Your lender sends a mortgage statement at least once a year, and most let you see the same figures online at any time. Beyond the balance, it shows how each payment is split, what you have prepaid, how long the loan has left to run and when the term ends. Layouts differ by lender, but the sections are much the same.
The sections, line by line
| Section | What it shows | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage number | Your loan reference | Have it ready when you call the lender |
| Property address | The home the mortgage is registered against | That it is correct |
| Outstanding principal | What you still owe today | The starting point for any renewal, switch or payoff quote |
| Original principal | The amount borrowed, at the start of the mortgage or of this term depending on the lender | How far the balance has come down |
| Interest rate and type | The rate you pay, and whether it is fixed or variable | On a variable rate, whether the rate has changed since the last statement |
| Payment amount and frequency | Your scheduled payment and how often it is taken | That it matches what leaves your bank account |
| Principal and interest split | How much of each payment, or of the year’s payments, went to each | That the principal share is growing over time |
| Prepayments | Lump sums and payment increases made this year | How much of your annual prepayment limit is left |
| Property tax account | Tax collected with your payments and paid to the municipality | The balance, and any shortfall or surplus |
| Remaining amortization | How long the loan would take to pay off at the current payment | Whether prepayments or a rate change have moved it |
| Maturity date | When the current term ends | When to start looking at renewal offers |
A property tax line appears only if the lender pays your tax for you; paying property taxes with your mortgage explains how that account works.
Principal and interest
Each payment first covers the interest that has built up since the last one; the rest reduces the balance. Early in the mortgage the balance is at its largest, so interest takes most of the payment, and the principal share grows as the balance falls.
On a $500,000 mortgage at 5.00% over 25 years , the monthly payment is $2,908. Of the first payment, about $2,062 is interest and $846 goes to principal. After five years of payments the balance is about $442,538, and after ten about $368,981. Canadian fixed rates are quoted compounded semi-annually, so the monthly interest rate is a little below the annual rate divided by 12. The mortgage amortization calculator prints the full year-by-year schedule for any loan.
Payment frequency
The statement shows whether you pay monthly, semi-monthly, bi-weekly or weekly, and whether the payment is accelerated. Regular bi-weekly payments are the monthly payment times 12, divided by 26; accelerated bi-weekly payments are half the monthly payment, which adds the equivalent of one monthly payment a year and shortens the amortization. The payment frequency guide compares the options and what each saves.
Prepayments and penalties
The prepayment lines show what you have paid on top of your regular payments this year. Your contract sets how much you can prepay each year without a penalty, and when the allowance resets; prepayment privilege rules explains the usual kinds. The effect of extra payments on your payoff date is modelled in the mortgage calculator with extra payments. After a large prepayment, some lenders will lower the payment instead if asked, which is a mortgage recast.
Going over the allowance, or breaking the mortgage, brings a penalty. Breaking a closed mortgage, paying it off early or prepaying more than your privileges allow usually costs the higher of 3 months' interest and the interest rate differential (IRD) on a fixed rate, and typically 3 months' interest on a variable rate; your mortgage contract sets the exact method and comparison rate, and a federally regulated lender must tell you how it calculates the penalty. The statement doesn’t usually show it; you ask the lender for a payout or penalty quote.
The interest rate section
| What the statement shows | What it means |
|---|---|
| A fixed rate | The rate is set until the maturity date |
| A variable rate as prime plus or minus a spread | The rate moves with the lender’s prime rate. If the payment is fixed, a rate change alters the split between interest and principal; if the payment adjusts, the payment itself changes |
| A trigger rate (on some fixed-payment variable mortgages) | The rate at which the payment would cover only interest |
Your contract rate isn’t the only one that matters if you break the mortgage. Some lenders, mainly the big banks, work out the interest rate differential (IRD) using their posted rates, which can make the penalty larger if you were given a discount from the posted rate; others use the rates they actually offer. How a mortgage penalty is calculated shows both methods, and your contract says which one applies.
The year-end interest summary
Many lenders also issue a summary of the calendar year: total interest paid, total principal repaid and the balance at December 31. Interest on a mortgage for your own home isn’t deductible in Canada, so for most homeowners this is a record of progress. Landlords and people who borrowed against the home to invest may need the interest figure for their tax return, since interest on money used to earn income can be deductible.
The maturity date
The maturity date is when the term ends and the balance has to be renewed, moved to another lender or repaid. If your mortgage is with a federally regulated lender, such as a bank, the lender must send you a renewal statement at least 21 days before your term ends, or tell you by then that it won't renew; the statement shows the balance, interest rate, payment frequency, term and any fees, and says the rate offered won't go up before the renewal date. Comparing offers well before that date leaves time to negotiate or switch, and the mortgage comparison guide shows how to weigh them side by side; the mortgage renewal guide sets out the timeline, and payment shock at renewal shows how much the payment can change.
If a term ends with nothing signed, lenders handle it differently: some renew automatically for a set term, others move the loan to an open term at a higher rate until you choose.
More guides on paying and managing a mortgage are in the mortgage payments hub.
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 25, 2026 and October 2, 2026. How we check facts.
- Bank of Canada: Conventional 5-year mortgage rate (data series)
- Bank of Canada: Conventional 5-year mortgage rate (data series)
- Bank of Canada: Conventional 5-year mortgage rate (data series)
- Bank of Canada: Data table
- Bank of Canada: Mortgage rates, fixed 5 years and over: uninsured residential mortgages, funds advanced (data series)
- Department of Finance Canada: Boldest mortgage reforms in decades come into force today
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: How much you need for a down payment
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Breaking your mortgage contract
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Mortgage fees: Prepayment penalties
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Renewing your mortgage
- Justice Laws (Canada): Interest Act
- RBC: Variable Rate Mortgage | RBC Royal Bank of Canada