Barclays is the latest big bank to start offering six times salary mortgages to higher earners

by Aaron Strutt

Nov 14 2025

Barclays for Intermediaries has announced it is increasing its maximum residential loan-to-income multiple from 5.5x to 6x single or joint gross annual income. The move follows HSBC's announcement that it will offer 6.5 times income mortgages earlier this week.

To be eligible for the enhanced 6x income multiple, Barclays says borrowers must have a combined joint income of £75,000 or higher (basic salary, sustainable allowances, and/or self-employed income), a mortgage structured on fully capital and interest (repayment) basis and a maximum loan-to-value of 85% meaning applicants will need a 15% deposit to qualify.

Barclays is the latest major bank to start offering an income stretch mortgage, following the regulators relaxation of lending rules. Six times salary used to be viewed as a substantial income stretch, but now many lenders are offering 5.5 or six times single or joint salary mortgages, making it more standard. Other banks and building societies will almost certainly increase their income multiples over time to keep pace with their competitors.

Aaron Strutt, product director at Trinity Financial, says: "While many of the lenders will only offer higher income multiple mortgages to those earning over £75,000 or £100,000, there are lots that will offer them to those earning much less. The banks obviously think that their customers are struggling to get sufficiently large mortgages to get the properties they want and they are reacting accordingly.

"It is good to see this multiple being targeted to higher earners who are buying their next home, as income stretches have been mainly available for first-time buyers for a while, especially through the bigger lenders, but now established home owners can benefit from the same extended multiples.

"They still need to make sure they are not overstretching themselves financially, even if the big banks say they can afford the mortgage. Barclays offered 5.5 times salary mortgages before this change and was one of the first big banks to offer these income stretch deals to borrowers many years ago."

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