Key takeaways
- →Individual licensing fees range widely — from Newfoundland and Labrador's $200 mortgage broker fee up to Ontario's $941 (prorated) new Mortgage Agent Level 1 fee.
- →Quebec is the only province that splits its fee into a base certificate charge ($116) plus a separate mortgage-brokerage-specific addition ($302), for a combined $418 a year.
- →British Columbia currently has the highest individual fees of any province — up to $1,900 for a new sole-proprietor mortgage broker — and those figures predate the fee schedule that will accompany the Mortgage Services Act, in force October 13, 2026.
- →Every regulator publishes its own current fee schedule and adjusts it periodically — Quebec's rose 2.4% for 2026 — so confirm the live number with the regulator directly rather than a cached figure.
There's no single answer to what a Canadian mortgage licence costs — each province sets its own application and renewal fees, and the gap between the cheapest and most expensive provinces is significant. Ontario prorates a $941 fee for a new Mortgage Agent Level 1 licence; Newfoundland and Labrador charges $200 for a new mortgage broker licence.
This table pulls every figure directly from the regulator's own published fee schedule, so the numbers can be confirmed and cited rather than approximated. For Quebec's fee stack in full detail, including exam and probationary costs, see What a Quebec Mortgage Broker Licence Actually Costs.
01 · What does a mortgage licence actually cost, province by province?
| Province | New application/registration fee | Renewal fee |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario (FSRA) | $941 (new Mortgage Agent Level 1, prorated) | $883 (Mortgage Broker annual renewal) |
| British Columbia (BCFSA) | $1,500 (new submortgage broker) / $1,900 (new mortgage broker, sole proprietor) | $1,500 (submortgage broker) / $1,750 (mortgage broker) |
| Alberta (RECA) | $575 (new mortgage associate/broker: $475 licensing + $100 assurance fund) | $525 (renewal: $475 licensing + $50 assurance fund) |
| Quebec (AMF) | $116 base + $302 mortgage-brokerage addition = $418 combined | $418 combined (annual) |
| Saskatchewan (FCAA) | $250 application fee + $400 licence fee | $400 annual fee (due by June 30 each year) |
| Manitoba (MSC) | $400 (salesperson) / $500 (broker/restricted broker) | $400 (all individual registration renewals) |
| Nova Scotia | $300 (mortgage broker or associate mortgage broker, individual) | $300 (annual, renew by October 31) |
| New Brunswick (FCNB) | $300 (mortgage broker or mortgage associate) | $300 (annual, due March 31) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $200 (mortgage broker) / $400 (mortgage brokerage) | Paid annually per the licence's effective-date anniversary; a distinct renewal amount beyond the original fee isn't separately published |
02 · Why do licensing fees vary this much across Canada?
Each regulator funds its own operations through these fees, and renewal cadence differs too — some provinces renew annually, BC renews on a two-year cycle. British Columbia's current figures also predate a bigger change: the Mortgage Services Act comes into force October 13, 2026, replacing the Mortgage Brokers Act framework these BC fees are set under, so expect the fee schedule itself to be revisited around that transition.
British Columbia's current MBA-era fee schedule is expected to be revisited around that transition — a good reminder that every figure in this comparison is a snapshot to confirm directly with the regulator, not a fixed constant.
03 · Why does Quebec charge a base fee plus a mortgage-brokerage addition?
The AMF applies a base certificate fee of $116 across the sectors it regulates, then adds a mortgage-brokerage-specific charge of $302 on top for anyone authorized to act in that sector — a structure that's unique among the provinces covered here. The full breakdown, including exam and probationary fees, is covered in the linked piece above.
04 · What isn't included in these licence fees?
None of the figures above include course tuition, exam fees, or a criminal record check — those are billed separately by the course provider, the exam administrator, or the background-check vendor, and each province's sponsoring-brokerage requirement (see Brokerage Sponsorship, Explained) adds its own timing dependency on top.
For what to budget for skill-building beyond the licence itself, see Treadstone's Canadian Mortgage Underwriting Course, and how Treadstone supports Canadian mortgage professionals after licensing.
Licence fees are a fixed cost. Fulfillment doesn't have to be.
Whatever your province charges, the bigger cost is what comes after.
Treadstone's fulfillment associates give newly licensed brokers and agents a predictable cost for file processing, instead of a fixed-salary hire before the book justifies one.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general information to help you scale — not a substitute for tailored advice on your specific business, licensing, or compliance obligations. All figures are illustrative examples for planning purposes; actual costs vary by province, market, and brokerage.