By Michael Sterios

With the uncertainty of the job market in the UK today, more and more people are turning to working for themselves. While this can be a positive step in that it means you dont answer to anyone but yourself, it can also open up another set of problems. The biggest problem faced can be getting a mortgage with no fixed income or payslip, its more difficult to be accepted. This can be overcome, however, with a self-certification mortgage.

The good news is that more lenders are opening their eyes to the self-employed market, although that shouldnt come as a surprise, with 14% of the UK being self-employed. Despite this, its only in the last few years that lenders have come up with self-certification mortgages. If youre self-employed and you want to buy a house, its worth knowing whats involved and what type of mortgage you can have.

The Differences

The main difference between a standard mortgage and a self-certification one is obviously income, or lack of it. Whereas in a full-time job you have a steady income and either a weekly or monthly payslip, when youre self-employed this changes drastically. Depending on your profession, you could go weeks or even months without any kind of income.

This is where lenders traditionally get nervous because you cant guarantee what earnings youll have in any given week, theres the chance that this could affect your ability to pay your mortgage. Because of this, theres less chance of being approved for one or there was, before elf-certification mortgages.

The main difference with these is that youre approved on what you expect to earn, as opposed to physical proof. However, lenders will still want to see some kind of proof of what your average income will be this could be via an accountant if you have one, or invoices and bank statements for the last three years. Although if you can provide details of your income for three years or more, you might even be eligible for a more traditional mortgage.

The Disadvantages

Although they can help self-employed people buy a home, a self-certification mortgage does have a few downsides when compared to a normal mortgage. Much like a bad credit mortgage, it usually involves a higher interest rate, due to you being seen as a potentially bad risk (even if youre earning over six figures a year). This is especially true if youve been trading less than 2 years, when most businesses traditionally fail.

Another disadvantage is that there are still a limited amount of lenders willing to provide these types of mortgage at the moment, compared to the hundreds of lenders for traditional mortgages. On top of this, youll probably have to pay a higher deposit unlike the typical 5% down on a normal mortgage, you can expect to pay as much as 25% of the cost of the house as your deposit.

Despite this, self-certification mortgages are an excellent option for anyone struggling to buy a house because theyre self-employed. With many even offering an option where you can defer payments until your own invoices are paid, theyre ideal for those where income isnt guaranteed to be on time.

About the Author: Visit

ukmortgagesource.co.uk

for up-to-date information on

Self-Certification Mortgages

and other types of

UK Mortgages

Source:

isnare.com

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By Jack Blacksmith

Did you know that you can deduct up to twenty five hundred dollars from your student loans interest? There are some rules to this however. Your loan is only eligible for the deduction if you took out the loan only for a higher education program that’s qualified by law. This can be not only for yourself, but your dependents and spouse as well.

The money for the loan must have been spent on expenses for college or vocational studies such as your tuition, textbooks, school supplies, any administrative fees, any type of equipment, your room and board, and transportation to and from school.

The student must be in a qualified degree program, and they must be a half-time student at least. As well, you’ll be obligated by law to repay the loan.

If someone else claims an exemption for the student, if you’re not allowed by law to get the loan, if the loan was obtained by a relative, or if the student is married to the receiver of the loan, but they are filing a separate return.

There are some limitations on what can be deducted and it’s best that you obtain all of that information ahead of time in order to save yourself from breaking any of the rules, ensuring that you get the most of your deduction.

As well, it’s important that the student is managing money efficiently. If debt is a major problem before going into the loan, then you may want to consolidate debt with a specific loan or program to do so. This will lower your monthly payments, and therefore lessen the burden on you in making your student loan payments.

Keep in mind that if you are paying your student loans after 2002, the “first 60 months” requirement on interest paid is discontinued, and deductions are permissible for voluntary interest payments, rather than only required payments as in the previous years. Also you take the deduction on either Form 1040 or Form 1040A.

It is a great benefit, and should be availed by all families, especially those families whose children aspire for higher education but cannot find sufficient funding. A tax deduction like this can help their parents cover a part of their requirements.

About the Author: Jack Blacksmith writes almost entirely for http://www.debtania.com , an online publication covering information on finance . You can find his abstracts on personal loan to consolidate debt over at http://www.debtania.com .

Source: isnare.com

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