A straight answer
Are the rates too high? Higher than a normal mortgage, yes. Here's why — and the lever that matters more.
Reverse mortgage rates typically run 1.5 to 2.5 percentage points above a 5-year fixed mortgage. That is a real premium. It buys three things a normal mortgage will not give a seventy-year-old with a modest pension: no monthly payment, no income test, and a guarantee you can never owe more than the house. The question isn't whether the rate is higher — it is what it does to your money over the years you will actually have it. So here is that, in figures.
What one percentage point actually does
Take $300,000 and pay nothing along the way. At 6.5% it is about $783,111 owed after fifteen years. One point lower, about $676,981; one point higher, about $905,241. So a single point is worth roughly $122,131 over fifteen years on this illustration — real money, and worth negotiating for. It is also smaller than the next lever.
The same $300,000, at three rates, nothing paid along the way
Illustrations, not quotes. Interest compounds twice a year; the home is $900,000 rising 3% a year.
- Year 5
- at 5.5%
- $393,495
- at 6.5%
- $413,068
- at 7.5%
- $433,513
- Year 10
- at 5.5%
- $516,129
- at 6.5%
- $568,751
- at 7.5%
- $626,446
- Year 15
- at 5.5%
- $676,981
- at 6.5%
- $783,111
- at 7.5%
- $905,241
- Year 20
- at 5.5%
- $887,962
- at 6.5%
- $1,078,260
- at 7.5%
- $1,308,114
- Year 25
- at 5.5%
- $1,164,697
- at 6.5%
- $1,484,651
- at 7.5%
- $1,884,400 †
† The no-negative-equity guarantee caps what is owed at the home's value — $1,884,400 in year 25 on this illustration. The estate owes nothing more, and keeps nothing either.
The lever that matters more than the rate
1. Whether you pay the interest
Payments are optional, not forbidden. Pay the interest each month — about $1,603 on this illustration — and the balance stays at $300,000 for as long as you keep paying. That single choice removes all of the growth shown above. Stop again whenever you like.
2. How much you take, and when
Interest is charged on what you have drawn. Taking a smaller advance, or taking it monthly rather than all at once, means the balance grows from a smaller base for longer. See what monthly income costs against a lump sum →
3. How long you will hold it
The rate matters little over three years and a great deal over twenty. If you might sell or move soon, the set-up costs and the early-repayment terms matter more than the rate — and a different tool may fit better. When it fits, and when it doesn't →
Why the rate is higher in the first place
Because of what the product gives up asking for. A normal mortgage is paid down every month by someone who proved they could afford it. A reverse mortgage is paid at the end, in one go, by someone who was never asked to prove any income at all — and the lender carries the guarantee that the estate never owes more than the home is worth, even if the balance catches the value. Waiting longer, asking less and carrying that risk is what the premium pays for. Whether that is a fair price depends on how much those three things are worth to you — which for many households on a pension is a great deal.
What you should never pay for is a rate nobody compared. We put the lenders' written quotes for your file side by side, and against the credit line or refinance you might qualify for instead — and if that cheaper tool wins, we say so.
Asked about the rate
What is a typical reverse mortgage rate?
Higher than a 5-year fixed mortgage — typically by 1.5 to 2.5 percentage points. The exact rate is set by the lender and quoted to you in writing for your file. The 6.5% used on this page is an illustration so the arithmetic can be shown, not a quote.
Does the interest compound?
Yes, twice a year, which is the Canadian convention for mortgages. With nothing paid along the way, each period's interest is added to the balance and the next period's interest is charged on the bigger balance. That is why the balance grows faster in later years than in early ones.
Can I pay the interest so the balance stops growing?
Yes. Payments are optional, not forbidden. Most lenders let you pay the interest each month, which holds the balance at what you borrowed, and let you stop again whenever you like. On the illustration above that is a set amount every month for as long as you choose to pay it.
Does a higher rate change how much I can borrow?
The amount you are approved for is driven by your age, the property, its location and the product — not the rate. The rate decides what the money costs over the years you hold it, which is what the table on this page shows.
Figures on this page are illustrations at the stated assumptions — reviewed September 2026 — and depend on age, property, location and product. Your exact numbers come from the lender, in writing.
The other questions people ask before they call
What's the catch? →
Compounding — shown year by year, with what softens it and when it outweighs the benefit.
Is it a rip-off? →
The price, itemised, against what it buys — and the cases where a cheaper tool wins.
What does it cost? →
Every item, from the lenders' own published figures — and the one that is hard to defend.
Want your own rate, in writing, next to the alternative?
Bring your numbers — or just the questions. We model your scenario at the lenders' actual quotes, compare every alternative, and put a written recommendation in front of you — including 'don't', when that is the honest answer.
In a hurry? Answer eight quick questions and see your typical range on screen — about 90 seconds, no obligation.
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