London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

I've been self-employed for 7 years and make double my husband's salary, yet I still can't get a mortgage as easily as he can

I've been self-employed for 7 years and make double my husband's salary, yet I still can't get a mortgage as easily as he can

I've been self-employed for seven years. I make more than I would at a conventional job, and no one can fire me. But I still have to provide additional proof of income when applying for financing - just one way society doesn't take self-employment seriously.

This spring, my phone rang while I was at lunch. It was my mortgage broker, calling with good news.

"You're all set with underwriting," he said. "I just need you to send a copy of your 2012 tax returns."

That's right: My 2012 tax returns were being requested for a mortgage I was getting in 2019.

Luckily, I'm organized and had a copy of the tax returns to the mortgage broker within minutes. But after I sent them, I started stewing over how ridiculous it was that the underwriters needed seven years of employment history to take my job seriously. No one has ever asked my husband - a typical W-2 employee - for years' worth of tax documents to prove his income.

There's a common notion that self-employment isn't legit or as "real" as other career paths. It shows itself in innocuous ways, like when friends or family invite me to the beach or call to chat during my work hours.

It also appears in systemic ways, like when I'm required to submit seven years of tax returns to get a mortgage.

Even people who have known me for years hear "work from home" and "writer" and assume I'm occasionally blogging or working on a novel that will never see the light of day, not taking calls with corporate clients and writing for major sites.

Last year, my husband lost his job, and together we decided it would be best that he stay home for our second daughter's infancy. Suddenly, I was the only breadwinner, which finally helped friends and family realize my job is real. But even then, they often asked if we were "doing OK."

When my husband returned to work a few months ago, it was because he didn't want to be a stay-at-home parent, not because of a pressing financial need. And yet, one friend in particular kept mentioning "what a relief it must be."

People just can't compute that self-employment was enough to support a family of four. That's in part because they assume that my income could suddenly disappear, but I've learned over the years that self-employment is more stable than traditional employment. It's time we ditch the notion that being self-employed is a less-secure career choice.


The security of self-employment

I've been self-employed for seven years now. During that time, my clients and the type of work I'm doing have evolved slightly, but overall, there has been more consistency than change: I write, and clients pay me.

This year, I'll bill for about $100,000, something that blows my mind. That's about four times as much as I was making at the newspaper I worked for before I went full-time freelance, and more than double my husband's income.

And still, I've always had to jump through extra hoops to prove my income. My husband, who works a traditional job, might be asked for a month's worth of pay stubs in order to secure a rental or get a car loan. I, on the other hand, might need to show my bank account and full tax returns, then still put down a larger security deposit or down payment.

This comes from a mistrust of self-reported income. I could be inflating my income, people reason, and even if I'm not, who is to say that income is stable.

But really, no employment is entirely secure. My husband has twice been laid off from his seemingly stable job with no warning. I, on the other hand, can't be fired. Last year, I worked for more than 20 clients. If one of them stops giving me work, my income is reduced, not decimated.

In addition, self-employment gives me control over how much money I make. If I want or need extra cash, I can easily pick up more projects and opt to work more hours.

While my husband might have the option to do overtime if it's available, he doesn't have the same direct control over his income that I do.


Why honoring self-employment matters

It may seem trivial to complain about needing to supply extra paperwork for loans. But the truth is that skepticism over self-employment can make a real difference in people's lives.

I know freelancers who haven't been able to secure a mortgage, for example, because they haven't been self-employed for years and years. Though homeownership isn't right for everyone, it is closely tied to increased net worth and has many tax benefits. People who are self-employed should be able to access those perks through financing, just as traditional employees can.

It's hard to get a solid number on how many Americans work for themselves. The Pew Research Center estimated that 10% of Americans were self-employed in 2014. However, it's clear that the number is growing, driven in part by the gig economy.

People choose self-employment because of its perks, like flexibility, control and, yes, stability. It's time that these workers get the same respect and access to capital as their counterparts who report to an office every day.

Honoring self-employment is about giving people more options. One poll found that 70% of people want to be self-employed. What's stopping them? I'm not entirely sure, but the message that self-employment is risky and unreliable has to be contributing.


Helping other people embrace self-employment

Over the past few years, I've made it my mission to help people see that self-employment could be a legitimate career choice.

I've mentored other writers, mostly women who want to sidestep the corporate world. I've been outspoken about the fact that I make more than my husband does in his traditional job. And, I've shared that he - not I - stayed home with our youngest daughter for her first year.

All of that is an effort to disprove the idea that self-employment is flaky and unreliable. If one of my daughters wants to start their own business, I'll fully support them. And if they decide to work a traditional career path, I'll try to not be too disappointed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×