A practical reference for every accepted form of income documentation — what it proves, what it misses, and when to ask for it.
Applicants upload once, into private storage — not into your inbox.
The question is: does enough money reliably arrive each month, and is it likely to keep arriving for the length of the lease? Documents are just evidence for that. Different applicants have different evidence available, and a landlord who accepts only one kind of evidence is screening on employment type rather than on ability to pay.
Two to three consecutive recent stubs. Shows gross and net pay, pay frequency, year-to-date earnings and employer name.
Strong for salaried and hourly employees. Watch for: very recent start dates, large overtime components that may not repeat, and stubs that do not reconcile to year-to-date totals.
Three to twelve months. Shows what actually landed in the account, regardless of how it was earned.
The single most useful document for self-employed, gig and cash-heavy applicants. Look for recurring deposits of similar size from the same source, and be careful not to count transfers between the applicant's own accounts as income.
Most recent one or two years. Verified annual income across all sources.
Best for self-employed applicants and anyone with multiple income streams. Limitations: it lags by up to a year, and business deductions reduce reported income below actual cash available.
A W-2 confirms prior-year employment income from one employer. A 1099 confirms amounts a specific payer paid a contractor. Both are annual and backward-looking — good corroboration, weak on their own for current income.
A written employment verification from HR confirms position, status and salary as of today. An offer letter covers the applicant who has a job starting soon — common for relocations and new graduates.
Verify the employer independently rather than calling the number on the letter.
Award letters for social security, disability, pension, or veterans benefits; court orders for child support or alimony. These are often the most stable income a landlord will see. In many jurisdictions, refusing to count lawful benefit income is a source-of-income discrimination issue.
Combine: bank statements, the most recent tax return, 1099s, a profit and loss statement, and current contracts or invoices. Average across at least six months. See the self-employed checklist for a ready-made request.
Most platforms produce a downloadable earnings statement. Pair it with bank statements showing the deposits arriving. Twelve months is more meaningful than three because gig income is usually seasonal.
Choose exactly how you qualify applicants and generate a written requirements sheet.
Build a document request for applicants who have no traditional pay stubs.
Check an applicant's income multiple, or work backwards from the multiple you require.
What each income document proves, how to corroborate it, and how to spot fabrication.
Generate a clean, applicant-facing checklist of everything you need them to provide.
A workable standard for contractors, freelancers, gig workers and business owners.