Joel DyckReal Broker SK Ltd.
Saskatoon · From the topic map

How do lenders count student loan debt in 2026?

Lenders count your actual monthly student loan payment as a debt when calculating a 39 percent gross debt service ratio and a 44 percent total debt service ratio under CMHC lending guidelines, the same way they treat a car loan or a credit card minimum payment.

What matters is the payment currently reported on your credit file, not the loan's original balance or the program it came from. A lower monthly payment on the same balance improves your ratios, and a higher one narrows how much mortgage you can carry.

Because the payment amount drives the math directly, paying down or consolidating a student loan before applying, or getting written confirmation of a reduced payment, can meaningfully change what a lender is willing to approve. A mortgage broker can model both scenarios before you shop for a home.

The rest of your debt picture matters just as much as the student loan line. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

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