Plain-language guides to family and friend loans in Canada — the agreements, the rules, and what to do when things go sideways. No legalese.
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The complete legal walkthrough: the two presumptions working against you, lawful interest under the Criminal Code, valid e-signatures, and the limitation window — with the statutes and cases that decide it.
Small claims · OntarioThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · AlbertaThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · BCThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · SaskatchewanThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · ManitobaThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · QuebecThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · Nova ScotiaThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · New BrunswickThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · PEIThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · Newfoundland & LabradorThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · YukonThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · Northwest TerritoriesThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
Small claims · NunavutThe limit, the steps, the deadline, and why a written agreement makes your case.
What to do now (almost nothing), what the CRA needs, and the calm playbook if a payment doesn't arrive.
After signing · borrowersAutomate it today, reference every transfer, glance quarterly — the habits that make family loans invisible.
Every agreement gets a SHA-256 fingerprint you can check yourself at verify.trylendright.com. What the seal is, how it makes a forged or altered loan agreement fall apart on sight, and why no template site or AI can fake it.
The full pictureWhat it is, how the signing works, and how the SHA-256 seal, Certificate of Completion, and public verification make a LendRight agreement safer than a free template — for a family loan in Canada.
Template guideWhat a usable template actually contains, the three ways to get one — static download, lawyer, or guided tool — and an honest cost-and-time comparison so you pick the one that holds up.
Relationship guideA contract with your own brother feels cold — but it's what keeps the loan a loan and the family intact. Why formality protects both sides, what to put in it, and how to make one in minutes.
Recovering a loanThey've cooled off and now call your loan a gift. Who has to prove what in Canada — and how to recover your money.
Recovering a loanThe law often starts on your side in families. How Canadian courts decide, and how to get your money back.
Gift, divorce & recoveryYou helped with a deposit and now they're separating. Whether it's a gift or a loan decides everything — with real Canadian cases.
Asking parentsWhat to say, how to frame it as a loan, and how a simple written agreement keeps money from straining the relationship.
Borrowing wellAgree on terms, decide loan vs gift, and put it in writing so it never comes between you. A borrower's guide.
Lending to your childHow to decide, whether to make it a loan or a gift, and how a simple written agreement protects everyone.
Under the hoodFree templates are US-frozen; AI has no canonical copy or working math. The specific legal checks behind the $29 — and what breaks without them.
Protect bothSet clear terms, decide loan vs gift, get it in writing — framed as care, not distrust. The calm, practical way to do both.
Decision guideThe question that decides your taxes, your estate, and whether you see the money again. A clear framework, the test courts use, and a free 60-second tool.
Step by stepThe exact clauses to include, the Canadian rules that matter, and the fastest way to make one both people can sign.
The awkward askYes — and it's not rude. How to ask a relative to sign without it ever feeling like distrust.
The complete guideEverything that makes a family loan agreement valid in Canada — and the four mistakes that quietly make them unenforceable.
Clause by clauseThe whole agreement annotated against a worked $40,000 example — and the federal rules that quietly rewrite bad wording.
The checklistThe complete list of clauses every private loan agreement should have — and what you can safely skip.
Note vs agreementA note is binding — but it's a one-sided IOU that leaves five gaps. Why a full loan agreement is the safer default, with a real case.
ExplainerOne is a promise, the other a contract. A plain side-by-side of what each is, who signs, and which suits a family loan.
Free templatesFree templates are usually written for the US. Here are the Canadian gaps that matter, and when "free" is good enough.
How a gift vs a loan changes your mortgage qualification and your taxes — and the one thing the rules forbid.
For parents · Decision guideA parent's decision framework: your retirement, mortgage approval, CRA, fairness between children, and protecting the money if your child divorces — with a real court case.
Overseas · NewcomersThe gift-vs-loan choice, the 90-day rule for foreign funds, and the AML paperwork you'll need.
Charging interestTwo federal rules decide whether the interest you intended is the interest you can actually collect. Here's how to write it.
Interest · OntarioThe 35% ceiling, the Interest Act annual-rate rule, and the CRA prescribed rate — explained simply.
CRA · 2026It's 3% for 2026. How income-splitting loans work, and the January 30 deadline that can undo the whole strategy.
Spousal loans · TaxHow a loan to your lower-income partner shifts investment income — the prescribed rate, the January 30 trap, and the agreement it needs.
Canadian courts have turned an unenforced loan into nothing, and a disputed "gift" into a debt. Real cases on why the paperwork decides everything.
Unpaid loansA calm, realistic path — from a written reminder to small claims court — and the limitation clock you can't ignore.
Unpaid loans · EvidenceCan you sue? Is a text or e-transfer enough proof with no written contract? Your options — with a real case where digital evidence won.
Consumer proposalsA proposal doesn't erase the debt — it converts it into a smaller, court-binding payout. How to file a Proof of Claim, how much creditors recover, and the deadline you can't miss.
Consumer proposalsIt's a public filing, not a private claim. How to verify it through the OSB records search and the trustee's notice — and what your next move is either way.
Consumer proposalsA note proves the debt but doesn't rank it. Secured vs unsecured, why it's strong proof for your claim, and the co-signer who can still be pursued.
Verbal loansYes — but proving the terms is the hard part. What makes a spoken family loan actually enforceable.
An honest side-by-side with real 2026 pricing: who runs a subscription, who's US-built, who lets both people e-sign — and which fits a Canadian family loan.
Comparison · 2026An honest look at your options — template sites, a lawyer, or a purpose-built tool — and how to choose the right one.
Comparison · 2026eForms is free but US-built and signed by hand. An honest comparison with a Canada-first tool, and how to choose.
Canada-wide
The rules that apply everywhere — what makes an agreement valid, gift vs loan, interest, and tax.
By province
City-specific loan agreement guides
City-specific loan agreement guides
City-specific loan agreement guides
City-specific loan agreement guides
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