Two years of figures, from four different places
The client runs a limited company. The broker asks for two years' SA302 tax calculations and tax year overviews, the latest company accounts, and possibly an accountant's reference, depending on the lender. The client does not know what an SA302 is. They forward the request to their accountant, who is in the middle of their own busy season.
A week later, one year's tax calculation arrives. The accounts come as a scan of a printed copy with a page missing. The tax year overview is for the wrong year. The broker explains again, the client forwards again, and the case sits.
Why self-employed evidence is so slow
The documents are genuinely confusing for clients. Tax calculations and tax year overviews come from the HMRC online account, which many people rarely use. Sole traders, partners, limited company directors and contractors all need different evidence, and lenders vary in what they accept.
There is also a third party. The client's accountant often holds the documents, but the broker has no direct line to them, and messages pass through the client in both directions.
- Clients do not know the names of the documents they need.
- Downloading from HMRC is unfamiliar to many clients.
- The accountant holds the documents but talks only to the client.
- Tax years get mixed up between calculations and overviews.
- Different evidence for sole traders, directors and contractors.
Timing adds pressure. Many self-employed clients complete their tax returns close to the deadline, so the latest year's figures may not exist yet, and the broker needs to know which years are available before approaching lenders.
What the delay costs
| Problem | Effect on the case |
|---|---|
| Wrong tax year sent | Another round of requests |
| Accounts incomplete or unsigned | Lender asks for a full copy later |
| Accountant slow to respond | Case waits with no visibility |
| Latest year not filed yet | Broker's options depend on it, found late |
Self-employed clients are often busy running their business, and a drawn-out document chase is the part of the process they remember. For brokers who specialise in self-employed cases, it is where much of the admin time goes.
The collection flow we build
- The broker selects the client's type of self-employment, and the flow generates the right document list, using requirements your team maintains for the lenders you use.
- Clients receive plain guidance with each item, including step by step directions for downloading tax calculations and overviews from their HMRC online account.
- The client can invite their accountant to upload documents directly, through a separate secure link, with the client's permission recorded.
- Uploads are checked for obvious problems: tax years matching between calculation and overview, names matching the applicant, all pages present.
- Reminders go to the client and, where invited, the accountant, for items still outstanding.
- The broker sees a checklist per applicant, with the available tax years shown clearly.
The checks confirm documents are the ones asked for. They do not calculate income for lending purposes or decide which lender suits the client. That is the broker's work.
What changes for self-employed cases
Clients understand what they are being asked for and where to find it. Accountants can send documents straight to the brokerage instead of through the client. Wrong years are caught at upload rather than at the lender. And the broker knows early which tax years are available, which shapes the advice conversation.
Does this sound like your self-employed cases?
- Clients ask what an SA302 or tax year overview is.
- Documents come via the client from their accountant, slowly.
- Wrong tax years are sent and need re-requesting.
- Accounts arrive as incomplete scans.
- Self-employed cases take much longer to package than employed ones.