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Orthopedic Surgery mortgages, done right.

Orthopedics pairs a long surgical training path with high procedural income. Projected income gets you in during training; corporate qualification maximises capacity after.

The short answer

On the physician program's projected income of $300,000 for orthopedic surgeons in the final year of training and the first 36 months of practice, the debt-service ratios allow roughly $1,710,000 with 20% down and no student debt, or about $1,400,000 with 10% down and $150,000 of student debt. Established orthopedic surgeons qualify on actual income, and incorporated orthopedic surgeons on corporate income, which is usually higher.

$300K
Projected income
Program chart, final year and 36 months after
$3M+
Incorporated qualification
On corporate income plus dividends
5-7+ yrs
Typical training length
Where projected income matters most
01

How orthopedic surgeons earn.

Orthopedic surgeons earn high procedural fee-for-service income with hospital appointments, and nearly all attendings incorporate. Training is long, so projected income and signed offers matter during the path to attending.

Projected income$300,000 projected income, final year and first 36 months of practice (program chart)
Typical qualificationRoughly $1,710,000 on projected income with 20% down
02

The numbers, with sources.

Nothing on this page is a guess. The projected income comes from the program chart, the qualification figures are computed from it with the same ratios a lender applies, and the income data comes from public reporting.

$300,000Projected income the program uses
Program specialty chart, "Orthopedic Surgery", final year of training and first 36 months of practice
Source: Physician projected-income program factsheet, September 2023 edition. Full schedule and rules
5 yearsResidency length
The final-year window, where the specialty figure applies, opens in the last of these years and runs 36 months past completion.
Source: Royal College, Orthopedic Surgery specialty training requirements. Source
$504,675Average gross clinical payment per orthopedic surgeon, 2023-2024
Gross billings before overhead, counting every physician equally whether full time or not, so take-home is lower. This is what an established practice earns; a lender uses it only once you are past the projected-income window.
Source: CIHI, National Physician Database, Payments Data 2023-2024, Table A.3.2, average gross clinical payment per physician, Canada total (released October 30, 2025). CIHI table
1,861orthopedic surgeons in Canada, 2024
Active physicians, excluding residents and retired physicians.
Source: CIHI, Supply, Distribution and Migration of Physicians in Canada 2024, Table 1.0, physicians by specialty, Canada, as of December 31, 2024. CIHI table
What $300,000 qualifies for
20% down, no student debt$1,710,000
10% down, $150,000 student debt$1,400,000
Contract rate 4.49%, qualifying rate 6.49%, 39% GDS and 44% TDS, property tax 0.75% of price, heating $100 a month, student debt counted at 5.25% over 15 years, program insurance tiers when insured. Rounded to the nearest $10,000. Illustration, not a pre-approval.
03

What matters for your mortgage.

Long training, projected income
An orthopedic resident or fellow can qualify on projected attending income or a signed offer well before attending status.
High procedural income
Strong fee-for-service income supports large purchases, frequently conventional, where structure matters.
Incorporation near-universal
Nearly all orthopedic surgeons incorporate; corporate-income qualification captures the real number.
04

Incorporation and your qualification.

Incorporated orthopedic surgeons are underqualified on personal T4 alone. Corporate-income programs read corporate revenue and dividends, typically lifting capacity by 50-80%.

FAQ

Orthopedic Surgery mortgage questions.

How much mortgage can an orthopedic surgeon qualify for in Canada?01

On the physician program's projected income of $300,000 for orthopedic surgeons in the final year of training and the first 36 months of practice, the debt-service ratios allow roughly $1,710,000 with 20% down and no student debt, or about $1,400,000 with 10% down and $150,000 of student debt. Established orthopedic surgeons qualify on actual income, and incorporated orthopedic surgeons on corporate income, which is usually higher.

Can an orthopedic resident buy before becoming an attending?02

Yes. Given the long training path, projected income and a signed fellowship or staff offer let an orthopedic resident or fellow qualify at attending capacity before the first attending paycheque.

Keep reading
Surgeon mortgages
Buying as a fellow on a signed offer
Incorporated physician mortgages

Prices and payment examples are estimates for planning only. Your actual numbers depend on income, down payment, debt, credit, location, and current lender pricing.

Orthopedic Surgery

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