The Tech Lender

Mortgages for tech professionals in California.

Lenders generally count RSU income by looking at how long you have received it and whether more shares are scheduled to vest. A large part of your pay may arrive as stock, not salary. Sam Batayneh works with people paid in RSUs, stock and bonuses in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, and explains how lenders read that income before you make an offer.

Talk to Sam Common questions

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What makes tech pay different.

Three things a salary-only application never has to explain.

Stock

RSUs and stock

Restricted stock units vest on a schedule and are worth whatever the share price is that day. Lenders want to know how long you have received them and how much is still to vest.

Cash

Bonuses

Annual, sign-on and retention bonuses can be a large part of the year. A sign-on bonus is usually treated as savings once it is in your account, not as income that repeats.

Timing

IPOs and lockups

Shares in a private company are hard for a lender to value, and a lockup after an IPO limits when you can sell. Both affect when a purchase makes sense.

In general terms

How lenders generally look at stock income.

Each lender sets its own rules. These are the questions most of them ask.

Ask Sam about your situation

How long you have received it

Lenders often look back about two years at stock and bonus income and work from an average.

What is still to come

A vesting schedule from your employer shows the shares still due. Lenders generally want to see that the income is likely to continue.

The share price

Many lenders value vested shares with a recent average price, not the highest price of the year. A falling price can lower the income they count.

Cash to close

Money from selling shares can usually be used toward a purchase once the sale is documented. Selling can have tax consequences, so speak with your own CPA first.

Be ready

What to have on hand.

You don’t need all of this for a first conversation. It makes applying quicker, and your list may differ.

Pay. Recent pay stubs and W-2s.
Equity. Your award agreements and vesting schedule.
Brokerage statements. Showing vested shares and any sales.
A new job? Your offer letter, including any stock or bonus terms.
Your advisers. The name of your CPA or financial adviser, if you want them included.

Loan programs

Programs to ask Sam about.

Salary, bonus and stock income is usually documented with pay stubs, W-2s and tax returns. The loan amount decides whether the loan is conventional or jumbo. If part of your savings is in digital assets, OriginPoint’s RateFi program can count select cryptocurrencies and stablecoins toward qualifying without selling them, subject to program guidelines.

Jumbo loans: when the loan amount is above the county limit Conventional loans: fixed or adjustable, at or under the county limit RateFi: select cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, counted without selling them

Program names are OriginPoint’s. Which one fits depends on your own file, and naming a program here is not a promise that a loan will be approved.

Common questions

Plain answers.

How do lenders count RSU income?

Lenders generally count RSU income by looking at how long you have received it and whether more shares are scheduled to vest. Many average the vested stock income from about the past two years and use a recent share price to value it. They usually ask for your vesting schedule, pay stubs and W-2s. Each lender sets its own rules, so the same income can be counted differently from one lender to the next.

Do I need two years of stock vesting history?

Often, but not always. Many lenders want about two years of received RSU income before they count it, and some will consider a shorter history when the rest of the file supports it. If your history is short, your base salary and any other documented income still count. Each lender sets its own rule on this.

Can I use stock for the down payment?

Yes, in general, money from selling vested, publicly traded shares can be used for a down payment. Lenders ask for brokerage statements showing that you own the shares, and for proof of the sale and the deposit. Selling stock can create a tax bill, so talk to your own CPA before you sell.

What if I just changed jobs?

A recent job change does not by itself rule out a home loan. Lenders generally look at whether you stayed in the same line of work, and ask for your offer letter and first pay stubs. Stock and bonus income from a new employer may not be counted until there is some history of receiving it, so the loan may rest on your base salary.

What about pre-IPO equity?

Shares or options in a private company usually cannot be counted as income or savings, because they cannot readily be sold or valued. After an IPO, a lockup period may still limit when you can sell. Until shares can be sold, lenders generally rely on your salary, cash bonuses and other savings. Questions about when to exercise or sell belong with your CPA or financial adviser.

General education only. Each lender sets its own rules, and they change. Nothing here is a promise that a loan will be approved or of any terms. This is not tax, legal or investment advice: for those questions, ask your own CPA, attorney or business manager.

Where

Limits where you’re buying.

Stock-based pay comes up most in these three areas. Each page has the county’s 2026 limit and what is different there.

San Francisco jumbo loans and 2026 limits Silicon Valley: Santa Clara and San Mateo county limits Los Angeles jumbo loans and 2026 limits All 2026 California loan limits on this site Mortgage calculator: test your own numbers

Paid partly in stock?

Tell Sam how you’re paid. Sam will explain how lenders are likely to read it.

Get started with Sam