How much mortgage can a nurse, teacher or police officer get?
The short answer: most lenders lend about 4 to 4.5 times your income. For a nurse at the top of Band 5, that is about £156,000 to £176,000. For a teacher on M6, about £188,000 to £211,000. Regular overtime, shift pay and allowances can add to that if the lender counts them, and some lenders go higher for certain professions.
Borrowing at each pay point
| Job and pay point | Salary 2026/27 | At 4× | At 4.5× |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newly qualified nurse (Band 5 entry) | £32,073 | £128,000 | £144,000 |
| Experienced nurse (Band 5 top) | £39,043 | £156,000 | £176,000 |
| Senior nurse (Band 6 top) | £48,117 | £192,000 | £217,000 |
| Ward manager (Band 7 entry) | £49,387 | £198,000 | £222,000 |
| Teacher, M1 | £34,069 | £136,000 | £153,000 |
| Teacher, M6 | £46,940 | £188,000 | £211,000 |
| Teacher, U3 | £52,835 | £211,000 | £238,000 |
| Police constable, pay point 1 | £32,255 | £129,000 | £145,000 |
| Police constable, pay point 7 | £52,015 | £208,000 | £234,000 |
| Sergeant, pay point 4 | £58,175 | £233,000 | £262,000 |
These are basic salaries outside London. London weighting and allowances add to them. For couples, lenders usually add your incomes together: a top-of-Band-5 nurse and an M6 teacher on £85,983 combined could typically borrow around £387,000.
What a lender will count
- Basic pay: always counted. Lenders know public sector pay scales, so a coming pay rise or step up may be taken into account.
- Overtime, bank shifts and unsocial hours: many lenders count some or all of it if it is regular. Expect to show 6 to 12 months of payslips, or two years of history for bank work.
- London weighting, high cost area supplements and allowances: usually counted as part of guaranteed pay.
- TLR payments for teachers: usually counted if permanent; temporary ones may not be.
- Second jobs: some lenders count them with a track record.
See what mortgage lenders look at for the affordability checks in full.
Professional mortgages
The old key worker schemes have closed, but some lenders offer higher multiples, sometimes 5 to 5.5 times income, to particular professions, including some health and education roles, or to people above a certain income. They are not available from every lender and come with conditions, so a whole-of-market broker is the easiest way to find them. Borrowing more also means higher payments, so check the monthly cost too.
The monthly cost
At an example rate of 6% over 30 years, each £100,000 borrowed costs about £600 a month. So the Band 5 top borrowing of £176,000 is about £1,055 a month. Compare that with your take-home pay after tax, National Insurance, pension and any student loan.
Public sector pensions take a large slice: around 9% to 10% for many nurses, more for teachers and police on higher pay. Lenders use your net pay in their affordability checks, so this can reduce the amount on offer. See how much mortgage you can get on your salary.
Help for first-time buyers
- First-time buyer stamp duty relief up to £500,000. See first-time buyer stamp duty relief.
- Lifetime ISA: 25% bonus on up to £4,000 a year.
- Shared ownership and local schemes, some of which give priority to local public sector workers.
- Low-deposit mortgages: 95% loans are widely available. See saving for a house deposit.
Check pay for your role: NHS pay bands, teacher pay scales and police pay scales.
A couple example
A Band 6 nurse at the top of the band and a teacher on M6 earn about £95,057 together. At 4.5 times, that is roughly £428,000 of borrowing, before any overtime or allowances. The monthly cost at 6% over 30 years would be about £2,566, which a lender will check against both take-home pays after pension contributions and any student loans.
Things that reduce what you can borrow
- Student loan repayments: lenders treat them as a monthly cost, which can noticeably cut the amount on offer for recent graduates.
- Childcare costs: counted as spending in the affordability check.
- Car finance and credit cards: monthly payments and card balances both count.
- Fixed-term or bank-only contracts: some lenders want a track record or a permanent post.
Clearing a car loan or card before applying can raise your borrowing by far more than the balance you clear.
Pay is for England, 2026/27. Lending multiples vary by lender and your circumstances. This is general information, not mortgage advice.
Common questions
How much mortgage can a nurse get?
Most lenders lend around 4 to 4.5 times income. A Band 5 nurse at the top of the band on £39,043 could typically borrow about £176,000, more with regular overtime or enhancements that a lender accepts.
Do lenders count overtime and unsocial hours pay?
Many do, if it is regular and you can show it on payslips for 6 to 12 months or more. Some count all of it, some half, and some none, so the choice of lender matters.
Are there special mortgages for nurses, teachers and police?
There is no government key worker mortgage scheme now, but some lenders offer higher income multiples to certain professions or to people whose pay is expected to rise. A broker can tell you which lenders do this.
Does my pension contribution reduce how much I can borrow?
It can. Public sector pension contributions are high, and lenders look at your take-home pay when checking affordability, even though they usually start from your gross salary.
Can a newly qualified teacher or nurse get a mortgage?
Yes. Lenders generally accept a permanent contract from day one, though some want you to have passed probation. A fixed-term contract can be harder.