Driving or shopping for an app? Here's how buying a Georgia home works

Find your situation first

People who drive or shop for apps come to this question from very different places. Find the row that sounds like you:

Driving or delivering by itself isn't one of PEN's listed jobs, which cover law enforcement, firefighters, military, school employees and health care facility employees. The Georgia Dream Standard DPA pays 5% of the price or $10,000, whichever is less, and many local programs, such as ATL HomeNOW in Atlanta and Homestretch in Gwinnett, don't care what you do for work.

A worked example: a Savannah delivery driver

Here's an example with made-up figures. Tasha delivers for DoorDash and Instacart around Savannah and Pooler and plans to buy in spring 2027, when her 2026 return will be her most recent.

She took in about $3,900 a month but qualifies on about $2,481. That gap surprises nearly everyone, so it's better to know it now. The IRS treats 35 cents of the 2026 mileage rate as depreciation, which on 21,000 miles is $7,350. Some lenders add that portion back, but whether FHA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac allows it wasn't confirmed, so treat it as possible, not promised.

Chatham County uses the statewide limits ($101,700 for 1 to 2 people), and Savannah's DreamMaker program offers up to $30,000 inside city limits if she meets its income rules.

How your 1099s get read

The FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guides don't name any app or the 1099-NEC or 1099-K forms. Freddie Mac's general 1099 rule is the only verified one: 1099 income can be treated like a paycheck only if expenses are under 5% of gross, there's no cost of goods sold and receipts match the 1099s. With mileage and gas, almost no driver is under 5%, so in practice drivers are usually underwritten as sole proprietors. That last part is a common reading, not a written rule, so your lender confirms.

Freddie wants every 1099 for 2 years, never less than 12 months. If you work two or three apps, that means all of them.

Weekend gigs on top of a regular job

Side income needs its own history. FHA wants 2 years of uninterrupted part-time income. Fannie Mae recommends 2 years and accepts 12 months with offsetting strengths. Freddie Mac expects 2 years in most cases. So a Gwinnett ER tech who started Lyft last fall will qualify on the hospital paycheck for now, and can still use PEN through that job.

Gaps matter too. For borrowers with more than one income source, Fannie Mae doesn't allow a break of more than a month in the past 12 months unless the work is seasonal. How lenders treat a slow stretch or a month off between cars wasn't confirmed, so ask before you apply.

Gig income and the household limit

Georgia Dream counts every adult's income in the home toward its limit. Your lender confirms whether gig earnings you aren't using to qualify still count toward that limit. Metro Atlanta's limit is $137,555 for 1 to 2 people; most other counties use $101,700. Check yours on the income limits page.

Records to start keeping today

Even if buying is two years away, these habits make the process much easier later:

1. Report all gig income on your return, including smaller apps. Income left off a return can't be counted.
2. Keep a mileage log, by app if you can.
3. Download each app's annual tax summary and 1099 every year.
4. Run gig deposits into one account, separate from household spending.
5. Pay estimated taxes so you don't carry an IRS balance into the application.

When you're ready to apply

• Two years of federal returns with Schedule C, and every 1099
• Year-to-date earnings statements from each app
• 60 days of bank statements and a signed IRS Form 4506-C if asked
• A homebuyer education certificate and at least $1,000 of your own or gifted money

For business owners outside the apps, the self-employed guide goes further. When your records are in order, check your eligibility.

Questions we hear a lot