FREE INTERACTIVE TOOL
Can you keep the home? Let’s find out, gently, with our spousal buyout calculator.
Keeping the family home after a separation comes down to two questions, not one. There's a special program that helps with the first, and a real conversation behind the second. We loaded an example so you can start right away.
Step 1 · The home and the split
What it takes to buy out your partner
A normal refinance stops at 80% of your home's value. The spousal buyout program reaches up to 95%, often the difference between keeping the home and selling it.
Home equity
$0
Pay your partner
$0
New mortgage needed
$0
Gate 1 · Access
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Step 2 · Carrying it on your own
Can one income support the new mortgage?
This is the gate people forget. The program might reach the equity, but the payment still has to fit your income under the stress test. Here's a conservative read.
Add a co-signer's income
The buyout program allows a family member or new partner to co-sign.
You could qualify for about
$0
This buyout needs
$0
Gate 2 · Qualify
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The bottom line
On these numbers, keeping the home looks achievable.
Both gates clear. The next step is confirming the details and lining up a lender, with your separation agreement in hand.
Educational estimate only. This is not an approval, a commitment or a personalised recommendation. Your actual payment, qualification, fees and penalties depend on the lender’s terms and on verified information. Talk to us before you act on these numbers.
How this tool works
The method behind the spousal buyout numbers
This tool estimates how much financing would be needed for one person to keep the home after a separation. It is arithmetic on the property, not a legal opinion on what either person is entitled to.
What you put in
- Accepted property value. What a lender and appraiser would accept, which is not always the listing price or what you paid.
- Existing mortgage balance. The payout amount, before any prepayment charge.
- The agreed share. What the departing owner receives under your separation agreement.
How the borrowing need is calculated
New borrowing needed = existing mortgage payout + agreed share to the departing owner
Loan-to-value = new borrowing ÷ accepted value
A worked example
A home accepted at $600,000 with $280,000 still owing has $320,000 of gross equity before costs. If the agreement gives the departing owner $160,000, the person staying needs $280,000 plus $160,000, so $440,000 of new borrowing. That is a loan-to-value of 73.3%, which sits below the 80% conventional limit and does not require an insured equity buyout at all.
Change one number and the answer changes completely. The same house at $520,000 with the same debt and the same split needs $440,000 against a lower value, which is 84.6% and a different conversation entirely.
What this tool cannot tell you
- Whether you qualify. The single most important question is whether one income supports the new mortgage. Income alone does not answer it: the qualifying rate, amortization, property taxes, heat, condo fees, other debts and any support obligations all count.
- What you are legally entitled to. The 50/50 split used in the example is illustrative. Entitlement comes from your separation agreement and your family lawyer, not from a calculator.
- Which insured program applies. Some insured equity buyout programs allow borrowing above the conventional limit on eligible transactions, but the rules differ between Sagen, CMHC and Canada Guaranty, and each has its own documentation and property conditions. A lender and insurer confirm what applies to your file.
- Your net proceeds. Prepayment charges, legal fees, title changes and registration costs all come out of the number above.
Educational estimate only, not an approval, a commitment, or legal or financial advice. Get the agreement itself reviewed by a family lawyer. Reviewed 30 August 2026 by Fusion Mortgage Group, a team of licensed mortgage brokers with BRX Mortgage Inc., Mortgage Brokerage #13463.
Common questions about spousal buyouts
How do I calculate a spousal buyout in Ontario?
Start with the home's appraised value and subtract the mortgage balance. What is left is the equity. The buyout is usually your ex's share of that equity, often half, as set out in your separation agreement. Our calculator adds that amount to your current balance to show the new mortgage you would need.
How much can I borrow to buy out my spouse?
Under the insured spousal buyout programs you can borrow up to 95% of the home's appraised value, if your income supports the payment. A regular refinance stops at 80%.
Can child or spousal support count as income?
Yes, if it is in your separation agreement. Most lenders want about three months of payments received and proof that support will continue for at least three more years.
Is the calculator result an approval?
No. It is an estimate to help you plan. Book a call and we will run your real numbers with a lender before anything is signed.
Next step
Get real numbers before anything is signed.
A buyout that works on paper still has to work with a lender. We will test it properly, and tell your lawyer what the mortgage side needs.
Want the full picture? Read our separation and divorce guide