Pre-approval on maternity or parental leave in Alberta.

Some lenders use EI income only; others use full pre-leave income with a return-to-work letter. The choice of lender changes qualification by tens of thousands.

Alberta adds its own layer. Calgary and Edmonton run on different employment-cycle assumptions. Oil-sector commission and bonus income is heavily averaged. That matters here because underwriters are already scrutinizing the income side of a pre-approval on maternity or parental leave file — a property or program complication local to Alberta can push a marginal file over the edge.

No land transfer tax. Land Titles registration fee plus mortgage registration fee — a few hundred dollars typical.

Programs to check eligibility for in Alberta:

• FHSA
• Home Buyers' Plan (RRSP withdrawal)

• Return-to-work letter from employer specifying date, role, and salary
• Pre-leave employment letter and paystubs
• Current EI statement

Alberta nuance: Bonus and commission income require 2 years of T4s; many Alberta files are killed by overstating recent strong years.

• Variable income from energy-sector roles is averaged over 24 months minimum.
• Acreage and rural files trigger MLI restrictions over a hectare.
• Condo board documents are commonly thin — request the full reserve study.

Underwriter view of this scenario: A lender that uses pre-leave salary with a return-to-work confirmation will qualify the file at the full income; one that uses EI alone will not.

• Secure a written return-to-work confirmation early
• Apply with a lender whose policy uses pre-leave salary on documented returns

• Open-ended leave with no return date.
• Resigning from the pre-leave role and starting somewhere new on return.