What Is an SA302 Form & How Do You Get One in 2026?

An SA302 form is an official HMRC document that summarises the income and tax reported on your Self Assessment tax return. 

Mortgage lenders, landlords, banks, and the Home Office all accept it as proof of your income, which matters when you’re self employed and have no payslips to show. 

Knowing where to find your SA302 before someone asks means you can hand it over quickly and avoid delays.

Key points

• Lenders usually want more than one document 📄
  Most mortgage lenders ask for your SA302 alongside a matching Tax Year Overview, plus two to three years of figures if you’re self employed. Check what your specific lender needs before you start gathering paperwork.
• SA302 doesn’t show the full picture 🏢
  If you take dividends from a limited company, your SA302 shows only what you drew out personally. Lenders assessing directors usually ask for company accounts alongside it, so they can see what the business itself is earning.
• Mistakes on your return carry through to your SA302 🔍
  Since your SA302 pulls directly from your filed Self Assessment, any error in your return will show up in your tax calculation too. You can amend your Self Assessment return within twelve months of the filing deadline.
• Proper bookkeeping makes filing smoother 🚀
  Keeping your income and expenses organised throughout the year means fewer surprises when it’s time to file, and fewer discrepancies to catch later. ANNA keeps your records up to date automatically, so your Self Assessment (and your SA302) reflects accurate figures from the start.

What is an SA302 form?

Although people often call it a ‘form’, an SA302 isn’t something you fill in. It’s the tax calculation HMRC produces from the figures on your Self Assessment tax return. It shows the income you declared, the tax HMRC calculated on it, and the amount you owe.

An SA302 is mainly used by people who complete a Self Assessment tax return. This includes:

• Sole traders
• Company directors who receive dividends
• Landlords
• Partners in partnerships
• People with multiple income sources

If you're employed through PAYE only, you'll typically use documents such as a P60 form or payslips to prove your income. 

🧠 Good to know

Your SA302 only becomes available after HMRC has processed your Self Assessment tax return. If you’ve only just filed, it may take a short time before you can download it.

What information does an SA302 include?

Depending on your circumstances, an SA302 may include:

• Your name and Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)
• The tax year the calculation relates to
• Employment income
• Self employed profits
• Property income
• Dividend income
• Savings income
• Pension income
• Capital Gains Tax calculations, where applicable
• Total taxable income
• Income Tax and National Insurance due

Who needs an SA302?

You may need an SA302 if you’re:

• Applying for a mortgage
• Applying for a business loan
• Renting a property where the landlord wants proof of income
• Applying for certain financial products
• Providing evidence of income during financial checks

Mortgage lenders ask for SA302s more frequently than anyone else. Since self employed income can change from year to year, lenders often want to see income over several tax years before deciding how much they’re prepared to lend.

SA302 vs Tax Year Overview

People often confuse these documents because they’re frequently requested together.

Here’s the main difference:

• An SA302 shows what HMRC calculated
• A Tax Year Overview confirms the position of your tax account, including payments you’ve made

Most lenders ask for both, because the tax year overview comes directly from HMRC's records and lets them check whether the figures on your SA302 match what HMRC holds.

How to get an SA302 from HMRC

If you submit your Self Assessment return through HMRC's online service, you can usually download your SA302 yourself.

Here’s how:

• Sign in to your HMRC online account
• Open your Self Assessment account
• Select the relevant tax year
• View your submitted tax return
• Open the tax calculation
• Download or print the document as a PDF

If the calculation isn’t available yet, HMRC may still be processing your return.

💡 Did you know?

ANNA's free Self Assessment filing tool completes and submits your tax return using the figures already in your bookkeeping. 

That means less time pulling numbers together and fewer mistakes to correct later, which keeps your SA302 accurate from the start.

Can you get an SA302 from accounting software?

Yes. If you use commercial tax software, you can print an HMRC-recognised tax calculation from the software itself instead of downloading one from HMRC.

Many lenders accept these calculations, although some still ask for the official HMRC version alongside a Tax Year Overview.

If you're applying for a mortgage, check your lender’s exact requirements before sending the documents.

How long does it take to get an SA302?

If your tax return has already been processed, you can usually download your SA302 immediately.

If you've recently submitted your Self Assessment return, you'll need to wait until HMRC finishes processing it.

Processing is quick during quieter periods, but it may take longer around the Self Assessment filing deadline, when HMRC receives a large number of returns.

What if you can’t get your SA302 online?

If you filed a paper tax return or online through an agent rather than your own Government Gateway login, the download option might not be available.

In that case, you’ll need to contact HMRC directly. You can call HMRC’s Self Assessment helpline and ask them to post you a copy. It usually takes about two weeks to arrive, so if you’re on a tight mortgage timeline, act early.

🧠 Good to know

HMRC won’t email you an SA302. If someone contacts you claiming to be HMRC and offering to send tax documents by email, treat it as a scam email and report it.

SA302 for multiple years

Requirements vary across organisations. 

For example, mortgage lenders often request the last two or three years' SA302s, so they can see whether your income has been consistent. Other organisations may only ask for your most recent tax year, depending on why they need proof of income.

Even if you don't currently need an SA302, it’s a good idea to download a copy after each tax return has been processed. Having your documents ready can save time if you apply for a mortgage, loan, or tenancy later on.

If you're newly self employed and don’t have previous years’ SA302s

Some lenders will consider you even with just one year of accounts, especially if you can show a track record as an employee in the same industry, or if your income has been stable since you started.

Specialist self employed mortgage brokers tend to know which lenders are flexible on this. You can also ask them whether projected income, based on your current workload and contracts, can support your application, since some lenders will factor this in alongside your filed SA302.

What lenders look at beyond your SA302

Your SA302 tells a lender what you earned and what tax you paid, but it's rarely the only thing they assess. 

Most mortgage lenders also want to see:

• Bank statements from the last three to six months to check your spending and confirm your income lands where you say it does
• Proof of your deposit showing where the money has come from
• A credit check covering things like existing debt, missed payments, and your overall credit history
• Recent business accounts, particularly if you're a limited company director or your income has changed significantly between tax years

Lenders that specialise in self employed applicants tend to be more comfortable with fluctuating income than high street banks, so if your earnings vary a lot year to year, it can be useful to speak to a mortgage broker who knows which lenders are a good fit.

What if the figures on your SA302 look wrong?

If you spot an error, such as an income figure that doesn’t match your records, you can amend your Self Assessment return online within twelve months of the filing deadline for that tax year.

Once HMRC processes the amendment, your SA302 will update to reflect the correction. If the deadline for amending has already passed, you can write to HMRC to explain the error.

💡 Did you know?

ANNA's Auto Accountant keeps your books up to date throughout the year, so there are fewer discrepancies to worry about when you file.

SA302s for limited company directors

If you're a director who takes both salary and dividends, your SA302 will show your dividend income alongside anything else you've declared, but it won't show your company's profit or retained earnings. 

Lenders often want to see the full picture, so they may also ask for your company's corporation tax return, recent company accounts, or a reference from your accountant confirming the business is in good financial health.

💡 Keep in mind

You might have a healthy company with plenty of retained profit, but if you've kept personal dividends low for tax reasons, your SA302 will only reflect that lower personal income. 

If you're planning a mortgage application, speak to your accountant in advance about how your dividend strategy might affect what you can borrow.

Get your finances ready for SA302 with ANNA

If chasing down proof of income feels stressful every time, it's usually because your bookkeeping is scattered across spreadsheets, receipts, and bank statements.

ANNA can help you centralise and organise your admin, so you can go through the process stress-free.

Here’s what ANNA offers:

• Auto Accountant connects to your bank account and automatically categorises your income and expenses, so your records are accurate and ready well before your Self Assessment deadline
• Free MTD Self Assessment filing covers your quarterly updates and year-end submission for the 2026/27 tax year, so if you’re a sole trader or landlord affected by Making Tax Digital, ANNA files it for you at no cost
• The receipt scanner logs the amount, category, and VAT for every expense the moment you photograph a receipt, helping you cut down on manual entry that can lead to mismatched figures later
• Deadline reminders and nudges keep you on top of quarterly updates and filing dates, so you're not scrambling to get your tax return processed right before you need an SA302
• A real-time view for your accountant means they can check your records and pull whatever they need for a mortgage or loan application without the back and forth
• A business account built around your tax admin, with a debit card, invoicing software, and automatic expense matching, keeps your accounts clean and consistent throughout the year
• 24/7 customer support is there whenever you have a question about your tax return, your SA302, or anything else to do with running your business

Open a business account with ANNA and get your Self Assessment sorted before anyone asks for your SA302.