All guides

Origination, registration, standby, legal and appraisal fees on Canadian business loans, how to convert them into an annual rate, and how fees are treated for tax.

What is still owed on a Canada Emergency Business Account loan in late 2026, how the 5% term loan works, the arithmetic of repaying, and how to refinance or ask for help.

What security a Canadian lender takes on a business loan, how a GSA and PPSA registration work, what a personal guarantee really commits you to, and what to negotiate.

How the Criminal Code criminal rate of 35% APR applies to business loans since 1 January 2025, the commercial exemptions at $10,000 and $500,000, and how to test an offer.

How the federal CSBFP works in 2026, who qualifies, loan limits, the prime plus 3% rate cap, the 2% registration fee, security rules and a worked example.

How Canadian lenders price business loans from prime or a fixed cost of funds, what the spread reflects, and how to choose fixed or floating with the arithmetic shown.

What Canadian lenders require for a small business loan, how rates and spreads are set, what fees add, and which federal rules apply in 2026.

How each type of Canadian small business financing works, what it suits, what it costs and the traps, with worked examples for a line of credit and invoice factoring.

The documents a Canadian bank, credit union or BDC will ask for, the numbers to work out before you apply, and what to check in the offer before you sign.

A worked comparison of two Canadian business loan offers with different rates, fees, prepayment terms and guarantees, showing total cost over the full term and if repaid early.

How Canadian lenders calculate the debt service coverage ratio, a full worked example, how much you can borrow at a 1.25 minimum, and how to stress-test the result.

How to compare leasing and borrowing to buy equipment in Canada, find the implied rate in a lease, and weigh down payment, GST/HST, capital cost allowance and end-of-lease terms.

When refinancing a high-rate Canadian business loan pays off, how to price the prepayment penalty and new fees, the break-even arithmetic, and the trap of stretching the term.

How new Canadian businesses get financing without a track record, from CSBFP and BDC to Futurpreneur and Community Futures, with a worked start-up funding plan and break-even test.

A worked example of a Canadian business term loan repaid by blended payments and by fixed principal plus interest, year by year, with prepayment and term-versus-amortization explained.

How a small business complains about a bank, credit union, caisse or BDC loan in Canada, what OBSI can and cannot do, the deadlines and limits, and how to build the file.

What to do after a Canadian lender declines your business loan: how to get the reason, the usual causes, a worked example of restructuring a request, and where else to apply.

The most expensive mistakes in Canadian small business borrowing, from unlimited guarantees and demand clauses to mismatched terms and factor-rate advances, with fixes for each.

What happens when a Canadian business breaches a loan covenant or misses payments: waivers, forbearance, demand and the 10-day BIA notice, receivership, and proposals.

How a merchant cash advance works in Canada, how to turn a factor rate into an annual cost with a worked example, the contract terms to watch, and alternatives to consider first.

The federal and provincial bodies, laws and registries behind Canadian small business loans, what each one is responsible for, and what to check on its site before you borrow.

How business borrowing in Quebec differs from the rest of Canada: movable and immovable hypothecs, the RDPRM, suretyship, prior notices, French-language contracts and Quebec funding bodies.