How to compress a salary certificate and other documents for a mortgage application
A mortgage application asks for a stack of papers: a salary certificate, bank statements, ID copies, a tenancy contract and more. Banks and brokers usually have an upload portal with limits on file size and type, and a pile of phone scans will blow past them.
This guide shows how to turn that stack into a few tidy PDFs. Every tool involved runs in your browser, so your financial documents are not uploaded to PixnPDF.
Ask what the lender wants
Start with the checklist from your bank or broker. Note which documents are needed, whether they want one file per document or one combined file, and any limit on size or number of files. Use their numbers; this guide does not quote one because lenders differ and change their rules.
Name your files clearly, for example with your surname and the document type, so the reviewer can find each one.
Prepare each document
For paper documents, use Scan to PDF with your phone photos: crop, fix perspective and order the pages. For documents that are already PDFs, open them and remove pages that are not needed, such as blank sides, with Remove PDF pages.
Make sure scans are straight and fully inside the frame. A lender can reject a document where a stamp, signature or date is cut off.
Combine and compress
If the lender wants one file per category, such as all bank statements together, use Merge PDF and check the page order. Then run Compress PDF with the Recommended setting and read the size it reports. If you are still over the limit, split the set into two files instead of using a setting that makes text unreadable.
Open the final file and read the salary figure, dates and stamps at normal size. Those details are the whole point of the document.
Check the pack before you submit
Before uploading, open every file one last time. Confirm that the pages are in order, that nothing is upside down and that names, dates and amounts are readable. Compare your list of required documents against the files you have, and make sure the file names match what the portal shows.
Keep the originals and a copy of what you submitted. If the lender asks for a resubmission, you can start from the same prepared files instead of scanning everything again.
Protect what you send
Financial documents deserve a password if they travel by email. Protect PDF encrypts the file with AES-256 in your browser. Send the password by a different route, for example a phone call or a separate message, and never in the same email as the file.
Where a document contains details the lender does not need, Redact PDF can remove them. Only do this if the lender allows it, because altered documents can be rejected.
How it works
- Get the lender's document list and any size or file-count limits.
- Scan paper documents with Scan to PDF; trim extra pages from existing PDFs.
- Merge related documents and check the page order.
- Compress, read the reported size and verify salary figures and stamps are legible.
- Password-protect files that will be emailed and share the password separately.
Before you export Do not edit the content of a document the lender expects to be original. If you are unsure whether a change is allowed, ask them.
Common questions
Is it safe to use an online tool for financial documents?
These tools run in your browser and do not send your files to PixnPDF. You still choose what to upload to the lender. Use only the lender's official channel.
What if the file is still too large?
Split it into two files, or remove unneeded pages. Avoid settings that make text unreadable.
Should I merge all papers into a single PDF?
Only if the lender asks for that. Otherwise follow their list, one file per document or category.
Can I add a password to my PDF?
Yes, with Protect PDF. Share the password through a different channel from the file.