Nothing on this list is unusual, and a file that arrives with all of it moves faster than one that gets assembled in pieces over three weeks. What is different about frontline work is that the standard list only proves your base salary. The lines that make up the rest of your pay need their own evidence.
The core set
- Two recent pay stubs, ideally consecutive, showing year to date totals.
- Two years of T4 slips.
- Your most recent Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency.
- An employment letter on employer letterhead, with your position, status, start date and base salary.
- Ninety days of history on the account holding your down payment.
- Photo identification.
What each one is actually proving
The stubs prove what you are paid right now and how it is broken down. The T4s prove the total including overtime and premiums, which is why two years matter when a lender averages variable pay. The Notice of Assessment proves you have no outstanding balance with the CRA, which can otherwise stall a closing. The employment letter proves the position is permanent and not probationary, or names the probation if there is one.
The frontline additions
If your income includes overtime, paid duty, shift premium, standby, callback or acting pay, add the article of your collective agreement that defines each one. It turns a line on a stub that a lender might discount into a contractual entitlement with a rate attached. We can usually pull the agreement ourselves, so this is rarely work you have to do.
Ninety days of account history is the standard on down payment funds. If money moved between accounts recently, save the statements now rather than trying to reconstruct the trail later.
Things that slow a file down
- A large deposit with no documented source.
- An employment letter that omits status, so nobody can tell permanent from contract.
- Stubs that are not consecutive, which makes year to date figures impossible to reconcile.
- A recently opened account holding the down payment with no history behind it.
Sources
Your next useful step
Bring the employer, agreement and recent pay. We will work from the document instead of guessing at the income.
