Last reviewed and updated by Darren Shepherd: October 2026
If you run your own limited company, two things are true that most mortgage or insurance content doesn't admit. First, lenders don't agree on how to read your income, salary, dividends and net profit can mean quite different things depending who you ask. Second, your company can pay for protection that an employee would otherwise have to buy personally, often for a lot less.
Most places cover one half of this. We've put both together, in plain English, with nothing hidden behind a 'speak to an adviser' wall until you're actually ready to.
Start here
Mortgages for Limited Company Directors
How lenders actually work out your income, salary, dividends, net profit, and one year's accounts.
Read the guide →The Two Policies Your Company Can Pay For
Relevant life plans and executive income protection, side by side, and why it matters who pays.
Read the guide →Relevant Life Plans
Company-paid life cover instead of personal life insurance, explained in full.
Read the guide →Executive Income Protection
Sick pay your company pays for, and how it compares with cover you'd buy personally.
Read the guide →Why it's worth doing both at once
Here's the bit most people miss. If you're about to take out a mortgage as a director, that's exactly the moment to also check your protection, because you'll already have your accounts, your accountant's reference and your numbers in front of a professional. Sorting both at once means one conversation instead of two, and your numbers are already on the table.
It works the other way round too. If you're reviewing your protection because your company's profits have changed, that's worth a check against your mortgage as well, the same accounts drive both decisions.
Who this is for
- Sole director and shareholder of a trading limited company
- Director with one or more co-directors, splitting the shares
- Newly incorporated company, with one year's accounts or less
- Director deciding whether to take dividends or retain profit this year
If any of that sounds like you, start with whichever guide above answers your immediate question, then come back for the rest. Or skip straight to a conversation, DS Financial can look at your mortgage and your protection together, alongside your accountant.