Non-standard profiles
Mortgage for civil servants: making your bonuses, on-call shifts and overtime count
Salary, bonuses, on-call and night shifts, overtime: what the lender retains from a public-sector payslip, and the documents that validate all your income.
A public sector employee is rated more favourably by the lender, not calculated more favourably: the debt-to-income ratio limits and maximum term are the same for everyone. Your borrowing capacity depends on the entire payslip: the statutory and permanent portion is retained in full, while variable bonuses, on-call shifts, night shifts and overtime count if they are regular and proven over several years.
By Sandy MASCART, mandataire d'intermédiaire en opérations de banque et en services de paiement ORIAS 26000541 sous le mandat de CDV PATRIMOINE & ASSURANCE (ORIAS 14005573)
Key points
- A public sector employee is rated more favourably by the lender, not calculated more favourably: the same debt-to-income ratio limit and maximum term as everyone else.
- The statutory and permanent portion of the payslip is retained in full; the variable or discretionary portion is weighted or excluded.
- Overtime counts if it is structural to the post and proven over several years of payslips, not over a single quarter.
- For a hospital employee, on-call shifts, standby duties and night shifts carry significant weight: twelve months of payslips and an employer certificate make them count.
- Guarantees, insurance and aid depend on the employer and the branch of the public service: nothing is presumed, everything is verified.
As a public-sector employee, you can often borrow more than you might expect: bonuses, hardship allowances, on-call duties and overtime hours are taken into account, provided they are regular and verifiable. This is one of the best-rated atypical profiles.
Fixed-term contract? See borrowing without a permanent contract.
Are civil servants really treated better by banks?
Better rated, not better calculated: the same lending limits, and the same income taken into account as for a private-sector employee.
La norme est identique quel que soit l'employeur. La sécurité de l'emploi joue sur l'appréciation du risque, pas sur le plafond.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Décision D-HCSF-2021-7, art. 1er — Légifrance
The same maximum term:
300 mois ()Stability brings a degree of tolerance: a modest down payment or a tight disposable income are more likely to be accepted.
Which bonuses and allowances are taken into account in the calculation?
The statutory and permanent portion, in full. The variable portion, weighted over several years or excluded.
Your payslip, line by line
| Component | Nature | Usual treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Basic gross salary | Statutory, set by the pay scale and index | Core of the application, taken into account |
| New salary bonus | Statutory, linked to the post held | Taken into account for as long as the post is held |
| Residence allowance | Statutory, linked to the area of assignment | Taken into account |
| Family supplement | Statutory, linked to dependent children | Taken into account, with a caveat: it will cease |
| Allowance scheme, post-related portion | Permanent, paid monthly | Generally taken into account |
| Allowance scheme, variable annual portion | Discretionary, reviewed each year | Weighted or excluded |
| Hardship allowances: night, Sunday, public holidays | Linked to service organisation | Weighted if structural, over several years |
| On-call and standby allowances | Linked to the post and the duty roster | Weighted if structural |
| Overtime hours | Variable, capped | Weighted if regular, excluded otherwise |
| Cash-out of a time-saving account | One-off | Excluded |
| Reimbursements of expenses and travel | Compensation for an expense | Excluded |
Other income: the income taken into account by the bank.
Overtime: on what basis and over what period?
They are taken into account if they are structural and proven over several years. A letter from your employer carries more weight than a good quarter.
Do not add them as they are, but do not omit them. Is there a discrepancy between your payslip and your tax assessment notice? Attach the annual summary from your employer.
Hospital staff: ensure that on-call shifts, nights and standby duties are counted
This regular block is often missing from the 'monthly salary' field. Prove it.
- Twelve consecutive months of payslips, for a complete cycle.
- The December payslips from recent years, which show the cumulative totals.
- A letter from your employer regarding the organisation of the post.
The Hospices Civils de Lyon and Le Vinatier fall under the public hospital service. The Centre Léon-Bérard is a private institution of collective interest: its file is prepared differently.
Guarantee, insurance, aid: the levers to check
Their scope depends on your employer: check each one as of the date of the file.
- Guarantee: some public mutual insurance schemes offer it; compare the total cost. The guarantees, who issues the guarantee, and what is refunded to you.
- Insurance: compare using the TAEA, mutual insurance contract versus delegation. Comparing two insurances using the TAEA.
- Aid: a spouse from the private sector may be eligible for aid from private employers; request social loans from your social action department. Aid from the Métropole.
- PAS and conventional loan: often accessible. What they offer.
Trainee, permanent, availability: what changes
A trainee is most often treated as a permanent employee. Availability suspends the income taken into account.
- Trainee: the appointment order, and the favourable opinion for permanent appointment.
- Availability: duration, reason, date of reinstatement.
- Secondment: the order.
Shifted working hours: choose a commute first
Choose a commute that is feasible when public transport is not running, then the neighbourhood: prices per square metre, healthcare professions.
Your civil servant file in six points
- The itemised payslip, with the statutory portion isolated.
- Twelve months of payslips, plus those for December.
- The reconciliation of payslip / tax assessment, with any discrepancy explained.
- The employer’s certificate, as soon as specific constraints apply.
- The employer’s schemes, verified as of the date of the file.
- The commute, established before the search.
An order of magnitude: the borrowing capacity page, then the instalment formula.
Is your payslip worth more than your salary? Create your file or have it itemised over the phone.
Sources
Read next
- Mortgage in Lyon: frequently asked questions
- Net take-home, net payable, gross: which income does the bank actually use? Net payable, gross, taxable, bonuses, dividends, rents: what the bank actually uses to calculate your borrowing capacity, before you start house-hunting.
- Mortgage without a permanent contract: fixed-term contracts, temporary work, probationary period – what the banks accept No permanent contract? The bank assesses income continuity: length in the trade, multi-year average, temp work, end of probation, documents that unlock it.
- Homeownership assistance in the Lyon Metropolis: who provides it, and what it changes All homeownership schemes available in the Metropolis: who provides them, what they change in the financing plan, and the conditions required in return.
- Bonuses, commissions, variable pay: how do you get the bank to count them? A bonus or a commission counts if it is written down, regular and proven over several years. The documents to gather and the table to prepare.
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