Once you’ve prequalified with Landis, you’ll be asked for some important financial documents to move ahead with your application.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to everything you’ll need and where to find it.

Income verification

‍Two recent bank statements

• To qualify for a mortgage, you need a bank account. We recommend setting up a bank account if you don’t already have one in your name — this will be crucial on your path towards homeownership.
• A bank statement is a document prepared each month by your financial institution. A typical bank statement is multiple pages and covers all transactions (deposits, purchases, transfers, etc.) that you made during that time period.
• Most banks allow you to receive your statements in the mail or electronically. We recommend reaching out to your bank if you don’t have them on hand.‍

Pay stubs

• You’ll need to provide two of your most recent pay stubs. Pay stubs come in all different shapes and sizes, whether you work hourly or for a salary. They are a written statement of how long you worked, what you were paid, and which taxes were withheld.
• You can reach out to your employer to request copies of pay stubs if you don’t have them on hand.
• Cash doesn’t count. Any income received in cash can’t be counted towards your usable income when applying for a mortgage. Lenders will always want to see exactly where your income is coming from.
• We review pay stubs to see that you’re working consistent hours and that your income this year is on track to be similar to what you reported in your taxes last year.

Tax documents

W-2

• A W-2 is an annual tax form that shows how much you earned for the year and the amount of taxes withheld from your paycheck. This document will usually say Form W-2 on the top right or bottom left corner.
• Your employer is required to provide you with a W-2 by January 31 every year. If you don’t have a copy of your W-2, you can ask your employer to send you a copy.
• If you’re a contract employee, you will also receive the form 1099. This should be included in your tax documentation as well.

Tax Return (Form 1040)

• The Form 1040 is used to file an annual income tax return. When sending this document to Landis, we need to see all of the pages included.
• The Form 1040 takes into consideration all sources of income. If you have additional income from a second job, unemployment compensation, social security income, or something else, it will be reported in the Form 1040.
• You can use a previous return until the tax filing deadline. For instance, you’ll be able to provide your 2021 tax return up until April 15, 2023. After that, we’ll ask you for your 2022 tax return.
• If you filed your tax returns through a tax preparer, online tax service, or CPA, they can provide a printed or electronic copy of your Form 1040. If you still have trouble finding a copy, the IRS can help. The fastest way to get a Tax Return is through the ‘Get Transcript’ tool available on IRS.gov.

Additional documents

Benefits

• For any benefits or pension, you’ll be asked to submit your eligibility letter or award letter confirming how much you receive per month.
• That includes programs like social security or disability benefits.

Child support or alimony

• We’ll need to see a legal agreement like a divorce decree or child support agreement that details how much you’re paid each month and if applicable, the age of your children.
• We also need to see verification that the money has been deposited into your account for the past 6 months.

Eligible for a VA loan?

• We’ll need to see both your DD214 and Certificate of Eligibility (COE). The DD214 is a document that verifies your military service and discharge.

The Landis team wants to make sure that by the end of your program, you’ll be ready to get a mortgage with a budget that works for you. That’s why the documents we review are the same ones a lender would ask for. Find out what you’ll need to become a homeowner by getting prequalified.