💼 Fax Employment and Income Verification
For a mortgage, the employer's verification of employment does not pass through you. Fannie Mae Form 1005 is sent by the lender directly to your employer, and the employer returns it directly to the lender. What you usually fax yourself is your recent pay stubs and W-2s, to the fax number your lender or landlord gives you. A US or Canadian fax costs $2.99 for up to 3 pages, and a cover page with five pages of stubs and W-2s is 6 pages, $5.96.
📋 In This Guide
Who Sends What
Employment and income verification has two separate parts, and it helps to know which part is yours. The first part is the verification of employment itself, where your employer confirms your job, your dates and your pay. The second part is your own proof of income, such as pay stubs and W-2 forms, which you give to the lender or landlord.
For a mortgage, Fannie Mae Form 1005 says the request is forwarded directly to the employer named on the form, and that the completed form is to be transmitted directly to the lender and not through the applicant or any other party. You sign the form to authorize the lender to get the verification from your employer, but you should not collect the completed form from HR and fax it on yourself. The lender also confirms your job verbally within 10 business days before the note date, sometimes through an employment verification vendor.
For a rental, there is no federal rule about how a landlord verifies income. Each landlord or property manager has its own process, so ask them what they need and where to send it.
The rule: for a mortgage, let the lender and your employer exchange the verification form directly. You fax only your own documents, such as pay stubs and W-2s, to the number your lender gives you.
What Lenders Usually Ask You to Send
For loans that follow Fannie Mae's Selling Guide, the standard is your most recent pay stub, dated no earlier than 30 days before the initial loan application date, showing your year-to-date earnings, and your W-2 forms for the most recent one or two years. Your lender's own list is the one that counts, so follow the checklist or email they send you.
When you fax these, send complete pages. A pay stub that is cut off at the bottom may hide the year-to-date figures the lender needs, and a W-2 that is hard to read may be sent back to you. Scan in black and white at a clear setting, and check that every number can be read before you pay.
Which Fax Number to Use
There is no official fax number for employment or income verification. The lender's fax number comes from your loan officer, the lender's checklist or the request letter. A landlord's fax number comes from the landlord. Your employer's HR or payroll fax number comes from your employer, or it is printed on the request form the lender or agency sent.
Some employers do not handle verification by fax and use The Work Number instead. Equifax describes it as "a centralized automated service for Income and Employment Verification." Verifiers sign in to a web portal after being approved, and no fax route is shown on its site. As an employee, you can view your own Employment Data Report there and create a salary key, a one-time code you give to a verifier, which expires after 90 days.
Select United States (or Canada), then type all 10 digits with no leading 1. The +1 is added for you, a typed 1 is removed, and the pay button turns on only at 10 digits. See how to fax a US number online for more on number format.
What to Put on the Cover Page and Each Page
Put the name of your loan officer, processor or landlord, your full name exactly as it appears on the application, the loan number or application number, the property address if there is one, your phone and email, a short list such as "2 pay stubs and 2 W-2s", and the total page count.
Write your name and loan number at the top of each page, and number the pages, for example 3 of 6. Keep your Social Security number off the cover page. If the lender asked for something to be signed, sign and date it before you scan it.
Former Employers and Closed Businesses
If an employer has closed or no longer answers requests, there are official records you can use instead. The IRS offers wage and income transcripts through your Individual Online Account, through "Get transcript by mail", by phone at 800-908-9946, or with Form 4506-T. Transcripts sent by mail take 5 to 10 calendar days to arrive.
Social Security also keeps a record of your earnings, which you can request with Form SSA-7050. The fees are $35 for certified yearly totals, $61 for non-certified itemized earnings, and $96 for certified itemized earnings. Ask your lender or landlord which record they will accept before you order one.
Cost, Your Record and If the Fax Fails
The price is $2.99 for up to 3 pages and $0.99 for each extra page. A cover page, two pay stubs and three W-2 pages make 6 pages, which costs $2.99 + 3 x $0.99 = $5.96. You see the price before you pay, there is no account, and nothing is printed on your document. For larger loan packages, see faxing mortgage documents.
Delivery usually takes a few minutes. The confirmation email shows the destination number, the page count and the time it went through, in US Eastern Time, and it is your record of exactly when your documents were sent. If the fax cannot be delivered, the full amount goes back to your card automatically, so you can check the number and try again.
If your lender or landlord wants to fax you a form to sign, our sister service GetAFax.com gives you a private US fax number for 24 hours for $5, for up to 30 pages, and each fax arrives in your email as a PDF. Other US forms are listed in the US fax guide.
Why send it here
One price for the whole fax, shown before you pay, and nothing added at checkout.
Nothing is printed on your document. It arrives exactly as you uploaded it.
If it cannot be delivered, the money goes back to your card without you asking.
It works from anywhere in the US, in any browser, with no account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to fax pay stubs and W-2s for income verification?
Is there a free way to fax my income verification to a landlord?
my loan officer wants proof of income by end of day, can I fax my pay stubs from home?
Should I fax the Form 1005 verification of employment to my lender myself?
Which pay stub does a mortgage lender want for income verification?
Does my lender still call my employer after I fax my income documents?
My apartment application needs employment verification, how do I send it?
Where do I find my employer's work fax number for an employment verification request?
Does The Work Number take employment verification requests by fax?
How do I type my lender's fax number for income documents?
Can my landlord fax me the lease after I send my income verification?
How do I show my lender when I faxed my income verification?
My income verification fax did not go through, what now?
Is it safe to fax pay stubs with my Social Security number for a mortgage?
What do I put on the cover sheet when faxing employment verification documents?
My old employer closed, how do I verify my past income?
How long does an IRS wage and income transcript take by mail?
What does an SSA-7050 earnings record cost?
What is a salary key from The Work Number and how long does it last?
I am self-employed and my lender needs income verification, what do I fax?
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