source:
  type: guide
  id: fnma-sel-b3-3.4-17
  authority: Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.4-17 — Unemployment Benefits Income
  description: Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.4-17 — Unemployment Benefits Income.
  coverage_tier: operative
obligations:
- id: fnma-sel-b3-3.4-17-full
  canonical_id: fnma-sel-b3-3.4-17-full
  section: Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.4-17 — Unemployment Benefits Income
  type: do
  tags:
  - regulator-direct
  - fnma
  - selling-guide
  - corpus-expansion
  - tier-operative
  primary_source:
    tier: 1
    authority: Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.4-17 — Unemployment Benefits Income
    source_class: fnma-guide
    source_url: https://singlefamily.fanniemae.com/media/document/pdf/selling-guide
    snapshot_id: 5f7b8b79da595d76
    fetched_at: '2026-05-25T14:09:57Z'
    content_hash: sha256:98cf85a02861bbe84914a0e339b327c8fc131869a8a573882007bbeea60c5701
    paragraph_quote: 'B3-3.4-17, Unemployment Beneﬁts Income (03/04/2026) Income from
      unemployment beneﬁts can be considered when qualifying the borrower in the following
      scenarios: The income has been consistently received for at least two years
      as veriﬁed by copies of the singed federal income tax returns that reﬂect unemployment
      income is associated with seasonal employment. See B3-3.3-08, Seasonal Income
      for additional information. The income from unemployment beneﬁts can be used
      in the calculation of ﬁnancial resources that are required under Option 2 in
      B3-3.3-03, Employment Oﬀers or Contracts. The income from unemployment beneﬁts
      may be used in qualifying a borrower for a high LTV reﬁnance loan. See B5-7-03,
      High LTV Reﬁnance Alternative Qualiﬁcation Path. The table below provides requirements
      for unemployment beneﬁts income. Criteria Requirements Documentation The lender
      must obtain two years of signed personal federal income tax returns. Income
      History A minimum two-year history is required. Income Continuance The lender
      is not required to verify continuance unless they have reason to believe the
      income may not continue. Determination of Qualifying Income Average Income:
      Depending on the historical trend of the income, the lender must calculate qualifying
      income as follows: • Stable or Increasing: Calculate an average income amount
      using the most recent two years personal federal income tax returns. • Decreasing:
      Calculate an average income amount using the most recent year personal federal
      income tax returns. Recent Related Announcements The table below provides references
      to recently issued Announcements that are related to this topic. Published May
      6, 2026 359 Announcements Issue Date Announcement SEL-2026-02 March 04, 2026'
  judgment: false
