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Stepped line chart of the CRA prescribed interest rate for family loans by quarter from Q4 2021 to Q4 2026.

The rate is on course to hold at 3% in January because 90-day Treasury bills averaged 2.39% and 2.41% at the last two auctions, and the rate rounds up to the next whole percentage point. A prescribed rate loan of $500,000 requires $15,000 a year in interest, paid by January 30. The loan is an option rather than a deadline, and the date that matters this year is the December 30 tax-loss selling cutoff.

This chart is presented for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Figures reflect the source and period indicated and may no longer be current.

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Stepped line chart of the CRA prescribed rate for loans to family members by quarter from 2022 to 2026.

At the early-2024 peak, interest on a $500,000 family loan ran $30,000 a year, compared with $15,000 now.

CRA Prescribed Rate for Loans to Family Members, Q1 2022 to Q4 2026

October 14, 2026

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Line chart of the 90-day Government of Canada Treasury bill yield from June 1 to October 13, 2026.

Three-month Treasury bill yields set the CRA prescribed rate, and the current reading is well short of what would raise it.

90-Day Government of Canada Treasury Bill Yield, June to October 2026

October 13, 2026

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Line chart of the CRA prescribed rate by quarter, Q3 2023 to Q4 2026, with a reference line for the 3-month bill yield.

A loan made before December 31 keeps the 3% prescribed rate for its full life, provided the borrowing spouse or trust pays the interest by January 30 each year.

CRA Prescribed Rate, Q3 2023 to Q4 2026, With the 3-Month Bill Yield

October 9, 2026

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Line chart of the CRA prescribed rate for family loans by quarter, Q1 2023 to Q4 2026, with a 10-year yield line.

The prescribed rate is reset each quarter from the average three-month Government of Canada Treasury bill yield in the first month of the…

CRA Prescribed Rate for Family Loans, Q1 2023 to Q4 2026

October 8, 2026

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Line chart of the CRA prescribed rate for family loans by quarter, Q1 2022 to Q4 2026, with a dashed Treasury bill line.

The prescribed rate is set from the average three-month Government of Canada Treasury bill yield in the first month of the preceding quarter, rounded up to a whole percentage.

CRA Prescribed Rate for Family Loans, Q1 2022 to Q4 2026

October 7, 2026

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Step chart of the CRA prescribed interest rate by quarter from the first quarter of 2020 to the fourth quarter of 2026.

The prescribed rate is the benchmark for family and spousal loans, and the rate in force on the day a loan is made is the one that applies to it.

CRA Prescribed Interest Rate, Quarterly, Q1 2020 to Q4 2026

October 1, 2026

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