# How mortgage brokers request a pay stub from borrowers

Source: https://dokutrak.com/requests/mortgage-brokers/pay-stub
Author: Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak
Published: 2026-11-07
Language: en-US

> Ask the borrower for their most recent consecutive pay stubs covering about 30 days, with year-to-date totals, from every job they hold. Lenders usually want the PDFs from the payroll portal, dated close to the application. If a co-borrower is on the loan, ask for theirs too, and expect to ask for newer stubs if the file runs long.

## Why mortgage brokers need a pay stub

The underwriter uses pay stubs to confirm the borrower still works where the application says and earns what the W-2s suggest. Year-to-date figures let them compare this year’s pace with last year, and they reveal overtime, bonus or commission that may need a two-year history before it counts. Stubs also show deductions, such as a 401(k) loan or a garnishment, that can change the debt-to-income ratio.

## What exactly to ask for

The most recent consecutive pay stubs covering about 30 days, for each job and each borrower on the loan, showing the employer name, the pay period and year-to-date earnings. A weekly earner usually sends four stubs, a biweekly earner two. Depending on the loan program and how long the file takes, the lender may ask for newer stubs before closing.

## What to check when it arrives

- The stubs are consecutive and the latest one is recent enough for the lender’s window on this application.
- Year-to-date gross earnings line up with the base pay, so overtime or bonus can be separated out.
- The borrower’s name and the employer match the application and the W-2s.

## Email to send your client

Subject: Your recent pay stubs for the loan application

```text
Hi [Client name],

Thanks for getting your application started. To document your income, I need your most recent pay stubs covering about a month, with the year-to-date totals showing. If you have more than one job, or someone is on the loan with you, please send theirs as well.

The PDF from your employer’s payroll portal is the best copy. A clear scan works too; screenshots that cut off the dates usually come back.

Could you send them by [date]? If your pay schedule is unusual, reply and we will work out which ones to send.

Thank you,
[Your name]
```

## Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.

- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a pay stub, an unreadable or blurry scan or a copy where one of these is missing or cut off: the employee’s name, the net pay, the pay period dates. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.

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