Amherst
Mortgage documents checklist for Nova Scotia
What the lender needs to approve you, grouped by how you earn and where the down payment comes from.
What documents do I need for a mortgage in Nova Scotia?
Six things: photo ID, proof of income (a letter of employment, two pay stubs and your latest T4 if salaried), 90 days of bank statements showing the down payment, a list of your current debts, the MLS listing and signed purchase agreement once you have one, and a home insurance binder before closing. Self-employed, seasonal and rural files need more.
The five groups, in the order to gather them
- Enough for a pre-approval (steps 1–3)
- Once you have an accepted offer (steps 4–5)
- Identity Government ID, Social Insurance Number, address history
- Income 24 months in business if self-employed Letter, pay stubs and T4 if salaried; returns if variable, with a 15% gross-up of net income
- Down payment and existing debts Statements tracing the money; gift letter, RRSP or FHSA; every balance you owe
- The property, once you have an offer MLS listing, signed agreement, insurance binder; well, septic and oil tank on a rural home
- What the lawyer needs ID, the agreement, the lender’s instructions, the binder and the closing funds
Each node opens its section below. Self-employed figures from CMHC’s self-employed program; last verified September 20, 2026.
Identity
- Two pieces of government identification: a driver’s licence or passport, plus a birth certificate, permanent resident card or other government document.
- Social Insurance Number for the credit pull, with your written consent; one inquiry covers every lender we send the file to.
- Current address and two-year address history.
- Letter of employment on letterhead, dated within 30 days
- Two most recent pay stubs
- Most recent T4
- Two years of Notices of Assessment, any balance owing paid
- Two years of full T1 General returns
- Two years of financial statements if incorporated
- Business registration or articles of incorporation
Every income type's full list is in the detail below. CMHC recommends 24 months in business for a self-employed file.
Go deeper
The detail, if you want it
Income, by how you are paid
Find your row.
Salaried
- Letter of employment on letterhead, dated within 30 days, stating position, start date, salary and probation status, signed, with a phone number.
- Two most recent pay stubs showing year-to-date earnings.
- Most recent T4.
Hourly, overtime, commission or bonus
- Letter of employment stating hourly rate and guaranteed hours per week.
- Two most recent pay stubs.
- Two years of T4s; overtime, shift premiums, commission and bonus are averaged, and most lenders use the lower year.
Self-employed, incorporated or contractor
- Two years of Notices of Assessment, plus proof any balance owing is paid.
- Two years of full T1 General returns, with the Statement of Business Activities if a sole proprietor.
- Two years of business financial statements if incorporated, and the corporate Notices of Assessment.
- Articles of incorporation or business registration from the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies, showing ownership and time in business.
- Business bank statements and GST/HST returns where asked; CMHC lists these for its self-employed program.
Declared income far below what the business earns takes a different route. Self-employed mortgages in Nova Scotia →
Pension and retirement income
- T4A slips for each pension.
- Pension statements or award letters showing the monthly amount and whether it is for life or a defined period.
- CPP and OAS statements from Service Canada.
- RRIF or investment statements if drawing from savings; the balance must support the withdrawal for the term.
Seasonal, fishery and EI-supplemented
- Two years of Notices of Assessment and T1 Generals; the total, including EI, is averaged.
- Records of Employment for each season, showing a consistent pattern.
- A return-to-work letter from the employer, or for fishers the licence and the buyer’s settlement statements, confirming the coming season.
A common file from the South Shore to Cape Breton.
Canadian Armed Forces
- Most recent CAF pay statement, showing rank and allowances.
- Posting message if relocating to or within Nova Scotia; accepted in place of a start date.
- Two years of T4s if allowances are a meaningful share of income.
New to Canada
- Work permit or permanent resident card.
- Letter of employment and pay stubs, as for a salaried borrower.
- International credit report where available, or twelve months of rent and utility history if Canadian credit is thin.
- Proof the down payment is in Canada, or a clear paper trail of the transfer.
Down payment and existing debts
- 90 days of statements for every account the money sits in, showing your name, account number and every transaction.
- Gift letter from an immediate family member, signed, stating the amount and that it is not repayable, plus proof of deposit.
- RRSP or FHSA statements if drawing under the Home Buyers’ Plan or from a First Home Savings Account.
- Agreement of purchase and sale on your existing home, plus its mortgage statement, if the down payment comes from a sale.
- Proof of closing costs on top of the down payment; deed transfer tax and legal fees are paid in cash. Deed transfer tax by municipality → · Every closing cost on your price →
Existing debts and properties
- Current mortgage statement for every property you own: balance, payment and renewal date.
- Property tax bill for each, added to your debt service.
- Lease agreements for any rental units, and possibly twelve months of deposits; rental income is partly counted.
- Balances on car loans, student loans and lines of credit, plus anything not on the bureau, such as a private loan or child support.
- Separation agreement if you pay or receive support; treated as a debt or as income.
The property, once you have an offer
- MLS listing sheet or, on a private sale, the PID and civic address.
- Signed agreement of purchase and sale with every schedule and amendment, including the financing condition date.
- Condo documents: estoppel certificate, budget, reserve fund study and recent minutes.
- Home insurance binder naming the lender as mortgagee, in place for closing. No binder, no closing.
- Appraisal, ordered by the lender or by us, paid by you.
Older and rural homes
Much of the province’s housing is older, oil- or wood-heated and off municipal services; each adds a document, from Kentville to Sydney.
- Oil tank: age, tag, location, inside or outside; an older or unlabelled tank can make the home uninsurable until replaced.
- Wood stove or fireplace: a WETT inspection report; ask the seller for an existing one.
- Well and septic: an accredited-lab potability test and a septic inspection outside municipal services; some lenders lower loan-to-value on a dug well or large acreage.
- Wiring: knob-and-tube, aluminum or 60-amp service may need an electrician’s letter before an insurer binds.
- Migrated title: if the land is not yet in the Land Registration system, your lawyer migrates it at closing, which adds time.
Send the listing before you write the offer, so the insurance quote and inspections start the same day.
What the lawyer needs separately
The lawyer’s list is shorter.
- Two pieces of ID, in person or by verified video.
- The signed agreement of purchase and sale and any amendments.
- The mortgage instructions, sent by the lender once conditions clear.
- The insurance binder naming the lender.
- The closing funds: down payment balance, deed transfer tax and legal fees, by certified funds or wire a day or two before closing.
- Your instructions on title: whose name, and joint tenants or tenants in common.
Written by Riley Oickle
Associate Mortgage Broker, Nova Scotia licence 2025-3001134, with Indi, The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. Every figure on this page links to the government or regulator page it came from.
Why a broker
Licensed, independent, paid by the lender
- Licensed in Nova Scotia Associate broker 3001134, verifiable on the provincial register
- $0 broker fee On a standard residential mortgage the lender pays, not you
- Banks, credit unions, monolines One application, one credit check, placed with the lender that reads your file best
- Every part of the province Bedford office, remote process: Yarmouth to Sydney, the same four steps
Questions people ask
Do I need all of these documents for a pre-approval?
For a pre-approval you need the first four groups: identity, income, down payment and existing debts and properties. The property documents come with an accepted offer. A pre-approval on a verbal income figure with no documents is a pre-qualification.
How recent do my bank statements need to be?
The most recent 90 days, each showing your name, the account number and the running balance; screenshots of a balance are not enough. Any non-payroll deposit larger than a normal month’s savings will draw a question.
Can my down payment be a gift?
Yes, from an immediate family member: a parent, grandparent, sibling or child. The lender needs a signed gift letter stating the amount, the relationship and that it is not repayable, plus proof the funds landed before closing. Most lenders do not accept a gift from a friend, employer or cousin.
I am self-employed. Why are you asking for two years of tax returns?
Lenders and insurers qualify self-employed income on a two-year average of what you declared. CMHC recommends at least 24 months in business and accepts a 15% gross-up of net income on a standard file, so two years of Notices of Assessment and full T1 Generals, plus proof of tax paid. If you write off most of your income, a bank-statement program is the other route.
Still unsure? Ask me directly.
If your question isn't here, your situation is probably specific. Fifteen minutes on the phone beats reading another page, and nothing is pulled on your credit.
(902) 298-0218 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 10:00 pm Atlantic
Not sure which row you fall in?
Tell us how you are paid and where the down payment comes from, and within a business day you get back a short list of exactly what to send, with a secure link.
(902) 298-0218 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 10:00 pm Atlantic