Has anyone here qualified for a mortgage using mainly 1099 income?

One issue that seems to come up often is that a borrower can have strong gross income but still qualify for much less because lenders focus heavily on taxable or net income after business deductions.

Other common problems seem to be:

• Income changing from month to month
• Less than two years of self-employment history
• Large business deductions reducing qualifying income
• Clients paying through different platforms or accounts
• Missing 1099 forms even though the income was earned
• Difficulty proving that current income will continue
• Being told different requirements by different lenders

For people who have actually gone through the mortgage process with 1099 income, what was the hardest part?

Did the lender mainly use tax returns, bank statements, or other business records? And did anyone find that preparing documents several months before applying made a noticeable difference?

It would be useful to hear real experiences from freelancers, contractors, consultants, and other self-employed borrowers—especially what worked and what they wish they had known before applying.