Calculator
Mortgage stress test calculator
See the rate a lender has to qualify you at, and how much that shrinks the mortgage you can carry compared with qualifying at your own rate.
Your numbers
The rate you've been quoted. We've filled in our published 5-year fixed.
Exemptions
Moving an existing uninsured mortgage to a new federally regulated lender without increasing the balance or the amortization.
Credit unions are provincially regulated and set their own qualifying policy.
Rate taken from the RateLens published table, current as of September 21, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. MT. Rules, premium tiers and fee schedules current as of September 16, 2026.
Your qualifying rate
6.09%
The greater of your 4.09% rate plus 2.00%, or the 5.25% floor.
- Payment at your contract rate
- $2,654.564.09%, monthly
- Payment at the qualifying rate
- $3,225.846.09%, monthly
- The monthly difference
- $571.28What you must prove you could pay
- Borrowing power lost
- 17.7%On the same payment
The same payment, two rates
Your payment stays the same. What changes is the size of the mortgage a lender will let that payment carry.
| Measure | Tested at the qualifying rate | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | 6.09% | 4.09% |
| Monthly payment | $3,225.84 | $2,654.56 |
| Mortgage that payment supportsOn the same monthly payment | $411,454 | $500,001 |
- MQR floor
- 5.25%
- Buffer
- 2.00%
- Compounding
- Semi-annual
- Amortization
- 25 years
- Rules as of
- September 16, 2026
How we calculate your qualifying rate. Under OSFI Guideline B-20, lenders qualify you at the higher of your contract rate plus 2 percentage points, or 5.25% (the minimum qualifying rate). Since November 21, 2024, OSFI no longer prescribes this test for eligible uninsured straight switches at renewal between federally regulated lenders, with no increase in the loan amount or remaining amortization. Lenders still assess creditworthiness. New purchases and refinances generally require qualification. Provincially regulated credit unions (including Alberta credit unions) aren’t bound by Guideline B-20 and set their own qualifying policies, which is one reason a broker can sometimes place a file a bank cannot. Rules current as of September 16, 2026. Source: OSFI Guideline B-20.
The same monthly payment, tested at 2 different rates. The gap is how much less you can borrow because of the test.
- At your rate (4.09%)$500,001
- At the qualifying rate (6.09%)$411,454
| Jurisdiction | Mortgage supported |
|---|---|
| At your rate (4.09%) | $500,001 |
| At the qualifying rate (6.09%) | $411,454 |
Check whether you pass at this rate
The qualifying rate is half the test. The other half is your debt service ratios. Run them against a specific property, or let us look at your whole file.
Your qualifying rate
6.09%
How this is calculated
Every figure on this page comes from one tested calculation engine. Here’s what it does.
How the qualifying rate is set
Under OSFI Guideline B-20, a federally regulated lender must satisfy itself that you could still afford the payments at the greater of your contract rate plus two percentage points, or 5.25%. The Department of Finance applies the same standard to insured mortgages. The rule was reconfirmed in January 2026.
At today’s rates the “plus two” branch almost always wins. The 5.25% floor only applies when your contract rate is below 3.25%, which hasn’t been common lately. The tool shows which branch produced your qualifying rate either way.
What the stress test changes
It doesn’t change your payment. You pay your contract rate. It changes the size of the mortgage that payment is allowed to carry. Run the same monthly figure through the annuity formula at a rate 2 points higher and it supports noticeably less principal, typically about 15–20% less. That difference is the borrowing-power number in the result panel.
When it doesn’t apply
- A straight renewal with your existing lender. There’s no test, so your lender’s renewal letter doesn’t have to offer a competitive rate.
- An uninsured straight switch, since November 2024. Moving your existing mortgage to a new federally regulated lender without increasing the balance or extending the amortization no longer requires the test. This means you can shop your renewal without requalifying.
It does apply to a new purchase, a refinance, and any switch where the amount or the amortization goes up. Compare your renewal offer if the exemption is yours.
Credit unions
Provincially regulated credit unions, including Alberta’s, aren’t bound by Guideline B-20 and set their own qualifying policies. Sometimes those are more flexible, sometimes not, and the rate is only one term in the comparison. Daniel can compare offers from both. The B-20 result shows what a bank would require. What a credit union would require is a separate question worth asking.
Compounding
Both payments use the Canadian convention: semi-annual compounding for fixed rates, as the federal Interest Act requires, and monthly compounding for variable. Switching the rate type changes both figures.
Common questions
What is the mortgage stress test in 2026?
It’s the requirement that a lender qualify you at the greater of your contract rate plus 2 percentage points, or 5.25%. OSFI Guideline B-20 sets it for federally regulated lenders, and Department of Finance rules set it for insured mortgages. It was reconfirmed in January 2026.
You don’t pay that rate. You just have to show you could afford it.
Do I have to pass the stress test to renew?
Not with your existing lender. A straight renewal has never required the test, so the renewal letter your lender sends often isn’t their most competitive rate.
Since November 2024, an uninsured straight switch to a new federally regulated lender doesn’t require it either, as long as the balance doesn’t increase and the amortization isn’t extended. That makes it practical to shop your renewal with other lenders.
Why does the floor matter if my rate is above 3.25%?
At today’s rates, it doesn’t.
The 5.25% floor only sets the qualifying rate when your contract rate plus 2 points lands below it, which takes a contract rate under 3.25%. The floor keeps the test meaningful when rates are very low. That’s why the rule says “the greater of” instead of “your rate plus two”.
How much does the stress test reduce what I can borrow?
On the same monthly payment, qualifying 2 percentage points higher typically reduces the mortgage you can carry by roughly 15 to 20 percent, depending on the rate and the amortization.
The result panel works out the figure for your own numbers. On a $500,000 mortgage, the gap between 15% and 20% is $25,000 of house.
Can a credit union get around the stress test?
Credit unions are provincially regulated and not bound by Guideline B-20, so they set their own qualifying policies. In Alberta, that makes a credit union a legitimate option for some borrowers.
The qualifying rate is one clause in a contract, though. A more flexible test can come with a different rate, prepayment privilege or penalty formula. Daniel can compare the whole contract for you.
What to work out next
- AffordabilityThe maximum price the qualifying rate leaves you with.
- Maximum purchase priceRatios against a specific property, with the numbers shown.
- Renewal comparisonIf the straight-switch exemption applies to you, see what switching could save.
- Payment shockWhat your payment becomes when the term ends at today's rates.
- Mortgage paymentThe payment at your contract rate, at every frequency.
- Fixed vs variableBoth are stress-tested, but in different ways.
This calculator provides estimates only. Results are based on the information you enter and on assumptions that may not reflect your actual qualification, rate or costs. These include semi-annual, not-in-advance compounding for fixed rates, as required under section 6 of the federal Interest Act, and the mortgage default insurance premium tiers published by CMHC, Sagen and Canada Guaranty. It is not mortgage advice, a quote, a rate hold, a pre-approval or an offer of credit, and RateLens does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Your actual rate, payment, default insurance premium and closing costs will depend on your credit profile, income, the property, the lender’s current rates and policies, and other factors confirmed during a full application.
Qualifying rate methodology: you are qualified at the higher of your contract rate plus 2 percentage points or the 5.25% minimum qualifying rate, in accordance with OSFI Guideline B-20. The stress test does not apply to a straight renewal with your existing lender, and since November 2024 does not apply to an uninsured straight switch. Lender debt-service ceilings shown (GDS 39% / TDS 44%) are insurer guidelines; individual lenders may apply higher or lower limits at their discretion.
Rules snapshot: September 16, 2026. Rates shown are calculation assumptions, not confirmed offers. Speak with Daniel De Sousa, Mortgage Associate, for a personalized quote. Indi The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. o/a Indi Mortgage, a licensed mortgage brokerage licensed by RECA.
Daniel De Sousa, Mortgage Associate, is licensed by the Real Estate Council of Alberta and registered with Indi The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. o/a Indi Mortgage.
Indi The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. o/a Indi Mortgage is a mortgage brokerage licensed by the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA). Verify our licence on RECA ProCheck(opens in a new tab)
RateLens is a trade name used by Daniel De Sousa, Mortgage Associate, licensed in Alberta by the Real Estate Council of Alberta and registered with Indi The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. o/a Indi Mortgage.
RateLens · 4990 92 Ave NW #105, Edmonton, AB T6B 2V4 · (825) 797-5417 · hello@ratelens.ca
Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
See what you'd qualify for at this rate
Pre-approval takes about 10 minutes, uses a soft credit check only, and goes to 30+ lenders.
No credit check, and no commitment.