A straight answer
Can I use money in my business account for a down payment?
The direct answer
Yes, I offer mortgages where money from your business account goes toward the down payment. Fannie Mae's guide accepts business assets for the down payment, closing costs and reserves when you are listed as an owner of the account.
I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente. I put the financing together, and I tell you plainly which program fits. I work with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona.
Zach von der Linden, mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending · NMLS 1652805
Wholesale pricing · California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona
5.0 across 66 reviews on Experience.com (read on 2026-09-24) · Text reaches Zach directly · Last updated 2026-10-19
Down payment sitting in the business account? Text me the kind of business, your ownership share and the state you are buying in, before you move any money.
This situation is worked out in a short conversation. No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Texts go to Zach's cell.
What does Fannie Mae require on a mortgage it buys?
Fannie Mae says: "Business assets may be an acceptable source of funds for the down payment, closing costs, and financial reserves" (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.2-02).
The same topic says: "The borrower must be listed as an owner of the account."
When your business income also qualifies you, the lender "must perform a business cash flow analysis to confirm that the withdrawal of funds for this transaction will not have a negative impact on the business" (B3-3.5-01).
Why is a business balance not treated like personal savings?
Because the business needs cash to keep running.
If the same business pays the income you qualify on, the lender checks that taking the money out leaves the business able to keep earning it.
Fannie Mae says the lender may ask for more documents to do that, such as several months of recent business statements or a current balance sheet.
Freddie Mac's rule reads the same way: the lender "must determine that the withdrawal of the funds will not have a detrimental effect on the business" (Freddie Mac Guide 5304.1).
Should I move the money into my personal account first?
Text me before you move it.
Fannie Mae says that when a large deposit is used for the down payment, closing costs or reserves, "the lender must document that those funds are from an acceptable source."
Moving the money first does not change where it came from.
What about a bank statement loan?
Yes. On the bank statement loans I offer, business funds can go toward your down payment.
I qualify you on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns. Those loans sit outside the agency guides, so the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rules above are the rules for the loans those agencies buy. The bank statement loan page explains the method.
What should I send first?
- Recent statements for the business account the money is in.
- Proof that you own the business and are an owner on the account.
- Whether anyone else owns part of the business.
- Your last two personal and business returns, if your business income will qualify you.
- The price range and the state you are buying in.
Send documents through the secure process I give you when we talk, not by ordinary text.
Questions people ask next
Do I have to own the whole business?
Fannie Mae's guide says you must be listed as an owner of the account. Tell me who else owns the business, because the lender reads the account as it is held.
Can business funds cover closing costs and reserves too?
Yes, on a loan sold to Fannie Mae. The guide names the down payment, closing costs and financial reserves.
What if my income does not come from that business?
Fannie Mae's cash flow analysis rule applies when you use self-employment income to qualify. Its account-ownership rule applies either way.
Does FHA allow business funds?
HUD's handbook does not list business assets as a source of funds, so I state no FHA rule here. I read the rule your loan follows before you plan around it.
Does asking about this affect my credit?
A conversation does not pull credit. A full application does.
What clients say
Zach was so easy to work with. He made a stressful situation into a very positive experience for us and did push us one way or another. He listened to what we hoped we could accomplish and made it happen.
Word for word from Experience.com. Read all reviews.
Sources and checked dates
Sources: Confirmed by Zach, October 19, 2026 (9:29 PM PT, via the Chief of Staff) (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 (checked 2026-10-19) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-4.2-02, Depository Accounts (12/14/2022) (checked 2026-10-19) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023) (checked 2026-10-19) · Freddie Mac Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide, Section 5304.1 (effective 06/03/2026) (checked 2026-10-19) · HUD Handbook 4000.1, Update 18 (last revised 8/12/2026) (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, October 17, 2026 (checked 2026-10-17) · West Capital Lending HELOC registration page (referral id omitted here) (checked 2026-09-09).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (8)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Zach offers financing for these self-employed situations: a HELOC to pay off an IRS tax lien; mortgage income for S corporation owners (W-2 wages, K-1 income and distributions); a HELOC to pay off business loans and business credit cards; a divorce buyout for a self-employed homeowner; a DSCR cash-out refinance of a rental qualified on its rent; business funds for a down payment; a HELOC after a drop in self-employed income; combining a spouse's W-2 income with bank statement income; a mortgage when the business pays a debt in the owner's name; seasonal business income; bank statement loans when real business expenses are lower than the expense factor; and a mortgage when a self-employed owner moves a business into California, Utah, Oregon or Arizona. He arranges each as a broker. | Confirmed by Zach, October 19, 2026 (9:29 PM PT, via the Chief of Staff) | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach offers loans where business funds can go toward the down payment. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.2-02, Depository Accounts (12/14/2022): "Business assets may be an acceptable source of funds for the down payment, closing costs, and financial reserves. The borrower must be listed as an owner of the account and the account must be verified in accordance with B3-4.2-01". "If funds from a large deposit are needed to complete the purchase transaction (that is, are used for the down payment, closing costs, or financial reserves), the lender must document that those funds are from an acceptable source." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-4.2-02, Depository Accounts (12/14/2022) | 2026-10-19 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023): an individual who owns a quarter or more of a business "is considered to be self-employed." "The following factors must be analyzed before approving a loan for a self-employed borrower: the stability of the borrower's income, the location and nature of the borrower's business, the demand for the product or service offered by the business, the financial strength of the business, and the ability of the business to continue generating and distributing sufficient income to enable the borrower to make the payments on the requested loan." The analysis must "measure year-to-year trends for gross income, expenses, and taxable income for the business". The lender may verify income with signed federal returns "(both individual returns and in some cases, business returns) that were filed with the IRS for the past two years". It may waive business returns when the borrower uses personal funds for the down payment, closing costs and reserves, "has been self-employed in the same business for at least five years", and the individual returns "show an increase in self-employment income over the past two years". "When a borrower is using self-employment income to qualify for the loan and also intends to use assets from their business as funds for the down payment, closing costs, and/or financial reserves, the lender must perform a business cash flow analysis to confirm that the withdrawal of funds for this transaction will not have a negative impact on the business." "To assess the impact, the lender may require a level of documentation greater than what is required to evaluate the borrower's business income (for example, several months of recent business asset statements in order to see cash flow needs and trends over time, or a current balance sheet)." "When co-borrower income that is derived from self-employment is not being used for qualifying purposes, the lender is not required to document or evaluate the co-borrower's self-employment income (or loss)." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023) | 2026-10-19 |
| Freddie Mac Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide Section 5304.1 (effective 06/03/2026): "When business assets are being used for the Down Payment, Closing Costs and/or reserves, the Seller must determine that the withdrawal of the funds will not have a detrimental effect on the business." | Freddie Mac Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide, Section 5304.1 (effective 06/03/2026) | 2026-10-19 |
| HUD Handbook 4000.1 (Update 18, last revised 8/12/2026), II.A.4.b.iv(P) (TOTAL) and II.A.5.a.iv(K) (Manual), Business Debt in the Borrower's Name: "the debt must be included in the DTI calculation, unless the Mortgagee can document that the debt is being paid by the Borrower's business, and the debt was considered in the cash flow analysis of the Borrower's business. The debt is considered in the cash flow analysis where the Borrower's business Tax Returns reflect a business expense related to the obligation, equal to or greater than the amount of payments documented as paid out of company funds." | HUD Handbook 4000.1, Update 18 (last revised 8/12/2026) | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach offers loans qualified on 12 months of bank statements instead of tax returns, at any loan size. He qualifies the borrower on either the personal or the business bank account, whichever shows the larger average monthly deposits over the past 12 months, and business-account deposits get an expense factor. | Confirmed by Zach, October 17, 2026 | 2026-10-17 |
| On the West Capital Lending HELOC registration page, checking qualifying rates and terms uses a soft credit pull that does not affect the credit score; continuing and submitting an application requests a full credit report, which is a hard pull that may affect credit. | West Capital Lending HELOC registration page (referral id omitted here) | 2026-09-09 |
Written for and accountable to: Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending.
Last updated 2026-10-19.
Verify him: NMLS Consumer Access, ID 1652805 · 66 reviews on Experience.com.
Sources for product claims are listed on this page, with the date each was checked.
Down payment in the business account?
No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Text Zach first so he can review your situation. The online check covers one HELOC program, not every option he may be able to arrange. Texts go to Zach's cell.