6 × income	Qualified in the last ten years; registered with the UK professional body and practising; subject to affordability
Kensington, professionals	6 × income, up to 90% LTV	Fully qualified, registered and practising; minimum income £35,000 single or £50,000 joint

Both are offered through mortgage brokers, and both say the multiple is subject to affordability, so the full 6 × is a ceiling rather than a promise. Lenders change these ranges often; a broker will know the current list. Separately, from 28 October 2026 lenders no longer each have to keep loans at 4.5 × income or more under 15% of their own lending, only the market as a whole (PRA and FCA, PS19/26), which may make higher multiples easier to find.

4. Practice owners

If you own or part-own a practice, lenders look at your share of profit (as a partner) or your salary and dividends (through a limited company), usually from two years of accounts. A practice purchase loan itself is commercial lending, not a residential mortgage, and is outside this guide.

5. What to tell a broker

How you're paid: associate (self-employed), salaried, or practice owner, and the split between NHS and private work.
Your last two SA302s and tax year overviews, and your current UDA contract.
Your GDC registration (GDC online register); professional ranges require it.
Any big change in hours or contract value since your last tax return.

More on proving self-employed income: self-employed mortgages.

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General information, not advice. Mortgage Brokers List is a directory and a set of free tools. Only an FCA-authorised adviser can recommend a mortgage for your circumstances. See our editorial standards.