A straight answer
Can I get a HELOC if my business is less than two years old?
The direct answer
Yes, I offer bank statement HELOCs that qualify self-employed owners on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns. The bank statement HELOC I offer has no set minimum time in business, so a business under two years old is fine.
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
Business under two years old? Text me the month it started, what you did before, roughly what your deposits run each month, what you owe on the home and what it is worth.
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.
Where does the two-year rule come from?
Fannie Mae's guide "generally requires lenders to obtain a two-year history of the borrower's prior earnings" (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.5-01).
That rule governs loans sold to Fannie Mae.
The same guide allows less than two years when your most recent signed returns show a full year of income from the current business.
It also asks for prior income in the same field or in an occupation with similar responsibilities.
The purchase and refinance version of this question is on the newly self-employed page.
Is there a minimum time in business on the HELOC?
No. The bank statement HELOC I offer has no set minimum time in business.
I qualify you on 12 months of bank statements.
I use your personal or your business account, whichever shows the larger average monthly deposits over those 12 months.
Business-account deposits get an expense factor.
I also offer a HELOC qualified on a profit-and-loss statement.
It counts your profit, not losses, based on what runs through your bank accounts each month.
The lender still verifies you can repay.
Your first mortgage stays as it is, and the line sits behind it.
Once the line funds, you use the money however you choose.
What should I send first?
- The month and year the business started.
- What you did before, and whether it was in the same field.
- Which account your business deposits land in, personal or business.
- A rough value for the home and your first mortgage statement.
The full method is on the self-employed HELOC page.
Questions people ask next
Does my time at a previous job in the same field count?
On loans sold to Fannie Mae, prior income in the same field supports a shorter self-employment history when your latest returns show a full year from the current business. The bank statement HELOC I offer has no set minimum time in business, so there is no minimum to make up.
Do I need two years of tax returns for a bank statement HELOC?
No. I qualify you on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns. The bank statement HELOC I offer has no set minimum time in business.
I switched from a W-2 job to 1099 work. Where do I start?
Start with a HELOC with 1099 or gig income, then text me the month the 1099 work began.
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, September 27 and October 17, 2026 (restated for these pages) (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, September 2026 (checked 2026-09-27) · Confirmed by Zach, October 17, 2026 (checked 2026-10-17) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023) (checked 2026-10-19) · 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 (7)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Zach offers bank statement HELOCs that qualify self-employed owners on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns, using whichever account shows the larger average monthly deposits; business-account deposits get an expense factor. He arranges the line as a broker and works with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona. | Confirmed by Zach, September 27 and October 17, 2026 (restated for these pages) | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach's answers for the self-employed HELOC answers. The bank statement HELOC he offers has no set minimum time in business, so a business under two years old is fine. An unfiled or extended tax year does not matter for the bank statement HELOC, because tax returns are not part of how it qualifies; no extra documents are needed for it. He also offers a HELOC qualified on a profit-and-loss statement; it counts profit only, not losses, based on what runs through the borrower's bank accounts each month. He takes 1099 and gig earners with no business entity and no business account: any account the borrower receives income into can be used, as long as it gets frequent deposits, and those deposits count toward qualifying income. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach arranges a home equity line for self-employed owners that can be qualified on bank statements, which reads deposits instead of the net income on filed returns. | Confirmed by Zach, September 2026 | 2026-09-27 |
| 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 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023): "Fannie Mae generally requires lenders to obtain a two-year history of the borrower's prior earnings as a means of demonstrating the likelihood that the income will continue to be received." "However, the income of a person who has less than a two-year history of self-employment may be considered, as long as the borrower's most recent signed personal and business federal income tax returns reflect a full year (12 months) of self-employment income from the current business." The file must also document prior income "in a field that provides the same products or services as the current business, or" "in an occupation in which they had similar responsibilities". | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023) | 2026-10-19 |
| Once a HELOC Zach offers funds, the borrower can use the money however they want, with no use restrictions. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| 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.
Newer business and want a HELOC?
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.