Getting married changes paperwork you may not think about until after the wedding: beneficiary designations, wills, insurance, benefits and how property is owned. This checklist runs through those steps in order. It is part of our guide to life stages and life events.
Two related topics have their own guides. How marriage changes your taxes (the spousal amount, pension income splitting, spousal RRSPs, pooling medical expenses and donations) is covered in the tax benefits of getting married. How couples combine money day to day (joint or separate accounts, splitting bills in proportion to income, a joint budget and regular money check-ins) is in financial planning for couples. What the wedding itself costs is in the cost of a wedding in Canada.
Before the wedding: the money conversation
| Topic | What to share |
|---|---|
| Income and debts | Every debt, its balance and rate |
| Credit | Each partner’s credit report |
| Net worth | Assets each partner brings in |
| Spending habits and goals | Saving targets, a home, children, retirement |
| Family obligations | Support for parents or children from an earlier relationship |
Debt taken on before the marriage generally stays with the partner who owes it, but it still shapes the household budget and how much the couple can borrow together. Ways to pay it down together (highest interest first, or smallest balance first) are compared in debt avalanche vs snowball.
A marriage contract
If either partner has significant assets, a business, an expected inheritance or children from a previous relationship, couples often sign a marriage contract (a prenup) before the wedding. What it can cover, what makes it enforceable in each province, and what it costs are explained in prenuptial agreements in Canada. It can set terms for property and spousal support, but not for parenting arrangements or child support.
Name change
| If you change your name | Where to update |
|---|---|
| Government ID | Passport, driver’s licence |
| SIN record | Service Canada (the number stays the same) |
| CRA | My Account or by phone |
| Bank accounts | Each financial institution |
| Employment | HR and payroll |
| Professional licences | The regulator, if any |
Marital status with the CRA
Tell the CRA your marital status changed so benefits and credits are calculated on family income from the right date. Couples who lived together first may already have been common-law for tax purposes; that test is explained in am I common-law for tax purposes.
Beneficiary designations
| Account | What to check |
|---|---|
| RRSP and RRIF | Whether to name your spouse as beneficiary or successor annuitant |
| TFSA | Whether to name your spouse as successor holder |
| Life insurance | The primary and contingent beneficiaries |
| Workplace pension | Many plans pay a spouse first by law; check the plan’s rules |
How designations pass money outside a will, and the mistakes to avoid, are covered in the beneficiary designation guide.
Wills and powers of attorney
Whether marriage cancels a will made before it depends on the province, so an existing will is worth reviewing after the wedding. What happens to an estate when someone dies without a will, and how much the surviving spouse receives in each province, is explained in what happens if you die without a will; the steps to make one are in how to make a will in Canada.
| Document | What changes after marriage |
|---|---|
| Will | Executor, beneficiaries, contingent beneficiaries, a guardian if you have children |
| Power of attorney for property | Whether your spouse acts for you |
| Power of attorney for personal care | Whether your spouse makes health decisions if you can’t |
The two kinds of power of attorney are explained in the power of attorney guide.
Insurance and benefits
| Type | What to review |
|---|---|
| Workplace health and dental benefits | Adding your spouse, or coordinating two plans so claims go to one plan first and the other second |
| Life insurance | Whether coverage would let the survivor keep the home and replace lost income; see how much life insurance you need |
| Auto insurance | Combining policies on one household |
| Home or tenant insurance | One policy naming both spouses |
Buying or owning a home together
Couples who buy together choose how to hold title. Joint tenancy gives the survivor the whole property automatically; tenancy in common lets each owner leave a share by will and allows unequal shares. The trade-offs are covered in joint tenancy vs tenants in common. If one spouse owned the home before the marriage, how it is treated on a separation depends on provincial family law; the divorce and separation financial checklist summarises the provincial regimes.
The checklist
| Timing | Step |
|---|---|
| Before the wedding | The money conversation; credit reports; a marriage contract if you want one |
| First month | Name changes; marital status with the CRA; benefits enrolment (many plans allow changes within a set period after a marriage) |
| First few months | Beneficiary designations; a new or reviewed will; powers of attorney |
| First year | Life insurance; home title; a joint budget |