How this calculator works

Co-signing in Canada generally makes you a joint debtor: the lender can pursue you for the full unpaid balance without first exhausting collection against the borrower. That is the central risk, and it is why the only honest test is whether you could repay the loan yourself.

This checklist weights the factors that most often precede bad outcomes: an unstable borrower income, a poor payment record, a loan larger than your accessible savings, and a relationship where you would find it hard to say no or to enforce repayment.

Assumptions and limits

This is an educational estimate produced entirely in your browser. It is not an offer of credit, an approval, or financial advice, and it does not use your real credit file. Lenders apply their own policy, pricing, and verification.