Why the Usual Documents Don’t Fit
A self-employed applicant has no payroll, no pay stub and no employer to call. Contractors, sole proprietors, commission earners, and drivers or couriers paid through an app all fall here. What they do have is a tax filing and a bank account, and those two together usually tell you more than a stub would.
The legal frame is the same as for anyone else. O. Reg. 290/98 lets a landlord request income information only alongside credit references, rental history and a credit check, and weigh it only together with them.4 The Ontario Human Rights Commission adds that nothing in the regulation permits asking about employment history, and that requirements for permanent employment or minimum tenure with an employer have been found to discriminate.5 So you can ask what the applicant earns and see proof of it. You should not set a rule like “two years in business”.
What Documents Show Self-Employed Income
Notice of Assessment
A Notice of Assessment is the CRA’s summary of the amounts calculated on the applicant’s income tax and benefit return. It appears in the applicant’s CRA account once the return is processed, and copies of current and prior-year notices can be retrieved there.1 It shows the name and address on file, the tax year, the issue date, the last four digits of the SIN, and an assessment summary with key line numbers and amounts.1
Proof of Income Statement
The CRA’s proof of income statement is a simple, generic version of the tax assessment that summarizes income and deductions for one tax year. The applicant can print it from the Tax returns tab in their CRA account, or order it by mail, which can take up to 10 days.2 The CRA notes that the printed statement shows the full Social Insurance Number.2 Ask the applicant to cover the SIN before sending it; the Privacy Commissioner says a SIN is not needed for a credit check, and you don’t need it to read income.6
Business Statement
Sole proprietors report business or professional income and expenses on form T2125, filed with their return.3 It shows how the income figure on the assessment was built: gross revenue, then expenses. You don’t need it in most cases. If the applicant offers it, it helps explain a large gap between what they bill and what they report.
| Evidence | Who issues it | What it shows | What it misses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice of Assessment | CRA, via the applicant’s CRA account | Last year’s assessed income1 | This year; a PDF can be edited |
| Proof of income statement | CRA, printed or mailed | Income and deductions for one tax year2 | This year; shows the full SIN |
| Connected bank account | The bank, with the applicant’s login | Money arriving now, how often and from whom | Whether a deposit is income or a transfer |
| Bank statement PDFs | The applicant | What they chose to show | Anything edited out |
| Client contracts or invoices | The applicant | Work that is booked | Whether it was paid |
Reading the Bank Deposits
Tax documents describe last year. Deposits describe this year. When the applicant connects their bank account in a screening, you see the deposits, their payers and their rhythm, without anyone retyping a statement. PropTx Verify pulls income data from connected bank accounts, and uses bank data as the fallback when there is no payroll to connect, which is the normal case for self-employed applicants.
- Look at several months, not one. Self-employed income is lumpy; a slow month is not a red flag on its own.
- Match the payers to the work described. A courier paid by a delivery platform, a designer paid by agency clients, a trades contractor paid by general contractors.
- Compare the annualized deposits with the assessed income. Gross deposits will run higher than income after expenses, so a modest gap is normal and a large gap the other way is a question.
- Separate transfers from income. Money moved in from the applicant’s own savings or a family member is not income, though savings can still be relevant to whether rent is affordable.
- Note business accounts. Many sole proprietors pay themselves from a separate account; ask whether the applicant has one.
See fake bank statements for why a connected account carries more weight than a PDF.
How to Weigh It
The OHRC’s position is that a landlord must only assess whether an applicant has enough income to pay the rent, and that rent-to-income ratios such as 30% are not permitted.5 For a self-employed applicant, that means asking whether the assessed income and the current deposits, read together, cover the rent with room for an uneven month. See rent-to-income ratios in Ontario.
Weigh it beside the credit report and the landlord references, not instead of them.4 A self-employed applicant with a clean payment record and good references is a different file from one with irregular deposits and collections, even at the same income.
Risks to Watch
- An edited Notice of Assessment. The PDF is easy to alter. Ask the applicant to download a fresh copy from their CRA account during a call, or rely on deposits you can see in a connected account.
- A new business with no tax history. There is no assessment yet. Use deposits, contracts and the rest of the file, and consider whether a guarantor applied to all applicants on the same basis is appropriate. See guarantors and co-signers.
- Income that fell after the last return. Deposits that run well below the assessed figure deserve a question.
- Cash businesses. Deposits may understate income; the assessment is the better anchor.
- Mixing the source type into the decision. The OHRC says landlords may verify that income exists but not judge its source.5
Every document here is personal information. The Privacy Commissioner says landlords may ask to see tax information but should explain why, collect only what they need, and not keep it longer than necessary.6
This page is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice. Where a situation turns on its facts, get advice from a lawyer or paralegal.
Questions
What Proof of Income Should a Self-Employed Tenant Provide?
Their latest Notice of Assessment or CRA proof of income statement, plus recent bank deposits, ideally through a connected account. The CRA documents show last year; the deposits show this year.1,2
Can a Landlord Ask for a Self-Employed Applicant’s Tax Return?
A landlord can ask to see tax information, but must explain why, collect only what is needed and not keep it longer than necessary. A Notice of Assessment usually answers the income question without the full return.6
Can a Landlord Require Two Years of Self-Employment?
That is risky. The OHRC says the regulation does not permit asking about employment history, and minimum-tenure requirements have been found to discriminate on Code grounds.5
Is Gig Income Real Income for a Rental Application?
Yes. Income from delivery, ride-share or freelance platforms is income, and the OHRC says landlords may verify that income exists but not judge its source. Check it the same way: tax documents plus deposits.5
Sources
- Notices of assessment - NOA or NOR – Personal income tax
Canada Revenue Agency, What is a notice of assessment; Understand sections of your notice; Get a copy of a current or previous year notice; modified July 9, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Get a proof of income statement
Canada Revenue Agency, Proof of income statement; online and by mail. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- T2125 Statement of Business or Professional Activities
Canada Revenue Agency, Form description; modified May 1, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- O. Reg. 290/98: Business Practices Permissible to Landlords in Selecting Prospective Tenants for Residential Accommodation
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 1(3) to (5). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Policy on human rights and rental housing, V. Identifying discrimination in rental housing
Ontario Human Rights Commission, ss. 4.2.1 Income requirements and 4.2.3 Employment history. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Privacy in the landlord and tenant relationship
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Does a landlord require my Social Insurance Number (SIN)?; Can a landlord ask to see my driver’s licence? My tax information? My pay stubs?. Accessed October 22, 2026.
