Question 1

What is a dentist mortgage in Canada?

Accepted Answer

It’s a mortgage qualified under a lender’s dental- or medical-professional program rather than a standard salaried product. The core difference is that the lender uses a projected qualifying income — typically above a low trailing tax year — applies professional-friendly rules to your line of credit and student debt, and reads incorporated income properly. Programs like this exist at several major banks and at some broker-channel lenders. We confirm the exact terms against the current program for your lender before you rely on any number.

Question 2

I'm an associate dentist on contract — can I still qualify?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Associate dentists are often paid as contractors on a percentage of production rather than a flat salary, which can look uneven to a standard lender even while your income is rising. Dental-professional programs are built for this: they qualify you on a projected qualifying income supported by your contract and production history rather than penalizing the lumpiness. We match your associate arrangement to the lender whose program reads contract and production income most generously.

Question 3

I own an incorporated practice — how is my income calculated?

Accepted Answer

How you pay yourself out of a dental professional corporation is a mortgage lever, not just a tax decision. Salary (T4) reads most cleanly to lenders; dividends (T5) are accepted over a two-year average and several lenders gross them up; retained earnings left inside the corporation are usable with the right lenders even though a branch advisor ignores them. We model salary-only, dividend, and blended structures, and cross-reference our self-employed mortgage page for the deeper incorporated-owner mechanics, including add-backs and retained earnings.

Question 4

Can I buy a practice and a home at the same time?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes — and coordinating them is one of the most valuable things we do for practice owners. A practice purchase or buy-in is typically commercial financing, while your home is a residential mortgage, and the two interact: how the practice debt is structured affects your residential debt-service ratios and vice versa. We sequence and structure both so one doesn’t quietly disqualify the other, working alongside the commercial side. See our commercial mortgage page for the practice-financing piece.

Question 5

How much down payment does a dentist need?

Accepted Answer

Dental-professional programs allow insured high-ratio purchases from as little as 5% down, up to 95% LTV, on amounts standard insured rules allow (5% on the first $500,000 and 10% on the portion to $1.5M, on purchases under $1.5M1). Higher-value or uninsured purchases require more down, and we model both routes so you can see the real cash-to-close and qualifying difference before choosing.

Question 6

How is my professional line of credit treated?

Accepted Answer

This is a major affordability lever. Most lenders count a credit line by its balance (CMHC uses 3% of the outstanding balance for unsecured lines), but some use the limit on certain files.2 Dental programs reliably use the balance, so an unused or lightly-used line stops dragging your ratios down. We make sure your file lands with a lender applying balance-based treatment.

Question 7

What about my dental school student debt?

Accepted Answer

Dental school leaves most graduates with a substantial balance, and under standard underwriting that payment loads your debt-service ratios. Dental-professional programs soften it — depending on the lender it may be excluded, deferred, or counted at a reduced payment. The treatment varies by program, so we confirm it against the current rules of the specific lender we place you with rather than assuming one standard.

Question 8

Can I qualify on projected income instead of my last tax year?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that is the central feature of these programs. Rather than using a low trailing tax year, the lender qualifies you on a projected qualifying income supported by your contract, production, or practice. We don’t quote a specific projected figure here because it varies by lender and changes over time; instead we confirm the exact qualifying income against the current program for your lender when we structure your file.

Question 9

How soon after finishing dental school can I use one of these programs?

Accepted Answer

They’re designed for new-to-practice dentists and typically apply within roughly 12 to 24 months of completing training — and in many cases you can qualify before you start, on a signed associate contract or confirmed arrangement. That window is exactly when the gap between your reported income and your real earning power is widest.

Question 10

Do these programs cost more than a regular mortgage?

Accepted Answer

On a properly placed insured dental file, pricing is competitive with — and often the same as — a standard salaried borrower, because the lender is using the program to win a high-value long-term client. We compare bank professional programs and broker-channel options on your file, and our compensation comes from the lender on funding and is always disclosed.

Dentist mortgages —
associate or practice owner,
your mortgage should read
your real income.

Four reasons dentists
qualify for more with us.

Qualify on earning power, not last year's tax return

Professional line of credit counted on balance, not limit

The right program for your income story

Coordinate your home and practice purchase together

From income story
to approval — three steps.

Tell us how you're paid

Match the right program

Approve and close

We can help across
many situations.

How one line of credit
changes everything.

Common questions,
clear answers.

We’ll try to beat your rate.
If we can’t, we pay you $500.^¹

Find a specialist in your city

Dentist mortgages —associate or practice owner,your mortgage should readyour real income.

Four reasons dentistsqualify for more with us.