Barclays has made further improvements to its affordability calculations for customers.

The bank has increased the amount of regular bonus, overtime and commission income up to 4x basic salary plus allowances.

For example, someone in a commission-heavy industry on a basic annual salary of £30,000 p/a but earning £120,000 in commission would previously have been considered to have income totalling £60,000. With these changes, Barclays would consider up to £150,000.

Barclays head of mortgages Lee Chiswell says: “We know that affordability is probably the greatest barrier for most consumers who want to buy a home. We’ve taken a long look at how we can support customers, particularly first-time buyers, and as a result have made several tweaks to our lending criteria.”

“Taken together, these will make all the difference for a range of people with different income types, getting people into homes that would previously have been out of reach.”