Understand before you sign
Explanations of the rates, fees and contracts behind financial products offered in Quebec, written to be read before an appointment, not after.
212 articles
// Budget and debt
Payment Difficulty: Prepare a Conversation With a Creditor
Identify the amount and date you cannot meet, then present a budget showing your realistic capacity.
2026-07-21
// Budget and debt
Credit Report Error: Evidence and Correction Process
Obtain the report from each bureau, pinpoint the incorrect line and document the correction process.
2026-07-21
// Budget and debt
Identity Theft: Protect Accounts and Credit History
Inventory the affected accounts, secure passwords and access, then monitor your credit file closely.
2026-07-21
// Budget and debt
Bonus, Refund or Inheritance: Apply a Lump Sum to Debt
Establish the net amount actually available, then rank the debts by cost and urgency before applying it.
2026-07-21
// Tax
Medical Expenses: Organize Receipts Before Filing
Gather receipts in the eligible person’s name and choose the most advantageous twelve-month period.
2026-07-21
// Tax
Moving Expenses: Verify Eligibility and Keep Evidence
Verify the distance and the connection with work, study or business, then keep every expense receipt.
2026-07-21
// Tax
Home Office Expenses: Distinguish Employee and Self-Employed Rules
The rules differ for employees and the self-employed: measure the space and time devoted to work.
2026-07-21
// Tax
Notice of Assessment: Verify Amounts and Keep the Record
Compare income, contributions and credits with your return and verify carried-forward room before filing the notice away.
2026-07-21
// Mortgages
How does Quebec's refundable first-home tax credit work?
What the credit refunds, who can claim it, when the money arrives and how to include it in a first-purchase budget.
2026-10-13
// Mortgages
What is the mortgage stress test and how does it affect your loan?
Why a lender qualifies you at a rate higher than your contract rate, and what that changes for the amount you can borrow.
2026-10-13
// Mortgages
How is the mortgage loan insurance premium calculated?
The loan-to-value ratio, the CMHC premium table, the minimum down payment and the Quebec sales tax, explained with an example to replace.
2026-10-13
// Budget and debt
What Makes Up a Credit Score in Canada and How Can You Improve It?
Payment history, credit use, account age, recent applications and credit mix: what weighs on a score and the habits that improve it.
2026-10-13
// Mortgages
What Is the Minimum Down Payment to Buy a Home in Canada?
The 5%, 10% and 20% rule by purchase price, mortgage insurance and what to budget for beyond the down payment.
2026-10-13
// Mortgages
Can You Rely on ChatGPT or Another AI for Your Mortgage?
An AI can help prepare your questions, but it knows neither your file nor today's rate: limits, checks and reliable tools.
2026-10-13
// Investments
FHSA, HBP or TFSA: Which to Use for a First Home?
Three accounts, three logics: a deduction, a temporary RRSP withdrawal or flexible savings. How to compare them before buying.
2026-10-13
// Mortgages
Top 10 Free Mortgage Calculators in Quebec
Ten mortgage calculators ranked on five public criteria, including QuebecTaux, which is listed and judged like the others.
2026-10-13
// Mortgages
Top 9 Sites to Compare Mortgage Rates in Canada
Nine mortgage-rate sites ranked on five public criteria; QuebecTaux is listed and judged like the others.
2026-10-13
// Mortgages
Top 10 Resources and Tools for a Quebec First-Time Buyer
Ten public and institutional resources for preparing a first home purchase in Quebec, ranked on five public criteria, including QuebecTaux.
2026-10-13
// Budget and debt
Top 10 Tools for Managing a Budget and Debt
Ten tools from public bodies, institutions and QuebecTaux for building a budget and planning debt repayment, ranked on five public criteria.
2026-10-13
// Investments
Top 10 Tools for Planning Your Savings (FHSA, RRSP, TFSA) in Quebec
Ten resources for understanding and planning registered savings in Quebec, ranked on five public criteria, including QuebecTaux.
2026-10-13