How do you get a bank to approve a loan when you make tips for a living?

You will need at least three years' of tax returns documenting how much your husband reports as income. If you don't have that, you're not going to be able to use his income to qualify for the loan.

Prior to the subprime lending crisis, you might have been able to get a no-doc loan. But those aren't being offered anymore. Lending standards are much more stringent today.

You should be able to provide a bank statement for the past few months reflecting your deposits/cash flow. A letter from your employer may help as well if you've been employed there for a while. You may also want to get a copy of your credit and see if there is anything else on there preventing the lender from approving the loan. Usually we'll approve with two months of bank statements and last two years of tax documents along with a good credit beacon and of course the appraisal. Other than that it really is up to the underwriter of the loan. With the economy the way it is, it's really tough to get approvals.

Ask the lender what they want as proof. I would think if you were being denied outright without the lender takign into consideration tips, it was your credit not income.

You'll have to get a co-signer. Or could you talk to his employer and get an earnings statement? Paystubs?