Most lenders start with a minimum salary. Aditya Birla sets no income floor for self-employed applicants and asks instead for three years of business history and a high score — a very different way of deciding the same question.
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Nearly every lender begins with a minimum monthly income. For self-employed applicants Aditya Birla does not — it asks instead for three years of business history, verifiable ITRs and a high credit score. It is a different way of answering the same question, and it favours a different kind of borrower.
On interest rates
A minimum income rule is a blunt instrument for a self-employed applicant. Business income moves — a good quarter followed by a thin one, a large receipt in March and very little in April. A lender applying a fixed monthly floor either excludes people who earn plenty across a year, or admits people whose good month was an outlier.
Aditya Birla's approach for this group replaces that with three tests: three years of business history, income verifiable through ITRs, and a credit score around 750. Together those answer a more useful question than "what did you earn last month" — namely, has this business been running long enough, does the income exist on record, and has this person repaid reliably before.
The consequence is worth being clear about. A self-employed applicant with modest but genuinely documented income and an excellent score is in a strong position here. One with a large but recently established or thinly filed business is not, however well the business is currently doing.
| Criterion | Position |
|---|---|
| Age | 21 to 60 |
| Credit score | Around 750 and above |
| Business history (self-employed) | At least 3 years |
| Income proof (self-employed) | 2 years of ITR, plus P&L and balance sheet |
| Stated income floor | None for self-employed; steady income required |
| Applicant types | Salaried, self-employed and professionals |
A 750 expectation is high for an NBFC — higher than Tata Capital and well above the 650 to 685 that more flexible NBFCs work with. The absence of an income floor is not a relaxation of standards; it is a different standard, and in some ways a stricter one.
Did you know?
For self-employed applicants, the return you file this year decides the loan you can get in two years' time. Lenders assess the ITR, not the business — so aggressive tax planning that reduces declared income also reduces borrowing capacity, often by more than the tax it saved. If a significant loan is likely within the next two years, that trade-off is worth calculating deliberately rather than discovering at the application. The point is made in more detail on our page for chartered accountants, where it comes up most.
Expert insight
Where declared income genuinely understates what a business earns, arguing the case with an underwriter almost never works — the ITR is the document, and no explanation replaces it. What does work is adding a salaried co-applicant, usually a spouse. Salaried income is the easiest kind for any lender to verify, and a combined file is frequently sanctioned for two to three times what the business ITR alone would support. It is a five-minute change to the application that no amount of negotiation matches.
It suits poorly a new business, an applicant whose income is real but undocumented, or anyone below about 720. Those situations are covered on our loan without ITR page and self-employed eligibility page.
Please note
Money Bharti is a loan marketplace and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of Aditya Birla Capital or Aditya Birla Finance. Figures above are indicative, were last reviewed on , and change without notice — confirm everything on Aditya Birla Capital's own website before applying. Nothing here is tax advice, a quote, an offer, or a guarantee of approval.
Q1. Is there a minimum income for self-employed applicants?
No fixed floor is stated. What is required is a steady, documented income supported by three years of business history and ITRs.
Q2. What credit score is expected?
Around 750 and above — high for an NBFC, and above what several banks ask.
Q3. How much can I borrow?
Up to around ₹40 lakh depending on your profile, though the sanction follows your income against existing EMIs.
Q4. What documents do self-employed applicants need?
Typically two years of income tax returns with profit and loss statements and balance sheets, plus KYC and bank statements.
Q5. Can salaried applicants apply too?
Yes. Salaried, self-employed and professional applicants are all served.
Q6. My ITR shows far less than my business earns. What can I do?
Add a salaried co-applicant, or plan the loan around a year in which the return reflects more of the income. Lenders can only assess what is filed.
Q7. My business is two years old. Will that work?
Generally not here, where three years is expected. A more flexible NBFC is the realistic route.
Q8. Is this cheaper than a bank?
Usually not. NBFC pricing typically sits above bank pricing; the trade is flexibility on how income is assessed.
Aditya Birla Capital is one of the better-designed options for a self-employed borrower whose income is genuine, documented and a few years old — precisely the profile that a monthly salary test handles badly.
What it will not do is overlook a thin ITR or a short business history, whatever the business is currently earning. If that describes you, the fastest routes are a salaried co-applicant or a lender with a lower bar. Other options are on our NBFC page.
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