Self-employed pre-approval in Alberta.

Prime lenders qualify on Line 15000 of your T1 General — after deductions. A profitable business can show a thin income figure once write-offs are applied.

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 self-employed 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)

• Two years T1 Generals (all pages)
• Two years CRA NOAs (no balance owing)
• Business financial statements or 12–24 months of business bank statements
• Articles of incorporation, T2 corporate return and Notice of Assessment if incorporated
• GST/HST returns where relevant
• Proof your HST/CRA accounts are in good standing

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: Underwriters average 2 years of NOA income. A strong recent year alone will not carry the file at a prime lender; it will at a B-lender with a fee.

• Two consecutive clean NOAs with no balance owing
• Consistent or growing T1 income (no decline year-over-year)
• GST/HST filings current
• Personal credit kept clean — utilization under 30%

• CRA balance owing on either of the last two NOAs.
• Income that drops more than 20% year-over-year without a documented reason.
• Personal credit utilization above 50% or any missed payments in the last 12 months.