This page compares a 25-year and a 30-year amortization on a $750,000 purchase.
Income needed
| Down payment | CMHC premium | Payment at the qualifying rate | Income needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum: $50,000 | $28,000 | $4,662 | $167,300 |
| 10%: $75,000 | $20,925 | $4,457 | $161,000 |
| 20%: $150,000 | None | $3,965 | $145,800 |
On a 25-year amortization with $50,000 down, the income lenders look for is about $167,300.
25 or 30 years
Since December 15, 2024, first-time buyers can take an insured mortgage over 30 years. At this price that brings the income needed to about $157,500, and the payment at the contract rate to $3,473 a month instead of $3,833. The trade-off is more interest over the life of the loan and a premium of 4.20%.
Related pages
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026. How we check facts.
- Bank of Canada: Data table
- CMHC: Calculating GDS / TDS
- CMHC: CMHC Purchase
- CMHC: Home Start
- CMHC: CMHC Improvement
- Department of Finance Canada: Technical backgrounder mortgage insurance rules income proposals revised october 14 2016
- Department of Finance Canada: Government announces boldest mortgage reforms in decades to unlock homeownership for more canadians
- Department of Finance Canada: Straight switches and portfolio insurance
- Department of Finance Canada: Boldest mortgage reforms in decades come into force today
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Down payment
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Buying home
- OSFI: Minimum qualifying rate for uninsured mortgages
4 more sources
- OSFI: Final Revised Guideline B-20: Residential Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures
- OSFI: Amendments to the minimum qualifying rate for uninsured mortgages
- OSFI: OSFI exempts uninsured mortgage straight switches from the prescribed MQR andβ¦
- OSFI: Loan-to-income limits for uninsured mortgage portfolios