Conventional loans · Fannie Mae B3-3.4-02Child support and alimony as income for a mortgage

Under Fannie Mae's rules (updated October 7, 2026), alimony, child support, equalization payments and separate maintenance count as income only if the buyer discloses them on the loan application and asks for them to be considered – no one has to. The lender needs the payment amount and terms from a divorce decree, a separation agreement if the divorce is not final, another written legal agreement or court decree, or the state law that mandates the payments; a separated buyer with no agreement cannot count proposed or voluntary payments. It also documents six months of receipt – bank statements, canceled checks or electronic payment records – showing full, regular and timely payments, and confirms the income will continue for at least three years from the application date, which means checking the children's ages or how long alimony lasts. A lump-sum equalization payment is not steady income. The documented monthly amount is used as qualifying income, and because child support is not taxable, it may be grossed up.