Mortgage Qualify

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CMHC Insurance Calculator

If your down payment is under 20%, this is the premium you'll pay for mortgage default insurance.

Purchase details

Minimum required down payment for this price: $30,000

Estimated CMHC premium

$20,400

Loan amount$510,000
Loan-to-value (LTV)92.73
Premium rate4.00
Premium (added to loan)$530,400

Premium rate tiers

Up to 65% LTV0.60%
65.01% – 75%1.70%
75.01% – 80%2.40%
80.01% – 85%2.80%
85.01% – 90%3.10%
90.01% – 95%4.00%

Frequently asked questions

When is CMHC insurance required?+

Any time your down payment is under 20% of the purchase price (a 'high-ratio' mortgage), and the home is priced at $1.5 million or under — insurance isn't available above that price at all.

Who pays for CMHC insurance — me or the lender?+

You do, even though it protects the lender if you default. The premium is usually added to your mortgage principal and paid off over your amortization, rather than paid upfront.

Does a bigger down payment always mean a lower premium?+

Yes — the premium rate rises in tiers as your loan-to-value ratio rises. Even within the same insured range, a 15% down payment gets a noticeably lower premium rate than a 5% down payment.

Is there tax on top of the CMHC premium?+

In some provinces (Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec), yes — provincial sales tax applies to the premium itself, and unlike the premium, that tax must be paid upfront rather than added to your mortgage.