Short answer
Some lenders may, but it is not automatic. A clear employer letter confirming your position, guaranteed salary or hours and return date can support the request, while the lender or mortgage insurer still decides whether that future income is acceptable for the file.
The borrower concern behind the question
Your approved purchase closes before your first full paycheque after leave. The household can carry the payment, but the lender sees a gap between today’s deposits and the salary on the application.
What the verified guidance says
Ontario guidance says an eligible employee returning from pregnancy or parental leave is generally entitled to the same job or a comparable job if the former position no longer exists. OSFI expects federally regulated lenders to verify employment status and income history rigorously.
Where lender and insurer policy changes the answer
The employment protection does not guarantee the same bonus, overtime or schedule, and it does not bind a lender to use future salary. The return date, permanence, probation, employer confirmation, closing date and mortgage-insurer rules can produce different answers.
A practical Ontario example
Illustration only: A nurse returns three weeks after closing with a guaranteed base salary but normally earns significant overtime. A lender may use the confirmed base salary and exclude overtime until sufficient history is established.
What to prepare before the lender reviews the file
Ask the employer to confirm position, status, base rate, guaranteed hours, leave dates and firm return date. Separate guaranteed income from overtime or bonus income, and keep enough cash to manage the lower-income months around closing.
Questions Rajiv would ask first
- Which part of the income is guaranteed, variable, temporary or expected to change?
- What documents independently confirm the amount and how long it should continue?
- Is the mortgage insured or conventional, and which lender or insurer policy applies?
- Will the income or obligation change before closing or during the first mortgage term?
- What A-lender, alternative/B or short-term fallback remains practical if the first calculation fails?
Rajiv’s broker perspective
Income qualification is rarely solved by naming the benefit or employment type. I would first separate the income you receive today from the income a lender can reasonably document and use. Then I would compare the lender’s calculation with the household’s real after-tax budget. An A-lender exception can be appropriate when the story and documents are strong. Alternative/B lending may accept a wider income view in some cases, but the rate, fee and exit plan must earn their cost. MIC or private lending should solve a defined short-term problem, not hide an income gap that has no route back to sustainable financing.
Related: Mortgage declined? Start here · Mortgage Knowledge Centre · Updates & Rules Centre
Is your income being misunderstood by the lender?
Send Rajiv the income type, employment history, leave or return date, current documents, purchase or renewal deadline and the lender’s concern. He can identify what is missing, compare practical lender approaches and explain the next step in plain language.