Yes, seafarers get UK mortgages, and the help you need is usually less about eligibility and more about getting your income read correctly. The hurdles are well known: foreign currency pay, the Seafarers Earnings Deduction, long spells at sea and residency. None of them is a barrier with a lender that understands seafarers, and that is what specialist help gets you.

Whatever your situation at sea, it is workable.

Seafarer income rarely fits a standard payslip template. That is presentation, not a problem. We regularly place clients who are:

  • Paid in a foreign currency (USD, EUR or other)
  • Working rotational or voyage-based contracts
  • Claiming Seafarers' Earnings Deduction (SED)
  • Spending long stretches outside the UK
  • Merchant navy, yacht, cruise or offshore crew
  • Mixing salary, allotments and overtime

If your circumstances are not listed, they are almost certainly still workable. The 60-second check is the quickest way to find out.

Whole-of-market access for seafarers

Most high street lenders have no policy for seafarers. We search across multiple lenders in the market who do, lenders experienced in contract pay, sea service documents and foreign currency income. You get access to products and rates that are not visible if you approach lenders directly.

Tell us about your contract and we will confirm which lenders are open to your case.

What makes a seafarer mortgage different?

On paper a seafarer is a strong borrower with steady, contracted income. The trouble is that an automated high street check is built around PAYE payslips and a settled UK footprint, so foreign currency, a nil tax bill and time at sea can each trip it. Specialist help means taking your case to a lender that reads those features as normal, because for this line of work they are.

Foreign currency pay

If you are paid in US dollars or euros, a lender converts the income to sterling and applies a reduction to allow for the rate moving, then works from that figure. The size of the reduction varies, so the lender you choose matters more than the rate. We cover this in full on our foreign currency income page.

Not sure which hurdle is holding you up? Tell us how you are paid and we will tell you where you stand.

Start the 60-Second Check

The Seafarers Earnings Deduction

The Seafarers Earnings Deduction (SED) is a relief from HM Revenue and Customs that removes UK income tax on qualifying earnings for work carried out outside the UK, claimed over an eligible period of at least 365 days according to HM Revenue and Customs. It is legitimate and well established, but it makes your taxable income look low, which an automated check can misread. The right lender works from your gross contractual pay instead. There is more on our Seafarers Earnings Deduction page.

Time at sea, rotation and merchant navy pay

Rotational contracts and long stretches away are routine, and a lender that knows the sector treats a settled rotation as stable employment rather than a gap. Merchant navy crews often combine all of these at once, which we cover on our merchant navy mortgages page.

Seafarer mortgage help is rarely about whether you qualify. It is about taking your case to the lender that reads your income fairly.

How does Mortgage One help?

Mortgage One has access to plans from the whole of market and arranges seafarer cases as a core part of the business, not an exception to it. We give professional advice on which lender fits how you are paid, gather the evidence an underwriter needs, and put your case in front of the right desk. You must be on UK soil to receive advice, so we confirm your circumstances properly before recommending anything.

Ready for an answer rather than another decline? Let an adviser place your case.

Check Your Options

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a specialist broker for a seafarer mortgage?

It helps a great deal. Seafarer income is read very differently from one lender to the next, and a broker who places these cases regularly knows which lenders treat your pay fairly. The work is in matching your circumstances to the right lender, not in the eligibility itself.

Will the Seafarers Earnings Deduction stop me getting a mortgage?

No. The deduction lowers your UK tax, not your earnings. A lender that understands seafarers works from your gross contractual pay rather than the low tax figure on your return, so the relief is not the obstacle. Lender choice is.

Can I get help if I am working abroad right now?

We can start a conversation, but you must be on UK soil to receive advice. We confirm your residency and circumstances properly before recommending anything, so the advice fits where you genuinely stand.

How do I start?

Use the 60-second check and a Mortgage One adviser will review your answers and tell you where you stand. You can also call us on 01202 155992. You must be on UK soil to receive advice.

Get seafarer mortgage help

Tell us how you are paid and a Mortgage One adviser will review your answers.

Check Your Eligibility

Send us an enquiry

Send us an enquiry

Checking your options won't affect your credit score.

Related

Mortgages for seafarers The full picture for seafarer mortgages. Foreign currency income How lenders convert and discount non-sterling pay. Seafarers Earnings Deduction mortgages Getting a mortgage while you claim the Seafarers Earnings Deduction. Merchant navy mortgages Specialist help for merchant navy pay. Check your eligibility Five quick questions, about 60 seconds.

Think carefully before securing your debts against your home. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.