Can you still use self-employment income if you switch to W-2?

[Ellie Narie]

If you used to be self-employed and made a high income (and have tax returns to prove it), but you switch to a W-2 job which has lower income... can you still use the self-employment income to qualify for property? Can you use both that and the w-2 income? Or will the lender question whether that self-employment income still exists?